I hear ALL the time from people that they would love to redo furniture or do other projects if only they had the space. I think that there is a perception that without the magical amount of space or equipment to take on projects. I say that is a bunch of hooey. Yes, hooey. We started doing projects in a home we did not own, without a garage, and borrowed tools.
Our work space is pretty great (but often very overcrowded) now, but that is a very recent change. Welcome to the Garagemahal.
(In case you are wondering it looks this cleaned up about once a year- when I get frustrated and drag everything out to reorganize. Right after that- it goes back to us stepping over projects that are in progress, furniture I have drug in, scrap wood that I cannot get rid of…)
This is how it looks a lot of the time. Sometimes it is even worse!
I would say that most of the bloggers I read started out with nothing more than their garage, the kitchen table, a porch, or some other small space. Their passion for their particular craft drove them to find the space to do what they love to do, not the other way around.
This is NOT how most craft rooms look. (Although if you want to build on for me like this, I won’t cry.) I do not have a dedicated craft space at my house. I have one closet jam packed with stuff.
Dream Craft Rooms
Here are a few of my friend’s craft spaces:
The dining room table is a popular spot. My friend owns the space above. She has three kids, two dogs, and a shift working husband. She cleaned up this space to take a picture. I am calling a foul here, but she paints some really fun pieces, and furniture, and sews, all from this space.
She painted my awesome chicken at that table.
My friend Kelly uses what space she can. For this project it was the top of a plastic tub.
Kelly has a baby and works on projects when she gets her to sleep. I haven’t
seen how this one turned out. She is a real deal artist and art teacher who is hanging out with her little one right now.
This is NOT how most workshops or woodworking shops look. (Once again, feel free to build one at my house, and drop off all those fancy tools we do not own while you are at it.)
Dream Workshops
Dee, at Deeconstructed uses her garage and basement.
Wood storage is the hardest thing for me to manage. I am jealous of how neat hers is. Right now I have a ton of cedar on the floor of the Garagemahal drying.
Dee painted the wall in her basement when she started her business.
She makes some pretty amazing things in this space. This is one of her winter projects.
My recently retired friend, Margaret, turned old kitchen cabinets into this workshop island. (Yes, I am a little jealous of her set up.)
I found this post from Gail at My Repurposed Life about creating a backdrop, but the last part tells you about her work space. She is the person who I have used as inspiration for my mudroom bench and the headboard benches. She works outside and is shutting down her outside projects for winter in this post.
I loved this picture from My Repurposed Life’s post because, just like the Garagemahal, there is always a riding lawn mower in the background! You can click on the photo to see the cool night stands she made from this piece.
Finally,
I hope I have hammered home the fact that you don’t need a space to be creative, but I promised you some solutions.
First, use vertical space. Second, make it portable. Here are two options that I will be making… once the list thins down a wee bit.
I want to build something like this rolling bad boy for the garage. It needs to be heavy weight enough to hold the chop saw, the router, and the sanders. I want industrial wheels on the bottom so that it can make the slope. We are always dragging them out to the porch and it would be great to have a rolling closet that uses vertical space, not horizontal for the tools.
http://www.familyhomeplans.com/miscpro_details.cfm?ProductNumber=DP-00560
Dee, at Deeconstructed, shared Redoux Interior’s idea with me and I will be making myself a rolling work bench. Soon. What a great idea.
http://www.redouxinteriors.com/2013/10/dining-table-to-rolling-work-table/
My third and final tip is not to let your work space or lack there of, convince you not to do creative things.
I would love to see where you work and your projects.
I am going to have a few projects coming up to share then I am going to add to this real life series talking about staging for photographs. (Spoiler alert… don’t believe everything you see in pictures.)
I hope you have a wonderful day.
Blessings,
Karen