Vintage Craft Room

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My new crafting/studio space is finally coming together. A trip to the craft store and a little thrifting helped me with my vintage craft room. I tried to DIY a lot of things, as well...to keep my budget in check. Check out my new space below (it has loads of good storage ideas!).

When one decides to take on a major room overhaul shortly after the spendy-ness of the holidays, one's spouse may raise (his) eyebrow and say something along the lines of "how much is this going to cost"? That line was more like a challenge to me, y'all. Using some items I already had on hand, thrifting, and shopping the sales at Hobby Lobby saved me a load on all of the storage needs in this area. Because...let's be honest, it's alllll about the storage in a craft room. Check out my vintage craft room below.

Vintage Craft Room

I'm getting all settled into my lil' vintage craft room. It was a lot of work, but totally worth it in the end. Tour the entire space below.

If you're new here, this room was formerly our "piano room". And that was all it was used for. (You can see it decorated for the holidays here, in its before state.) Technically, it's a formal living room...but quite honestly, we're just not fancy enough to have a formal living room, y'all. We put the piano and two chairs in here and called it good. And then over the course of several months realized...we never went in that room. I mean, the kids each practiced piano for about 20-30 minutes each per day, but that was it. When people would visit, we gathered in the big living room which is right behind this room. Nobody ever just sat in the piano room, y'all. It was beginning to feel like...(gasp!) wasted space. 

So, we did a good ol' switcheroo. My husband had a desk in our big living room (in the corner where we removed a swingin' 1970s wet bar)...that desk is one of the ones in here now (we added its mate a bit later). The piano went in the spot the desk was in over in the big living room (which I love...now we have our own entertainment when the boys play!). And then, my husband took over my laundry room/office desk for his at-home work space. You can see how I had that space set up here, for myself (scroll down to the bottom of the post to see the actual office space).

While I loved my "lauffice", as we had affectionately called it, it presented its own set of challenges. The one tiny window in there was on the other side of the room and provided minimal light. I had to use the sunroom for all of my photos (and usually left it covered in lights and photo equipment). I stored my sewing machine in a closet on the other side of the house and would set it up on the kitchen table for days (okay, weeks) at a time to complete a project...making all of us eat around the crowded bar area or in the formal dining room. And then to actually craft, I was at that kitchen table, too. It started feeling like I used the entire house as my personal studio...and I think my family was kind of over it. 

So far, I'm truly loving this new vintage craft room.

Craft Room Organization Ideas 

I've added lots of baskets, a peg board, and other storage items to *hopefully* keep things neat and tidy in here.

I painted and weathered this piece as a reminder to be content in life...no matter what stage you find yourself in. And if you're the grammar police, please put the hand cuffs away. I'm well aware that it's technically a no-no to end a sentence with a preposition. But, y'all...I'm southern. We tend to bend those grammar rules to our own pleasing at any given time. Besides, who wants to be all prim and proper in their creative space? Amiright? It's not like I put "not where you ain't" at the bottom. (It was tempting, I tell ya). Wink.

I've owned this large crate (above) for nearly 20 years. I worked as a graphic designer at a t-shirt printing shop when I was in college. They had about five of these crates in the showroom area...they were perfect for housing display t-shirts. At one point, the owners changed the look of the space and gave away all of these crates. You know I jumped on that. Even as a college kid in the 90s, I loved vintage stuff. I've used it in every place I've lived in ever since...from holding a microwave and cookbooks in a kitchen to making a great television stand for the old school, boxy TV I had in my single years, this crate has always been a workhorse for me. So happy to include it in this vintage craft room of mine. 

I have all of my vinyl stored in a vintage style grocery basket. You can find the chrome version of it here on Amazon.

The galvanized tool caddy was from Hobby Lobby (but I found another one here on Amazon). I just love the texture it adds to this space. It also has the perfect rusty patina along its edges. And it holds alllll the stuff, y'all. It's actually sectioned into six compartments...perfect for my markers, pencils, and other art tools.

I have to admit, the paint storage cubby is kind of my self-proclaimed pièce de résistance of this space. I mean...really. It's gawwwwgeous. And guess what? Half off at Hobby Lobby, y'all. (What, what?!?) It's complete and total perfection for housing all of my paints. It's sturdy, too. I added my cans of paint brushes to the top of the piece, along with my hemp oil and wax puck that I use religiously when I paint. Empty, quart-sized paint cans are perfect for housing brushes, y'all...plus they're cute, too! I'm a bit corny/sentimental about art and painting, too. Saving old cans of paint is like saving a bit of artwork nostalgia. I can look at each can and tell you exactly what I painted with that color or can. They're my paint story.

But seriously...this piece is seriously the best. I love that it has a lip on the bottom of each cubby. In my "lauffice" space, my paints were on canned food risers...they were constantly tumbling off of them when I bumped them or went for a color in the back. These are nice and safe. I think the finish on this piece is totally me, too.

Behind my computer area, I used simple metal storage baskets for more supplies. Hanging them on anchors into the wall meant I could fill them with heavier items...this also keeps my desk space as clear as possible. The wooden star was from a thrift store and the two framed pieces were from the craft store.

It is a good day to have a good day.

Perfect workspace inspiration.

The other side of my craft room houses my sewing machine and all of its accoutrements, plus loads more project supplies. We had the peg board already stored in the garage. Again, we used more wire storage baskets here.

With all of the fun baskets and stuff I was adding to the peg board, I wanted to jazz it up a bit. It started as a plain, white peg board. I added a coat of red, chalk-style paint to it. Then I sanded the heck out of it...removing most of the red. I then took dark wax to it with a rag to work it in and give it the aged feel.

All of the baskets and shelves on here are hung on simple hooks for a peg board that I grabbed here on Amazon. It makes it easy to remove the basket or item from the board and bring to whatever work space I'm using. 

This is my mom's old pin cushion...it's probably 60 years old, at least. I remember her always having it nearby when she sewed clothes for my dolls when I was a kid. 

I keep my fabric scissors separate from the others. These were actually my mom's fabric scissors, too. If I had them hanging like the other scissors, my kids would grab them and use them for paper. Savages. 

I used some wood scraps for make-shift shelves on the peg board. Perfect for displaying my collection of vintage office accessories. Who has their own, functioning 1950s stapler? THIS GIRL. 

More Vintage Craft Room Spaces

• This cute craft room from Vintage Junky has all the makings of antique cuteness.
• Jeanne Oliver's fun and vintage studio always makes me smile.