5 Practical Ways to Squeeze in a Small Space for Your Craft
According to the Association for Creative Industries (AFCI), $44 billion dollars was spent in 2016 on the U.S. craft market. It's no wonder that I'm often questioned about ways to set up and organize a space for crafts or hobbies. To be clear, painters, photographers, woodworkers, professional makeup artists, and of course paper and textile crafting - just to name a few- ALL fall into the creative category.
Finding an area to store and hone any one of these crafts becomes more complicated if - like me - you don't have the luxury of a dedicated room. Today we'll explore five rather clever ways to carve out a space for your craft.
Affiliate links may be included in this post. This means that should you purchase a linked product, I may receive a small commission, but at no additional cost to you. To read my full disclosure click here. All photos featured not marked "J'adore le Décor" have been used with owner's permission.
Think Out of the Box When Looking for Storage
1. Use Available Wall Space
Peg boards, magnetic walls and traditional hooks are great ways to organize just about anything. Interchangeable pegboard accessories make it easy to hang everything from makeup inventory for professional makeup artists, to camera equipment, tools, and even musical instruments.
2. Convert a Small Nook or Closet
Many homes and apartments have nooks that are so small, they are practically useless. If you are fortunate enough to have such a unique area, why not turn it into a place to store items for your craft? Keep in mind that this option may require that you actually practice your skill in a more spacious location of the home. But the upside is that instead of wasting precious time looking for needed tools, you can enjoy more time perfecting your talent.
3. Purge, Divide and Label
But what if you have little to no wall space, or live in an apartment that restricts its tenants from hanging items on the wall? And what if there is no awkward nook to take advantage of? The answer in that case is to purge your tools and equipment down to the bare essentials. Then divide the items according to kind, and if possible, store them in a drawer or box system like in the photo below. Remember to label each drawer or box with the description of its contents.
4. Make Your Craft the Artwork
Of all of the suggestions in this post, this one is my favorite. Take a close look at the photo below. Can you spot where the craft space is? If you said it's on the left where the desk and bookcase are - look again.
Let's zoom into the right corner to take a closer look. It's it amazing how it just blends in with the rest of the studio space? This space, by the way, is just a little over 500 square feet.
More crafts are stored here underneath the coffee table. It's intentional and functional at the same time.
And there are even more hints of this homeowner's talents "stored" here on the other side of the room. To be fair, this side isn't shown in the initial in the photo.
5. Create a Double Duty Space
Finally, consider carving out a space in a spare bedroom or even a laundry room as pictured below. You can work and do laundry at the same time. Love this!
Later in the week, I'll share with you where I keep my craft/hobby station. But for now, how do you like these ideas? Do you have a craft or hobby space in your home?
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