If you are preparing a craft room for the first time, or want to glam things up a bit without having to break the bank, you are definitely in the right place. In this blog, we will discuss a number of must-haves that will enable you to design the kind of craft room where you will get your most inspiring creative breakthroughs.
11 Must-Haves for Your Craft Room:
1. Spacious Desk:
For starters, you should have the kind of workspace that should motivate you to craft. We strongly recommend using this height adjustable drafting table by FlexiSpot. It can be tilted up to 40 degrees, which will allow you to attain the perfect angle for many different kinds of tasks including drawing, writing, and reading.
We love this table because of its versatility and multipurpose nature.
2. Storage Cart:
Storage carts have become extremely popular in recent times. They can be used to hold printers, machines, paints, and pretty much any other art and craft supplies.
The great thing about these carts is that they can be transferred to whatever room you want to craft in, which means that you can transport your craft essentials without any hassle.
3. Cutting Machine:
If you have never heard of a cutting machine, trust us, you will be hooked from the moment you start using one. It will feel like you were living in the stone-age until now, oblivious to a world that could take your craft to a whole other level.
A cutting machine can be used in many different kinds of art and craft projects; you can either sell these projects or keep them for yourself.
4. Adhesives:
Adhesives like glue dots, double-sided tapes, and glue guns are an essentiality for any craft room.
When making pillow boxes, birthday cards, props for photo booths, or pretty much any DIY project, these adhesives will help you provide the finishing touch.
5. Vinyl/Cardstock:
Although vinyl has a very loyal fan-base, a lot of craft and DIY enthusiasts are now turning to paper. What makes paper crafting so desirable is the fact that cardstock is relatively inexpensive, and that paper can be used in any number of ways – ranging from paper flowers to DIY pillow boxes.
Even if you do want to stick to vinyl, you should shop around a bit, and we are pretty sure that you will be able to find some high-quality yet inexpensive vinyl in a wide range of designs and patterns.
6. Blanks:
If you are a committed crafter, you will not only have an oversupply of craft tools, but also have plenty of crafting blanks – this is particularly true for commercial crafters who sell their projects.
A few of the blanks that we recommend having on hand are t-shirts, tumblers, drawstring bags, canvases, and mugs.
7. Bone Folder/Paper Trimmer:
For your paper craft projects, you will almost certainly need a bone folder or paper trimmer. Paper trimmers are ideal for when you need to cut an image down to a very particular size and use it for your DIY paper project.
Bone folder, meanwhile, comes in quite handy while creasing DIY gift boxes or curling paper flowers.
8. Printer:
A printer is another must-have for your paper craft projects. Ideally, you should go for a printer that offers the ‘print and cut’ function. This is a highly versatile feature, and can be used to create t-shirt designs, greeting cards, invitations, stickers, and so much more.
Speaking of versatility, a printer, itself, is a very versatile machine, and can be used for a lot of things other than your craft projects. You can, for example, utilize a printer to print work assignments, resumes, meal plans, and planners.
9. Paint:
No craft room is complete without both spray paint and acrylic paint. These two types of paints allow you to transform pretty much any picture frame or furniture equipment from average to amazing. There is a specific kind of paint for when you want a matte finish, and there is a different kind of paint for when you need a bit of glitter.
Ask any crafter or DIY enthusiast, and they will tell you that painting is one of their favorite tasks.
10. Pegboard:
Pegboards can be used to hang scissors, embroidery hoops, mod-podge, quotes, paint, and so much more. In fact, it is safe to say that you can use a pegboard to create any number of different styles and designs. If you want to accent the craft room a bit, you can even consider painting the pegboard.
11. Music:
Music might not seem like a craft room necessity, but it is actually quite important in getting you in the right mood and frame-of-mind. In fact, it is not unusual for even the most dedicated crafters to jam more and craft less. It is all good, as long as you eventually find your way back to the project.
The right kind of music relaxes you, and, without a relaxed mind and body, you will not be able to give your crafting project the kind of attention and concentration that it deserves.
Tips for Setting up your Craft Room:
Pick the Perfect Work Table:
Like we mentioned, the work table will perhaps be the single most important piece of equipment in your craft room. Make sure that you find a table that has plenty of desktop space so that you can spread your supplies and materials out comfortably. Comfort and ease are essential, as it is hard to come up with creative ideas when you are cramped and short of space.
Pick the Right Shelves:
Both open and closed shelving units are essential for any craft room. The craft supplies that you use most frequently should be placed on the open shelves where there are always viewable and accessible, while the less-oft used tools and supplies should be stored behind closed doors. Believe us when we say that no craft room can ever have too many shelves. Seasoned crafters are always on the lookout for coupons, deals, and discounts, and never miss out on a chance to stock up on a few supplies.
Arrange Materials According to Color:
If you are looking for a system to store your materials, we recommend sorting them by color. You can use the ROYGBIV (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet) sequence, and have separate sections for white, brown, black, neutrals, and metallic. You can also arrange your fabrics and ribbons by color.
Divide the Workspace into Different Zones:
A good way to introduce order to your workspace is to divide it into zones. For instance, you can have an area dedicated to all your digital needs, and a separate area for the crafting projects (paper crafting, sewing, painting, et cetera). Yet another area could be designated for gift wrapping projects. If you like taking pictures of your projects, you can set up the photo equipment close to a window.
Of course, crafters are the last people to focus on uniformity, which means that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to your work. Figure out your needs and requirements, and set up your workspace zones accordingly.
Use Vertical Spaces:
Vertical spaces are often underutilized, and this is particularly true when it comes to craft rooms.
You can maximize your craft room storage by installing a few floating shelves on the walls. This way, you will be able to store paper rolls, craft boxes, and other craft tools without using up the floor space.
If you do not think that there is enough space for a set of shelves, you can simply install one more shelf over wherever you are currently storing stuff. So, for instance, if you use your closet to store your suppliers, you can consider adding another shelf above it and use it to store things that you need sporadically.
Focus on Your Lighting Requirements:
Lighting is always important for a craft room, but it is a particularly crucial consideration for basement craft rooms. We recommend going for halogen task lights: since these lights mimic natural lighting, they are easy on the eyes and make drawing, painting, and sewing that much more fun.
Do Not Forget To Label Everything:
Labeling is yet another easy but effective way to make your craft room more organized. Of course, you can use clear or transparent containers so that you can always see the contents, but labeling carries the organizing game a step further
By labeling everything in the craft room, you will not have to remember what supplies go in what containers. Other than that, you will keep yourself accountable for all your things, so that you keep them in the right place after every session.
And, of course, labels mean that you will not have to keep searching for that one paper cutter or that adhesive which you so desperately need.
Final Word:
To sum up, setting up a dedicated room to practice your passion is certainly exciting. However, it is important that you tick all the boxes so that you do not have to inconvenience yourself later on. We hope that this guide helped you identify all the things that you will need for your craft room, as well provide a few useful tips regarding its organization.
