TL;DR
Kathi helped a busy business owner reclaim a spare room so packed with furniture, gifts, crafts and overflow that no one could walk in. They moved or donated most of it, set up a gift center elsewhere, then sorted, contained and labeled the supplies that stayed. The room now works as a library, home office, craft studio and exercise space.
Situation:
A room where no one could enter. Life happened and this extra room became a haven for spare furniture, crafts projects, gifts, bags and warehouse food overflow.
This client wanted to continue to renovate her home and also pursue her hobbies to unwind after work. She loved to make crafts and matte pictures but her ‘supposed crafts’ room had lost it’s purpose.
Challenge:
This busy client could barely walk into this room. The rest of the house had been repainted and renovated but this room stopped progress dead in it’s tracks. It was so overrun with items that she was at a loss as to where to begin. It also seemed overwhelming to do it on her own. Her successful business took all of her spare energy while at the same time, made it very important that she had an area in which to get creative and unwind.
Solution:
We began digging into the contents of the room and found that most of the items could be either moved to another area in the home or donated. We donated extra furniture and moved some to the garage. We created a gift center and storage for extra home decor in another bedroom closet.
The remaining crafts, books and office supplies that needed to stay in this room were categorized, containerized and labeled. We installed two bookshelves inside the closet to work as a storage haven for supplies, books and photo albums.
Another client was getting rid of a great crafts table that she no longer had the space for but didn’t want to give it to a stranger because it was such a nice piece of furniture. When I suggested that we re purpose it for one of my new clients, it was a win-win. Now this client has a beautiful and inspiring place to pursue her hobbies.
Now this room has everything! A library, home office, crafts studio and even a treadmill for exercise.
*Note: These photos do not represent the actual finished project. After the room became completely functional, my client decided to donate her old desk and install a custom L desk to add more horizontal work area and file drawers. It turned out quite well and this room is now optimized to it’s fullest potential!
What Our Client Said:
“Clutter has prevented me from getting my home improvements done. I was stopped from redecorating and painting because I couldn’t get into the rooms and the workers couldn’t either until the piles were gone. Now I can walk around without falling over things and it is much more peaceful. I am also really motivated to get started on the projects that until now have been on hold.”
M. Stewart San Marcos
Keep reading
- Organizing a Home Based BusinessSetting up a home office that keeps work and family life apart.
- A Space Efficient Way to Organize Office SuppliesA rolling supply cart for an office that shares a guest room.
Frequently asked questions
How do I start clearing a room that is too full to walk into?
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Begin by digging into the contents and deciding where each item really belongs. In this client’s room, most items could be moved to another part of the house or donated. Extra furniture went to donation or the garage, which opened up the space to work.
How should I organize craft supplies?
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Sort the supplies that need to stay in the room into categories, put each category in its own container and label it. Kathi’s team installed two bookshelves inside the closet to hold supplies, books and photo albums, keeping the work area clear.
Where should I keep gifts and extra home decor?
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Give them their own spot outside the room you are reclaiming. For this client, Kathi created a gift center and storage for extra home decor in another bedroom closet, so the craft room could be used for crafting.
Can one spare room work as both a home office and a craft room?
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Yes. Once this room was cleared and organized, it held a library, a home office, a craft studio and even a treadmill. The client later added a custom L-shaped desk for more work surface and file drawers.
How does clutter hold up home improvement projects?
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The client said clutter kept her from redecorating and painting because neither she nor the workers could get into the rooms until the piles were gone. Once the room was clear, she felt calmer and motivated to start the projects that had been on hold.
I need some help. I have a closed in porch that is now an office and craft/painting room. Most of the ‘stuff’ we have are items which pertain to a USS Navy submarine organization which my husband and I run and which I have tried to organize, but more work is needed. I also would like to do some painting but because of the way we have the room setup at the moment, no space.
It is a small space. I have limited funds but really need to get it organized as I spend most of my time in this room.
Can someone help me?
thank you.
Terry
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