A Fresh Start (Part 3) Craft Room Wrap Up

Julies craft room finished

It seems as though we started remodeling the craft room in my house about 4 months ago, but I can now say, we are 99% finished. My #1 goal was to find ways to organize everything so I could find it easily. I also wished for a more attractive place to work in, with better light and restful colors. Additionally, I didn’t want to break the bank. 



By taking out the silly sofa bed that was supposed to work for guests (but never really did) and making this strictly a work space, we gained lots of room. I now have several distinct work spaces, and find that two can comfortably sit at separate areas and work at the same time. I saved money by using shelving, lighting, fabric and storage units mainly from IKEA. I also made liberal use of The Container Store. Of course, having access to custom cabinetry helped immensely. I tapped into friends and relatives who were happy to help, if not in a huge rush. 

I left the walls in the faux finish stripes that I did with a friend many moons ago. It is durable and neutral and provides a soft pattern against so much white furniture. The fabric gave us the colors such as the soft grey blue used in accessories. There are touches of black in the new desk chair and various other items. I really think every room should have some black. Glass doors in the wall units help me see where things are and give depth and interest in what could have been fairly flat looking. 

We have one drawer strictly for paints of all kinds. (acrylics, glass, fabric) The containers with all the brushes are behind glass doors directly above. There are bins labeled for every craft I am (so far) interested in located in the open shelf unit. The rubber stamps, inks and papers are right at hand with glue and scissors close by. Making a quick card for someone does not now involve an hour long search for materials.

The beads, wire, findings, and pliers are just a reach below the card stuff. I plan to take a few classes this summer to brush up on ways to assemble these collected treasures. I have a special area I call the “jewelry hospital” so I can sit to repair/rework things when I find a little time.  

Inspiration is close at hand as all my magazines/books are corralled properly and labeled clearly.

The sewing things are mostly located at the new workstation under the window. I was thinking this would be the best location because of the natural light, but realize now I need to put a light-blocking shade up there too for when the sun is blaring in. Both the Bernina and the Serger fit nicely on my new L-shaped top. All the notions are in the desk drawers to the right. That desk belonged to my husband when he was in high school (in the 60’s!!!) and he thought I was crazy to re-use it, but painted up and with new spiffy hardware it works just fine, and it is a bit of nostalgia in a room full of new things. I also merely spray-painted and re-covered the seat and back of an old chrome chair I found on the curb about 20 years ago.  Covered with a dusty blue patterned fabric left over from another project, it now has a new life.  

A sore area was always trying to find zippers, buttons, seam tape, interfacings and the like. I found cute little bins on sale at the container store and made labels for each item. These are now in the closet on shelves which is concealed most of the time by a curtain.  I can open the curtain either way as I made a tie back and put a hook on each side. This is helpful when I’m trying to reach up high or pulling out large things.  Those deep shelves are perfect for folded fabric storage as I can see easily where it is.

What you don’t see in these pictures is the ironing board, which truthfully is up almost all the time. There is plenty of room to move around when it is up, and it is handy for a quick touch up. When we are sewing, we find it’s nice to lower it and pull it up close to the sewing machine. There is much less wear and tear and it’s a time saver.

I have to thank the cast of characters for all their support and assistance. My daughter Kelly is the person who assured me that we could do this. She aided in the design and muscled huge heavy boxes of built-it-yourself furniture in and out of vehicles and actually assembled that big unit herself while I was at work. My husband Ralph was extremely important to the project as he re-wired outlets, installed new light fixtures, built the countertop, installed the cabinets and crown molding, cut odd shaped shelves for the closet and offered moral support. Also, Langston Urrita, our painter friend, kindly donated his time removing the old wall paper border.  

I now have a beautiful room I am proud to share with friends who want to play/craft with me. 

This exercise was really exactly what we go through to remodel a kitchen. Finding everything in it’s place, getting enough room to work comfortably, access to all the machines, and having a beautiful space to share with friends and family is the goal. We help folks realize that every day at Kleppinger Design Group. 

PS: I don’t recommend a do it yourself for a kitchen project.
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