I have a secret. My apartment has a HUGE closet that I have been using for storage of my crafting supplies, among other things. I haven't made much mention of this room, but see where it is below in the floor plan of my apartment.
This baby is big. It's not labeled on the floor plan, but I estimate its about 8 feet by 6 feet. When I was first moving into this apartment, various family members claimed this room/closet as "their room." It originally served as a graveyard/junk collector for boxes and unpacked belongings while I was still settling into my apartment.
Since then, I have been slowly cleaning and re-organizing, donating things to the Salvation Army with reckless abandon and being brutal about what I keep. I've so far been trying to repurpose the storage solutions I already have. At first I was just planning to keep this closet as it is--a closet. But then I see things like this--
Yes, thats a 16 square foot craft room. My closet is at least twice that size! So surely I can outfit this closet to function better. The one difference between my space and the above space is the window. There is no window in my closet. Also, there are no outlets. I think the lack of outlets is ok-- as there are two just outside the room, so the use of an extension cord when necessary will suffice.
So what do I do with this room? Obviously, it needs to function still as a closet. It would be awesome to put in some sort of work area, maybe where the fabric is stored currently. This is a project that I think I'm going to go slow with, so I can do it right.
Any suggestions for me? Remember, I rent, so I can put some things on the walls, but not make other big alterations. Also, I'm interested in reusing what I have but would love a unified look. I feel like I have done a good job thus far of using the available space, but I really need to take advantage of the vertical space.
If it doesn't have a window viewable from that spot, you probably don't want to turn it into any sort of work room. Unless, of course, you can be inspired and happy without natural light/street watching/etc.
ReplyDeleteI have a similarly-sized, window-less, walk-in closet that just stores extra books, coats, and all my craft supplies. I never, ever do any work in there because of the above stated reason. It might be something worth thinking about.
You're probably right. I should just get it super-organized and keep it as a closet. I guess I just get frustrated with dragging out my supplies each time I want to work on a project, and how if I leave anything out--as I often do projects in more than one sitting--my apartment looks like a disaster!
ReplyDeleteI actually like a craft room that doesn't have windows and is relatively quiet, A.D.D. you know. I find if I pull out my jewelry kit and start a project and there's too much outside stimulation I get distracted. The room used as your inspiration has only a small window that's not at eye level, and with the blinds closed you can't tell what's outside, it could be the neighboring buildings wall. You could set it up as a craft space with an ipod dock and a bright lamp directed at the workspace like the source room. Let music be your muse.
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