We’ve organized so many beautiful craft rooms over the last few months! It is definitely in the top 3 for areas that we organize consistently, a trend that I didn’t see coming two or three years ago. We’ve been working on many new homes that are carving out dedicated spaces for crafts which is fun to see, especially here in Silicon Valley where many of us are glued to our smart phones and laptops most days. During the planning phases of construction I do a client intake for planning purposes so we can provide organizational input to the builders, designers, and cabinet makers and the common theme for every project is creating a beautiful and functional space. I love being apart of this process and witnessing the before and after transformation of building a new home.
Today’s post is all about organization inspiration and sharing some of my new favorite products. I’ve also got a few questions from readers to answer so read on!
I am a strong believer that beautiful spaces are easier to maintain so I am always looking for new products to add that extra polish that the client craves. Above we used acrylic canisters in a craft room in Menlo Park. The client has crafters ages 5-11 so we wanted to steer clear of something breakable. I love that they are clear so all of the colorful supplies add to the design element for the room, it gives the same vibe as a candy store, something that will get little crafters excited!
Question from Kim in California: I have a hard time parting with craft items that might be useful for future projects? Any advice?
A: Having an overload of supplies will actually hinder the creative process. The clutter created by heaps of fabric scraps, boxes of broken tiles, and bins full of toilet paper rolls will make it hard to find supplies that you actually use and you will never be able to set priorities on which project you want to start/finish. Try to be ruthless about letting go and only bring home things that you will use for projects in the next 1-3 months.
This wooden paper sorter is probably the cutest find, my client actually already owned it and I just love it! I think it is such a smart and stylish way to store craft paper in any room! The slots are color coded so all age groups can maintain this system.
Question from Lindsay in New York: My kids have craft supplies all over the house, sometimes I feel like I live in a Michael’s Store, Help!
A: Not everyone is going to have a room dedicated to crafting in their home so when determining the best storage spot consider this and only this, where does the crafting take place? If your kids like to craft at the kitchen table try carving out a small area in your kitchen for supplies. I’ve set up cocktail carts with crafts supplies instead of bar supplies, used bins under table benches, and even put a small craft zone in the pantry if the space is tight. If you can’t afford giving up any space in your kitchen create a craft bin that can be stored in a hall closet or in the garage that can be pulled out and easily put away. If you start to store craft supplies in areas of the home where crafting doesn’t take place like the bedrooms, garage, or living room, you will inevitably have the craft creep where things never get put away and your house starts to feel like Hobby Lobby.
The craft tape dispenser is also very clever and visual. We organized all of these bright and beautiful supply systems on the counter top for easy access.
Question from Matt in Oregon: What do I do with the finished craft projects that my kids make?
A: Great question Matt! I always suggest having a small “craft display” area that has limited space to display 4-6 craft projects at a time. Once the space is full you can engage your kids in the decision of what stays and what goes. This is a great organizational learning process for kids to engage in, it teaches them to purge and prioritize. If your you or your child has a harder time letting go take a photo of the projects and upload them to a digital picture frame to have on display in your child’s room.
This craft room is from a client in Menlo Park that turned a storage room into a makers space. Below all of the work spaces are open built ins that we used for supplies, some are tucked away more than others. Our client loved the chalk labels we used because they could easily be changed out, that is why I love them to! I always get nervous writing out the labels because I’m a lefty and I want it to look perfect. I’ve seen organizing and craft bloggers use stencils but as a professional organizer who is billing by the hour I need to be as efficient as possible with my time and they turn out pretty cute.
I’ve learned that just because a product is meant for one thing doesn’t mean you can’t use it for another. These extra large file boxes are meant for paperwork but they measured perfect for the cubby spaces (yes, always measure before you shop). My client preferred something translucent so these were just the ticket and actually much less expensive that a basket or fabric bin.
Question from Meredith in California: What is your favorite product when it comes to craft organization?
Answer: Hands down clear shoeboxes. They are budget friendly, transparent which makes it easy to what you are looking for and they can be stacked to maximize storage. I also love how they operate like a drawer, for example if you are working on a beading project you can have all of your beading hand tools inside of a shoe box, pull it out to your work space, and easily pack them away when the project is complete. I buy mine in bulk from Costco, I like the Iris brand. If you need something slightly bigger they have a “mens shoe box” at The Container Store that is a bit taller and wider, it’s nice for fabric and felt.
Question from Mollie in Ohio: I follow you in Instagram and I am wondering how long your clients keep their craft spaces organized after you leave?
A: Great question, this is a popular one! In most cases the clients are able to follow the systems we set up and keep it organized. The times that I notice that the client just can’t keep it up is when they didn’t give enough input on what they really use or they weren’t ready to let go of the clutter. My goal at Kuzak’s Closet is to create organized spaces that can be maintained so we always work hard to help our clients purge so they have a clean slate to work with, we pay attention to layout and flow for the space usage and users, and we label as much as we can. As much as I love to see a beautifully organized space I also love to come back to the client’s home to see it being used and enjoyed. We set up a craft space for a client named Barbara in Mountain View a few years ago and I’m still getting emails from her letting me know that she is keeping the space organized thanks to my help. She says it helps that she can hear my voice telling her to purge and maintain when the room gets a little out of control!
We had leftover baskets from the playroom that we organized so we repurposed them in the craft room and used hang tag chalk labels so the kids knew what was what. The kids in this house are a little older so they knew to ask for permission to get out any of these potentially messy tools…
I hope this post gives you ample inspiration to tackle an organizing project this weekend. If you are craving a before and after to really give you a kick in the pants to get organized check out the Santa Cruz craft room that we transformed for one of our ultra crafty clients!
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