Creating Your Perfect Craft Room

Craft Room by decor8 on flickr

Craft Room by decor8

 Whether a serious crafter or an occasional dabbler in a hobby, having a dedicated space in the home to work and to store the many and varied materials associated with favorite crafts is a practical and useful idea.  Decorating a tasteful craft room that caters to the interests of any crafter begins with choosing furniture pieces that are practical as well as attractive.  Add in a variety of appropriate lighting options, including natural daylight, and the perfect craft room has been created. Guest author Aimee has several ideas to help get your craft room started!

Furniture and storage ideas

First and foremost, craft rooms need to be well laid out.  It should be easy to move about the uncluttered room and storage needs to be convenient.  Storage options may be general, such as open bookshelves with fabric bins; dresser-like cabinets with drawers of varying sizes; or even a built in cabinet unit customized to suit the crafter and their interests.

Other furniture needed in a craft room includes tables and seating options.  Here is where the tastes and interests of the crafter may really be expressed, making the craft room unique to the crafter.  People who enjoy close work, such as needlepoint, crochet and embroidery, will want to sit in a comfortable chair while working.

Table workspace needs will vary depending on what types of crafts are to be enjoyed, but in general there should be at least a couple of work surfaces for spreading out materials and assembling projects.  Extending dining tables make a functional and beautiful addition to a craft room and may be placed either against a wall or in the center of the room depending on the layout. Adjustable tables are also a practical addition, offering the crafter the ability to raise the height for laying out quilt pieces or arranging scrapbooking elements, or the table may be lowered to a comfortable height for sitting and performing closer assembly work.  Simplified counters may be attached directly to the wall with brackets or door hinges may be used to allow for raising and lowering the counters as needed.

Seating is very important in a craft room; it needs to be easy to move around, comfortable and functional.  A wing-back chair or a recliner is an ideal addition to a craft room; especially for an individual that hand sews or enjoys needlework. Ergonomic desk chairs work well for sitting at a table or counter workspace.

Craft room lightingCraft Room by Chrissy Farnan on Flickr

There should be as much natural lighting as possible in a craft room. Craftwork of any kind involves a great deal of close work.  If the room is poorly lit, using thread, beads and other tiny craft notions may cause eyestrain over time. Natural lighting is also important when choosing fabrics or threads for projects, allowing the crafter to see the true color of the items and to more accurately match or contrast colors as desired.  Keeping curtain coverage on the windows to a minimum or simply covering them with adjustable blinds will allow access to daylight as needed.

Targeted task lighting is also important for working on dim days or after dark.  Spotlights or overhead track lighting are good options to generally light the room.  Targeted task lights, including table lamps, desk lamps, and floor lamps are excellent options that offer flexibility for the crafter.

See below for some inspiration from Flickr.com!  (Please visit this gallery on Flickr for full credits for each image.)

[AFG_gallery id=’3′]


Guest author Aimee is an enthusiastic, well-educated freelance writer with a passion for Interior Design. She is fascinated at how different patterns, textures and lighting can completely change the look and atmosphere of a room. One day she would like to run her own Interior Design company, but for now is happy experimenting with new designs in her own house.

Images from Flickr.com used under the Creative Commons License. Please visit this gallery on Flickr for full credits for each image.

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