I’m so excited to share my craft room makeover! When I started out I thought it’d take a few weekends. Fast forward several months and it’s finally far enough along that I can call it done. Every project—from painting the walls to putting up a cork wall—took longer than expected. Each came with unexpected hiccups and “creative” workarounds and all required accepting less-than-perfect results. It’s not exactly how I imagined it when I started but it turned into just what I needed—an organized and inspiring space to create.

The makeover began with a few goals: 1) remove the clutter and make it a more usable space, 2) surround myself with inspiration, and 3) get rid of the hideous yellow walls. In my wildest dreams, I would have also gotten rid of the big, bulky IKEA shelves, but that will have to wait.

Before Makeover

The fact that I can call any room in my home a craft room is such a privilege and a treat. As drab and messy as it was, I was still happy to have it. Still, too many late nights on Pinterest left me yearning for more. For a long time it became a symbol of all the projects left unfinished and felt like work more than it did play. Admittedly, the makeover didn’t completely resolve these feelings, I still have many unfinished projects and it takes a lot to keep it in good order, but when it is, girl, it feels good! It feels especially good as a retreat after a long day of meetings and email.

Back to the drab and messy bit. As you can see in the “before” pictures, I was shoving stuff in every nook and cranny. If I wanted to print anything, I’d have to tack on a good five minutes just to clear off the printer. Another time suck was rummaging around for the right tool, supply, or material. So I started by doing a purge (to the basement, which is a whole other nightmare). The black baskets (seen above) used to hold loosely categorized supplies. I switched it up and had each one represent a single project. That way, I could easily store and retrieve a project as well as more easily track its progress.

After the purging and organizing, or along the way, I began sprucing up the space to be more inviting. Let’s take a look shall we?!

After Makeover

I started with a fresh paint of coat (it only took me months of indecision on the color). Then, with my guy’s patience and help, I installed a cork wall. I had a few meltdowns along the way (cork loves to bow) but now I’m loving it. I also added a small forest of plants, which after decades of black thumb tragedies, is one of the greatest stories of beating the odds to achieve indoor gardening semi-success 😉

I also surrounded myself by things that I love. Including these:

 

Another thing I’d been wanting to do for a long time was find a way to display my collection of stationery. With the help of my generous friend, Sarah, and her woodshop, I was able to make the below display shelves following this tutorial from Young House Love. It was the first time I ever used a router, which was so much fun. The loud hum of the saw blade and the wonderful smell of sawdust were intoxicating. The results are definitely rookie level but still do the job.

I hope you enjoyed perusing the makeover as much as I enjoy relishing in the “doneness” of it all! It was definitely a labor of love and naïve pursuits. Now the true test is what magical DIYs will come as a result of it all?!