Calling all you crafters out there! Reclaim your spare room and create the craft room of your dreams, loaded with storage and space galore to spread out and get stuck into all those projects you’ve been spying on our pages.
WATCH: Tara sets up a productive home office space
Before
The owner’s passion for crafting had completely overtaken the spare room. The only available work surface, a corner desk, was hidden beneath a mountain of craft supplies, kids’ toys and, ironically, storage containers! It was a far cry from the dream sewing / crafting and home office the owner originally envisioned.
Luckily the Better Homes & Gardens team was there to help bring order to the chaotic space in nine simple steps.
1. Declutter
To get the room organised, it was important to begin with a blank canvas. The team removed everything from the room and all clutter was either donated, sold or thrown away. Then it was time to take stock of everything that remained to be stored: sewing supplies, craft supplies, ribbon, paint, fabric, scrapbook paper etc.
Not sure how to start decluttering? Try our handy guide to decluttering a room in 10-minutes and a roundup of the best decluttering tips ever.
2. Make a decorative pegboard
Add pattern to your pegboard! Don’t forget to prime before you begin painting it in your chosen pattern and colour. Cut out shapes or a stencil and attach them with adhesive or blu-tak to the pegboard.
In a well-ventilated area and on a large drop sheet, work from above and carefully spray paint over the top of shapes with two thin coats of a contrasting colour. Let dry after each coat. Remove shapes and discard. Attach pegboard to battens (screwed to wall studs or wall plugs in masonry walls) using an even spread of small screws through face of pegboard.
3. Install the pegboard as a ‘splashback’
One way to ensure work surfaces remain free from clutter is to use all of the available vertical space wisely. A DIY way to add more storage space is to get creative with pegboards. The team installed a pegboard splashback which can be customised to hold craft tools, framed prints and even a row of decorative tape!
Small hooks on your pegboard backing are ideal for hanging scissors, rulers and rolls of ribbon. Check kitchen stores for baskets, racks and caddies you can hang from your pegboard to store your supplies.
Then gift-wrapping is a breeze with a wrapping station loaded up with a rainbow of ribbons.
To do this, drive two closed eyehooks into overhead cabinets, spaced to suit, then load a metal rod with your ribbon collection and thread the rod into the eyehooks. It’s a wrap!
3. Easy-reach storage
If you’re lucky enough to have built-in storage in your craft room, consider removing the doors and painting out the cupboard to suit your room’s new scheme.
Measure up your shelves and take dimensions with you to the shops so you can choose the most efficient storage system. Also, a flat pack lowboy is a terrific option for storing scrapbooks and albums. Deck it out with baskets to keep things hidden, too.
4. An inspiring place to work
Add a desk lamp for when crafting days turn to craftier nights.
And to prevent pesky cords ruling your workspace, use a drill fitted with a hole saw to cut an opening in your desktop, then thread your cords through the hole – out of sight and out of your way!
5. Clever under-bench storage
Gotta love easy access! Allow for a generous-sized desk with storage underneath.
Shelves keep paper supplies flat, sorted and accessible – just cut down a melamine sheet and rest each shelf on metal or plastic pegs. And a narrow spice drawer (usually found in the kitchen) is ideal for tucking away paints and bottles.
6. Art on display
Crafted items deserve to be on display. Frame prints and put them on display to inspire your next project.
If your kids love crafting too, encourage them to create works of art that are worthy of display.
To recreate this design, use a circle paper cutter to punch a series of rounds from their works. Mount them on white card using double-sided sticky tabs, then pop the finished arrangement in a frame.
7. Decorative storage
A magnetic whiteboard is just the ticket for a work area. You can jot down measurements or reminders, clip on notes with magnets and keep small stationery items in magnetic containers.
Lean it against your pegboard or secure with mounting tape or screws in an equally practical spot.
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