kids' craft room style

I was fed up. Every night before dinner, we had to clear off the crayons, coloring books, beads, paint and other projects that my crafty peeps had been using all day. We shoved everything into a cupboard, but it all creeped back onto the dining room table the next day. I longed for a room the kids could use so we could relocate all this stuff, and it occurred to me that we had just the spot. A spooky dark unused storage room that led into our laundry room and Steve’s man cave. Unfortunately, my kids were convinced the room was haunted, so needless to say, it was not inspiring any creativity (except maybe some ghost stories). Here’s a shot of the room from our home inspection pics back in March 2008.

So armed with the cheapest supplies I could find, I was determined to make this dark dungeon into the coolest craft room in town. The first step was to prime everything. We had tons of leftover primer, so I slathered that all over the various surfaces (cement, paneling, wood closet doors, duct work). Then I got out our leftover white paint from our kitchen cabinet project and coated everything except the concrete floor. (I had other plans for that…). Here’s my helper brightening things up.

I wanted a place for the kids to easily put up artwork so we could have a rotating display. We bought a sheet of galvanized steel and nailed it into the wall and then Steve framed it for a simple display board. We used chalkboard paint on the other wall and covered the ducts above with our magnet collection. The shelves house coloring books and oversized paper.

We scored an oversized dry erase board and sawed it in half. Affordable kitchen storage from this collection houses markers, erasers, chalk and includes hooks for hanging aprons.

The other side of the room has space for a small table and chairs. I covered the seat cushions in a vinyl tablecloth so they’d be easy to clean. The table has a metal surface, so it can also take a beating.

For storage, we categorized and labeled materials in these rolling storage carts, but the most affordable storage option we found was using leftover takeout containers to corral sequins, stickers, stamps, and other project materials.

I had grand ideas about stenciling a fun pattern on the concrete floor, but the kids had their own plans. Now it has a nice lived in look.

I can’t say that we never have to clear off the dining room table at dinner time anymore. It’s almost time for dinner right now and it’s covered with newspaper, notebooks, camera, cell phone and laptop. (All evidence points to me.) But the kids aren’t afraid to go down to the craft room any more, and when their friends come over, they’re all down there for hours. And that is nice!