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I have to admit, I'm a lucky woman. When we moved into our new home 3 years ago, I planted my flag in the "media room" and called it my studio. Before anyone knew any better, I had thoroughly used every square inch. (I read Virginia Woolf's A Room of One's Own way back when and upon its completion, I knew that someday I'd have a private space of my own.) Anyway, this studio space slowly got more and more chaotic as I picked up new hobbies, products, projects, etc. Eventually, it was difficult to maneuver around the boxes and fabric piles and unfinished projects. It was getting so bad that my creative juices were being spent hunting for things and figuring out ways to enter the space. It was time to organize.
At first, I was lost. I knew that I didn't want to spend hours decorating like the artists do in those amazing Studio magazines. I also knew that I didn't want to spend loads of money buying organizational supplies. I needed to supplement what I already had. After touring the studio space of a good friend, Jill, I was set. I purchased two metal bookshelves and quite a few fabric boxes from Ikea and one week later, I was done. Here are pictures of the results.
As you can see, I concentrated the furniture and tables on the borders of the room. I like having a lot of space in the middle for projects, playing with the kiddos and general living. You'll also notice that the room isn't perfect. There are still paper piles on the tables and boxes scattered around. If I waited for the space to look perfect, I would be a very old woman before you ever saw a picture.
I really like these metal shelves. The are open so they hold loads of stuff and are wide enough for me to fit the red fabric boxes.
The red boxes zip up at the top and allow me to grab the ones that I need for a project, but prevent massive spills and small baby hands from discovering their secrets. Plus, they are bright red and add spice.
I've also got these plastic storage drawers from Office Max (or was it Depot?) they are great because each drawer is 13x13 so they hold large sheets of scrapbook paper nicely. I've got my paints organized in them and I love how I can see each bottle now.
Probably the most beautiful area is this low bookshelf filled with glass jars of buttons, ribbons and flowers sorted by color. (I purchased the jars from Wal-mart and Target.) Surprisingly, the children pretty much leave these alone. I'm not sure why, as a child, this area would have been my personal playground.
I placed my most frequently used stamps vertically in bins so I can find them on the fly.
I know this will sound crazy, but a big part of my organizational efforts was simply hanging my artwork on the walls. I'm not sure why I didn't do this before? I love this wall now.
My bulletin board holds small artworks, awards and gifts from my children. E is especially prolific in her creations.
I placed my mini-albums in a large basket so they are safe from little fingers and so I can admire their beauty.
I hope these pictures inspire you and offer storage solutions in your spaces!
xoxo
Bethany
At first, I was lost. I knew that I didn't want to spend hours decorating like the artists do in those amazing Studio magazines. I also knew that I didn't want to spend loads of money buying organizational supplies. I needed to supplement what I already had. After touring the studio space of a good friend, Jill, I was set. I purchased two metal bookshelves and quite a few fabric boxes from Ikea and one week later, I was done. Here are pictures of the results.
As you can see, I concentrated the furniture and tables on the borders of the room. I like having a lot of space in the middle for projects, playing with the kiddos and general living. You'll also notice that the room isn't perfect. There are still paper piles on the tables and boxes scattered around. If I waited for the space to look perfect, I would be a very old woman before you ever saw a picture.
I really like these metal shelves. The are open so they hold loads of stuff and are wide enough for me to fit the red fabric boxes.
The red boxes zip up at the top and allow me to grab the ones that I need for a project, but prevent massive spills and small baby hands from discovering their secrets. Plus, they are bright red and add spice.
I've also got these plastic storage drawers from Office Max (or was it Depot?) they are great because each drawer is 13x13 so they hold large sheets of scrapbook paper nicely. I've got my paints organized in them and I love how I can see each bottle now.
Probably the most beautiful area is this low bookshelf filled with glass jars of buttons, ribbons and flowers sorted by color. (I purchased the jars from Wal-mart and Target.) Surprisingly, the children pretty much leave these alone. I'm not sure why, as a child, this area would have been my personal playground.
I placed my most frequently used stamps vertically in bins so I can find them on the fly.
I know this will sound crazy, but a big part of my organizational efforts was simply hanging my artwork on the walls. I'm not sure why I didn't do this before? I love this wall now.
My bulletin board holds small artworks, awards and gifts from my children. E is especially prolific in her creations.
I placed my mini-albums in a large basket so they are safe from little fingers and so I can admire their beauty.
I hope these pictures inspire you and offer storage solutions in your spaces!
xoxo
Bethany
