Craft cabinets: Creative solutions for hobbies

Tired of crafting on the kitchen table? Is your hobby corner a cluttered mess? If so, take heart. With a little imagination, you can create a wonderful space to nurture creativity and relaxation at home.

“You need to have that little refuge,” says Karen Booy, a professional crafter from Vancouver, British Columbia. “If you have that oasis, you’re going to connect with your spirit and enjoy your hobby more.”

Many homeowners combine hardwood cabinets, drawers and shelves to create beautiful and functional craft and hobby rooms. You can solve your storage problems and create a look you love. You won’t have to shut the door on your hobbies any more.

The cabinets, shelves, countertops, drawers and interior storage systems originally designed for kitchens and baths can be used in any room of the house. “Cabinets are incredibly versatile,” says Kim Craig, marketing manager for KraftMaid Cabinetry. “You can customize any space for any need.”
Design tips for the hobby room:

– Store books, magazines, baskets, supplies or collectibles on built-in shelves. Solid hardwood shelves are sturdiest and recommended for heavy loads.

– Keep large, flat items like mats or artwork in “tray dividers” concealed in a cabinet.

– Hold small items like buttons or beads in square “spice drawers” that can be stacked in almost any configuration.

– Save space with a built-in desktop or create a large work and storage space with an “island.” A hardwood countertop or butcher block table is especially useful as a cutting surface.

– Make sure the height of each work space is appropriate for the tasks involved.

– Add extra work space, especially in small areas, with slide-out trays.

– Display colorful crafts or collectibles in glass-front bins and cabinets.

– Maximize storage space with interior organizers like removable drawer dividers, pull-out baskets and spice-rack inserts (perfect for small paint bottles).

– Add moulding, valances and “feet” to create the look of unfitted furniture.

– Store the waste basket in an easy-access cabinet.

As American homes grow larger, some people are devoting entire rooms to specialties like crafts and hobbies. Many are creating attractive craft areas in a guest bedroom or home office.

Karen Booy – the owner of Ewe & Me Pattern Co., which markets a line of patterns for craft projects – says most people find more time for their hobbies if they have designated a special place for them. “It doesn’t have to be a large space,” she says. “The thing about working at the kitchen table is you have to keep setting up and putting away.”
Clean up the laundry room

A potting area with a large sink, plenty of counter space and shelves is especially nice in the laundry room, says Karen L. Blissenbach, an interior designer who owns Design Studio B in Rochester, Minn. So is a gift-wrap area that includes paper stored on wall-mounted wooden dowels, she says.

“While you’re doing the laundry, you could also be working on your projects,” she says. “You don’t have to spend your time in a dingy, poorly lit basement. You could have a beautiful, well-designed area.”

Cabinets are available in virtually any style and finish. Colorful stains can be applied to any hardwood to add a note of playfulness. More than one wood species can be used in the same room too. “These rooms don’t have to be serious or formal,” Blissenbach says.

Furniture is a nice addition to any craft space. A hardwood table can provide plenty of work space, and storage units on casters can be kept underneath, Blissenbach says. An armoire can hold a television for viewing how-to videotapes, and it can store many boxes and baskets full of supplies. A chest of drawers can hold fabric or other goods.

Any good kitchen or bath designer could help you create space for your hobbies. An interior designer or architect also could help.

– Courtesy of Hardwood Manufacturers Association.