9 Affordable Craft Room Storage Ideas + Tour!
Apartment craft room storage ideas for small spaces to free up space and save you money.
After living in my apartment for a few years, I have found the best craft room storage ideas that work great even with limited space. My secrets include utilizing vertical wall space, desk organizers, and under desk storage. This includes ways to organize stickers, scrapbook paper, stamps, and so much more.
Scrapbooking and paper crafting can be messy at times. You may feel uninspired to create in a mess of scattered paper and supplies. I have found that the key to keeping your supplies tidy is finding the right organizers that fit your spaces. Following my organization tips, especially for small spaces, will make a big impact.
Best Apartment Craft Room Storage Ideas
1. Craft Room Desk Organization
Choosing the right desk format, or layout, can make a big difference to save you space.
Personally, the desk is the number one place that is a catch all for all my scrapbooking items. It can become cluttered in a blink of an eye. Therefore, it is important to keep organizers on top of the desk that allow quick and easy gathering of supplies.
Here is an overview of the top of my desk. In an apartment especially, you may not have a big enough room for a wide table or there may not be significant wall space. If the width of your walls are short, a great idea is to do a L-shaped desk.
Placing the desks against the wall provides plenty of floor space. The L-shape also offers a ton of room on the surface area to work on. You can easily access items from your left and right.
2. Desk Top Organizers
Organizers:
The Stadium Organizer gets it’s name from the way the sections are raised in the back. This way, you can see all of your supplies when you look at it from the front.
It is the perfect way to hold 6×8″ paper pads, stamps, and die cuts. One reason why I love this storage item is because the different levels, or tiers, make it so easy to find what you are looking for.
I love the white, sleek appearance of these pieces as they fit with any aesthetic and look great next to one another.
Both of these are great budget-friendly options since they are under $20 each!
A necessity for scrapbookers is paper storage. This 6×6″ scrapbook paper organizer has six shelves to hold loose-leaf and paper pads.
It is tiny enough to fit on your desk without taking up too much room at the same time. These are great for storing scraps of paper used for die-cutting, as well as cards and envelopes.
A popular item this year for scrapbookers and card-makers are the pops of color paints. Not only are they great for brightening up your projects but they also bring in a bit more color to your desk as well.
This pops of color holder I got online from Scrapbook.com keeps all the bottles tilted downward. This way, when you go to use them the color is already near the tip ready to use. Super smart!
3. DIY Craft Room Decorating Ideas To Save Space
Make your craft room reflective of your style by adding your artwork designs.
There are various ways to organize and show off your artwork. Cork boards are an easy way to pin up photos and cards. You can also rearrange or take them down when needed.
Recently, I have gotten into collecting enamel pins. Enamel pins are fabulous because each one is different and can share a little bit more about you.
In addition to enamel pins, I also use this board to put extra pictures, tickets, and cards. It is so easy to simply tack something up there and retrieve it later if desired.
4. Scrapbook Layout Display & Wall Organization
One of my favorite craft room storage ideas is this fun layout display on the wall.
Here, you can show off all your scrapbook layouts that you have made before putting them into albums. Using 12×12″ layouts, I made two rows of five. You can easily make this take up the entire wall for a cute collage of all your photos.
In order to hang these up I used the command decorating clips in the clear colors so they can’t be seen.
Command hooks are key when living in an apartment so you do not damage the wall when peeling them off. These tiny hooks are perfect for holding paper. I used four and put them on each corner of the layout.
Also, it is so easy to change out the layouts during each new season so you can rotate various artwork.
5. Ikea Craft Room Storage
Ikea Craft Storage:
Who doesn’t love a good craft room storage set from Ikea? They have some of the best organizers and shelves on the market that work for almost all budgets.
Personally, I have quite a bit of furniture from Ikea that I love having as part of my crafting space. And this pegboard is no exception.
One of the best organizational tips if you have a small craft space is to utilize vertical space. This could be your walls or tall shelves. In this case, Ikea’s pegboard allows you to store your craft supplies above your desk while still being in arms reach.
As you can see, the pegboard is located right above my Cricut machine. This makes it super easy to grab any supplies that I need while working and I do not have to go far to search for anything. Additionally, the pegboard does not take up much space, and if you have a spare wall it is the perfect addition to keep you organized.
The pegboard itself has different accessories that you can choose to incorporate; including clips, hooks, and clear plastic containers.
In one single space it can hold all my Circut vinyl rolls, stickers/ ephemera pieces, scissors and tape rolls. The clear plastic containers are great for holding tiny pieces that may otherwise get lost in all the clutter.
I find that the hooks are perfect for storing scrapbook stickers and embellishments that are still in their plastic wrap. They are stored almost exactly like how you would find them at the store. This way, it’s like shopping for a second time!
6. Craft Room Organization Furniture Lamps
Try to find multipurpose items that serve a function and also act as a storage solution.
This crafting lamp is the perfect example of an item that serves a purpose and also organizes my supplies.
There are multiple light settings that allow you to adjust how bright you want your work space. This comes in handy for taking photos or working during nighttime.
The neck also bends which allows you to put a focus on different areas that need more or less light.
Arguably the coolest feature is the storage compartment at the base. Perfect for storing pens and scissors that you find yourself reaching for constantly. It takes up hardly any space, but is easily reachable for your go-to items.
7. Cheap Scrapbook Paper Storage
For all you scrapbookers and card-markers, this may be my favorite out of all the craft room storage ideas that I mention.
12×12 Paper Storage
Oftentimes, it is so difficult to find durable 12×12 paper storage. Thankfully, Scrapbook.com has stackable paper trays perfect for 12×12 scrapbook paper.
Not only are these stackable paper trays durable, they also fit perfectly into most shelving units. Including the Ikea kallax shelving units.
Each tray holds so much paper and keeps it all neat and tidy. They do not bend and can hold a significant amount of weight.
Also, because they are individual stacking trays, you can stack them as high as you prefer.
Patterned paper was by far the biggest contributor to my clutter prior to purchasing these trays. Now, it is very easy to search for the desired paper in seconds and slide it out easily without spilling the rest.
This scrapbook paper storage tower is a must have for any craft room! There is nothing quite like it on the market.
8. Easy Under Desk Storage Hacks
Before I purchased the stackable paper storage trays, I had this metal paper rack from Hobby Lobby. While this does the job and was more affordable, it is not as sturdy as the one mentioned above.
Oftentimes, the metal racks move making it not ideal for heavy paper packs. I do enjoy using the rack to store finished projects and is a great option if you are aiming to save money.
{Recommended Post You May Like: “Scrapbook Supplies List For New Crafters“}
Along with the metal paper rack, I keep a ton of extra craft supplies and machines under the desk.
Out of all my craft room storage ideas, using under desk storage is one of the most practical. To keep things extra organized, I use various bins and crates to store different supplies and accessories. It is a way to keep things out of view, while still close by to grab at any time.
9. DIY Sticker Organizer
Learn my best sticker organization hack from this video!
DIY Sticker Organizer
Using clear, plastic page protectors prevents your stickers from getting damaged, while keeping them organized. The ones I use are 8.5×11 inches, but you could go larger if needed.
First, I sort my stickers into different categories such as seasons or holidays. A few of the categories I sort by are birthday, animals, Flowers, and each of the four seasons.
This technique works great for me because when I craft I normally have a theme or season I am crafting for. I can easily grab the bag that fits the season and pull out all of my stickers at once.
In order to label each page protector full of stickers I use washi tape. For each category I picked out a special washi tape pattern and adhered it to the left side of the page protector. This way, it’s easy to know where each category is located.
I keep my collection of stickers in these craft room storage containers from the dollar tree. Next time you run into the dollar store, check out some of their storage containers that may be perfect for your organizational needs. This are the perfect size to fit into any shelving units.
{Recommended Post You May Like: “Best Way To Use Shotbox Machine For Scrapbook Photography“}
10. Craft Room Storage Shelves
There are so many ways to use your old shelving units. This bookcase I had for so many years and eventually made it a part of my craft room. As you can see, each tier has its own purpose. The bottom tier holds the stickers, middle holds all the paper, and the top is for miscellaneous accessories.
For smaller miscellaneous items I prefer to keep them together in decorative boxes. These boxes in particular are from Michaels Craft Stores. Each new season they come out with a bunch of different designs. I adore all the fun patterns you can choose from and they are the perfect size for organization.
In one box I keep all my felt supplies. Which also allows them to be stored upward so you can see all the colors. In a second box I keep baggies and tape, and in another I keep cards and envelopes. I love how each box brings a bright pop of color and are super practical.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How do you maximize space in a small craft room?
The key to maximizing space in a small craft room is to utilize vertical storage. This includes, using wall organizers to hang tools up above your desk. I recommend peg boards or cork boards to hang stuff up on the wall.
Another tip to maximize space is to place stacking organizers under the your desk. This is a great place to store machines and supplies you only use occasionally.
2. How Do I Organize A Craft Room?
Create different sections within your craft room based on your needs. For example, one area may be used for paper crafting, one for sewing, and another for gift wrapping. It’s important to keep all related supplies together that go with one activity.
Then, you can create subcategories to organize all the supplies in each section. This will not only make your space organized, but also allow for a more ease while crafting. And by using these craft room storage ideas, you will maximize space.
3. How Do I purge my craft room?
Part of organizing your craft room is to get rid of any supplies you don’t need anymore. A good rule of thumb to follow is if you have not used an item or tool in over a year to get rid of it.
It’s easy to donate used craft supplies to friends, schools, and charities. You’ll be happy to know they’ll get more use out of it than you currently do.
This post is all about craft room storage ideas
Please Note: Some of the links above are affiliate links. Read the full disclaimer here.
