I have been talking about wanting to do something in this laundry/craft room of mine forever…. seriously since we moved in I have hated this room. First of all it is hideous!! I am very curious if the woman that owned this house before us had friends. Who on Earth would tell anyone that this green sponge paint and beach seashell themed wallpaper border was a good plan?!?! Man is it hideous! Let’s not forget that I said it is also a laundry room. I DESPISE laundry so hanging out with it while doing my favorite stuff just doesn’t work. The room is pretty small, I’m not sure of the square footage but I promise I’ll include it when I post my after pictures. So here is what I am currently working with. Don't judge me by my messiness :)
Ok so here is the walk in view
Inside the closet; completely wasted space. I am thinking top to bottom shelves in here
top of closet; totally full, no idea what is up there. all that wasted space in the middle and on either side of the tupperware.
Unfortunately to top of this waste of space of a closet the desk I have in this room is too big...or the room is too small. I can't fix the room so the desk will have to go. At this point it is shoved up against the door of the closet, if I need in the closet I have to move it (and it is solid wood and metal) wiggle in/out and then shove it back so I can get in the yarn closet that I use much more often!
Here is the yarn closest. This is about the only organization I have going on. It's really not too bad and is even broken down by yarn weight. My complaint, it's 2 rows deep so I can't easily see what is on the back row without taking out all of the yarn in the front.
top of yarn closet; the clear plastic things are great because I can see what is in them, pull them down use them, pop the top back on and put them back up there. The diaper boxes are supplies I rarely use so even they aren't too bad...just tacky to look at.
Just in case you didn't notice the lovely paint and trim :)
The 4 drawer tupperware is mostly fabric and 2 of the drawers have stamps, scrapbook stuff and random stuff in there. The drawers are so heavy they squish the ones below and make it really hard to open, not to mention you have to dig a foot deep to try to find something you think you put in there a year ago ;)
Umm yes, I am a pig. Do I need 4+ bottles of soap? Especially when all but 1 are empty!!! My final part in this room would be to install a cupboard on each side of the window.
My plan is to remove the drawers under the washer and dryer and set them on the floor. My husband I am sure is irritated; I sort of threw a little fit when we bought them. He thought they were a waste but I swore that I NEEDED them. They were $200 a piece and oh yeah...they don't fit any normal size soap bottles!!! What a freaking waste! Don't tell my husbang I admitted he was right though! Now they are very expensive yarn holders. Dropping the W&D to the floor I can install a countertop over them and that gives me a work space that is approximately 31" deep and 80" wide!!! I will have to sit in between the W&D but this seriously is the best use of space I can think of.
When things are all put away it really isn’t as AWFUL as I make it out to be. As long as I keep everything organized, only work on 1 thing at a time (nearly impossible for me) and put stuff away it’s ok. I don’t want ok though! I want a lady cave! Somewhere beautiful and inspirational, most importantly I need to make it user friendly. I don’t want to have to dig through layers of stuff or move a row of yarn to see what is behind it. I need space in there to create and work. As my business has grown I also find that I need a better plan for organizing my paperwork/business side of things.
So the desk will for sure be out leaving that back wall for some storage space. Unfortunately there is a door on the wall to the garage. I am guessing it's a fire safety thing so I guess it has to stay. I am looking at a few options for storage.
it does come in a few sizes but I would likely get the $199 which is at the top of what I would prefer to spend.
Here are a few shots of it in use
I love this craft room. Her shelves are super organized though not really the best solution for yarn
Here is the shelf used for yarn. Sort of an organized sloppy look
I also love that you can just shove stuff in the cubbies, use fabric baskets, boxes, or Ikea even sells cupboard and drawer inserts for them! Of course that adds to the cost as well :)
I really like the open look of these shelves. It's a much cheaper storage system but then I'd still have to find something to keep the yarn in so that it's organized, easy to find and looks good.
and just for encouragement look at what she did with 16 sq feet of walk in closet!
Here is the before
and the afters! Not too sure about the cats and litter box (yuck) but she seriously used every inch of space!
No more pity party for me and my "small" space after seeing this!
My original plan was to move the yarn closet out and use it for something else. Now I am wondering if I just need another one? Jeez I am so not good at this! I guess it boils down to the fact that I love crafting in the dining room out with the family but now that Sawyer can and does climb onto the kitchen table nothing is safe! Oh and my husband gets insanely irritated with my messes work spread all over the place. Soooooo after pushing him too far with one too many projects left out for too long he had a mini ultimatum to figure something better out. Here is my little plan so far! I’d love some feedback or links to your favorite images of craft rooms. Unfortunately I can’t just run out and buy everything I need to get it done today so it will be a work in progress but am hoping it’s done sooner than later!
11 comments:
i agree on the washer dryer table. like it! i too need to do something better for my craft room which doubles yours in size. :( good luck and i can't wait for after pics
I like the open shelves too, but I'd be afraid if you stack too much yarn it would roll off onto the floor.
Ikea does sell sorta-clear boxes that slide in and out of the cubbies really well which will keep your yarn looking nicer... however they are like $16 a piece! Rip off. Kmart/Target sell colored canvas boxes that also fit the cubbies perfectly for about $6-9 each. But you can't see through those. Also, if you decide to not use the W&D drawers you HAD to have, try to sell them on craigslist or ebay or something. Everyone thinks they want those so I bet they will sell! Also for a cheap easy desk top across your W&D... get a really cheap "slab" door at Home Depot... they are usually already white with a semi smooth finish. There is a round hole for the door knob, I use it to feed computer cords or whatever below the "desk top". There is no cutting, sanding, painting needed!! You can get one that is probably 78" long and 36" wide would be my guess.
hi ilove all your photos and comments i'm gag that someone else has got nearly as much yarn as me lol
sorry that should be glad lol
Can't wait to see what you do with your space! Makes me want to reorganize my office space...
We have a couple of sets of shelves that are similar to the Ikea shelves. I love them. We move a lot and I've used them in different places all over my house since they are so flexible. I did the door thing for my craft room desk. I bought a skinny bathroom door at Habitat for Humanity. It was $12 for two doors and I got two big desks out of them!
Sounds like you have some great ideas. I love your washer and dryer. after not having one at home for toooo long I have decided I will never complain about doing laundry again, if I can do other things at the same time.
I think you have the best organization for the yarn because that is where your interest lies, what you are most interested in.
Maybe you can use the under washer drawers for extra paper and desk supplies.
What a great space! I love all your ideas and inspiration photos.
Jane
That laundry pile looks all too familiar! Good luck with the contest :)
I loved your friends space ideas. She's making the best of the space she has.
I would recommend getting accordian doors or a thin curtain to hid the washer and dryer. And install some kind of drop down table that provides surface area for your projects. Declutter what is not needed.
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