7 expert tips on how to create and organize a hobby room at home

As the former owner of a successful home organization business, I am all too familiar with every kind of clutter and every type of mess. And, although playrooms and kitchens ranked top of the list for clients seeking organizational peace, hobby rooms were often the most overwhelming spaces that I would find myself stepping into.

Hobby rooms are intended to be sanctuaries for creative enjoyment or even a profitable side-hustle, but they can quickly evolve into spaces of chaos that are anything but inviting when they lack organization.

With people home now more than ever, and new hobbies being discovered every day, the desire to create a hobby room at home has only grown over the past two years. The good news is that you don’t have to hire a pricey professional organizer to help you set up and organize your creative space, you just need to think like a professional organizer and follow a few simple tips and tricks of the trade.

1. Create a central workstation

The most important part of any hobby room is to select a primary location in which you’d like to work. If you love to grow herbs or arrange flowers that require natural sunlight, you’ll want to find a space by the window.

If architectural or interior design is more your style, make sure you have room for the drafting table you know you’ll need. Take into consideration not only the lighting and square footage, but also whether you have volume concerns, temperature needs, or require access to a sink or drain.

Once you have a space that suits what you love to do best, you can organize all of your supplies around it.

2. Organize similar supplies together

It might seem like a great idea to organize your supplies by size, but the easier method is actually to organize it by purpose.

Let’s say that your hobby is gift wrapping, but your wrapping paper is being kept in the closet next to your astronomy telescope, while your scissors are in a drawer with your woodworking tools, and your tape is tossed into a bin with your small scrapbooking supplies.

When you organize your space without any kind of practical flow, it will only make what should be an enjoyable task, feel frustrating and disjointed.

Instead, invest in furniture and storage pieces that are variable in their storage capabilities, such as a desk with adjustable height shelving, a storage rack with modular configurations, or bins and canisters that come in a variety of sizes.

Then, whether your hobby is sewing or photography, you will have adaptable spaces to house a variety of equipment, together in one central location.

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3. Avoid stacking storage bins

The most common organizational method that draws people in is storing supplies in stacking bins. Although this seems like it might be a promising idea, stacking storage bins are often used when a space is lacking actual storage; yes, you read that correctly.

Stacking storage is not a practical solution if you use the items in the bins regularly. Let’s say you are a scrapbooker hard at work, but to access all your supplies you must continuously stack, unstack, restack, and reorganize all the bins your supplies are separated into. Not only will that discourage you from using the supplies buried at the bottom, but you might even forget you have them.

I can’t tell you how many times I have sorted through a client’s stacking storage bins only to find that they had purchased an enormous amount of duplicate items, simply because they either could not find what they needed in the bins or didn’t have time to search through all of them.

Instead of a future filled with stacking and unstacking, you can invest in a shelving system that will allow storage bins to live in their own space, rather than stacking on top of each other. Although the upfront cost may be a little bit more, the added cost pays off by making everything easier to access, locate, utilize, and clean up.

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4. Keep the space tidy and label your containers

The whole point of having a hobby is to be able to enjoy an interest that brings peace and happiness to your life. However, this desire can be counterproductive if the space where you are trying to use for your hobby induces feelings of anxiety or, even, claustrophobia.

Visual overstimulation is real, and it was one of the most common reasons my clients would reach out to me for help. If stuff feels like it is everywhere, then it usually is.

In particular, crafters have an abundance of supplies, including fabrics, paints, tools, and more, all in assorted sizes, shapes, and colors. When placed in clear bins or on open shelving, the mass of these items can make a space feel like you are walking through Hobby Lobby, because there is simply just too much to look at.

Instead, select bins, boxes, and containers, in similar colors and styles, that you can’t see through. This visual unity helps provide a clean space to relax in as well as practical storage solutions that encourage you to keep tidy.

Don’t forget to invest in a label maker, because you will still need to know where all your stuff is.

• Get the Artsdi Storage Cubes, set of 10, at Amazon for $33.99
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5. Install items specific to your hobby

The key to successful organization is to think outside the storage box. Hobby rooms are meant to inspire creativity, and there’s nothing that sparks inspired feelings more than being surrounded by the tools of your trade—in an organized fashion of course—especially if it is used often.

For example, a tailor may utilize a magnetic strip above a sewing table for easy access to scissors or seam rippers. A cork board could be the perfect place to display ever-changing design ideas. Or, a photographer may benefit from a coat rack to hang camera bags, and a suspended coil wire with clips to display photos that are part of an ongoing project.

If you feel a little bit lost, a simple peg board with various storage accessories is the place to start!

• Get the Bambi Craft Pro Wall-mount Peg Board at Wayfair for $94.99
• Get the Master Magnetics Tape at Amazon for $7.49
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6. Utilize your walls

Finding storage doesn’t necessarily mean buying furniture. In smaller hobby rooms wall space can often be the best place to utilize unused space.

Floating shelves, hanging storage pouches, and hooks offer immense space to organize items without taking up any floor space.

An artist may find that hanging canisters and floating shelves above their drawing table or next to their easel creates the perfect workstation where their supplies can sit within arm’s reach. Wall-mounted dowel rods are the absolute easiest way for bow designers to store rolls of ribbon, knitters to store spools of yarn, and crafters to store rolls of wrapping paper.

• Get Crafters Creek Design 22-roll Gift Wrap Storage at Etsy for $78
• Get the Juvale Wall-mounted Storage Bag at Target for $18.99

7. Keep the small stuff contained

You’d think that the most important items to keep organized are the large ones since they take up the most space, but it’s often the little items that tend to build up and overwhelm people. Hundreds of beads and handfuls of markers are a pain in the butt to dig through when they all get tossed into a drawer.

Creating clean, simple, organization means that you commit to not only the biggest tasks, but also to the littlest ones. You should find a place to store your items, and you should also be aware of how you store them.

Maximize drawers by adding modular containers and dividers that help you grab exactly what you need, without all the digging around. Not only will it save you a lot of time, but it will save you from the stress of always feeling like you’ve misplaced what you need.

Get the Three by Three Seattle Drawer Organizer at Amazon for $15.40

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