Apartment Craft Room Storage Ideas That Will Save You Space
Apartment craft room storage ideas for small spaces that do not feel cluttered and work for every budget.
After living in an apartment for a few months, I found the best craft room storage ideas that are great even when you have limited space. Check out useful ways to organize stickers, scrapbook paper, stamps, and so much more.
Crafting can be a messy hobby at times. The key to keeping your supplies tidy is finding the right organizers that fit your spaces. Below you will find a variety of ways to organize using vertical shelves, boxes, and tabletop desk displays.
Best Apartment Craft Room Storage Ideas
1. Desk Organization
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. In order to create the desk shown above, I took two Ikea table tops and put them together in the corner.
2. Desk Top Organizers
Organizers:
These are two favorite desktop organizers. This first one is the Stadium Organizer from Scrapbook.com. 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 to 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. It keeps all the bottles tilted downward, that way when you go to use them the color is already near the tip ready to use – super smart! I just love the little bit of added rainbow in my craft space.
3. Enamel Pin Display
Your craft room should be totally unique to you. It is a place to show off your one of a kind artwork and express your personality. 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. Most often people wear their pins on their clothing, however, you can absolutely share them as wall décor.
I picked up this bulletin board from Hobby Lobby for less than $10. Cork boards are the best for storing pins as they are so easy to press in and out. Above, you can see all the pins I have collected over the past few months. There is still a long way to go before the entire board is covered but I am happy I can share each one on my craft room wall. 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
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 shelving. 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. Crafting Lamp
Under the Ikea pegboard sits my special craft lamp. This is no ordinary lamp, as it is specifically made for crafters in mind. First, 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.
Another cool feature is the storage compartment at the base. Perfect for storing pens and scissors that you find yourself reaching for constantly. On the base is the on/ off bottom that is super easy to press if you do not like using light switches.
7. Scrapbook Paper Storage
12×12 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. Oftentimes, it is so difficult to find durable 12×12 paper storage. Thankfully, Scrapbook.com just released their new 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.
This scrapbook paper storage tower is a must have for any craft room! There is nothing quite like it on the market. 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.
8. Under Desk Storage Options
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. Sticker Organizer
DIY Sticker Organizer
Stickers are a must have in any craft room – no matter your hobby! Over the years I have collected so many stickers that I needed a new way to store and organize them all. This is my favorite way I have found by far, as it is simple and keeps things tidy.
To begin, I use clear plastic page protectors. The ones I use are 8.5×11 inches, but you could go larger if you please. Next, 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.
Once all of the stickers are sorted into each of their respective categories they go straight into the page protectors. 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, I do not even have to looks at the stickers to know which ones I am pulling out. The designs definitely bring a bit of cuteness and make it so easy to quickly grab whichever pack of stickers I want. After two years of using this method, the washi tape has not fallen off and the pages are in great condition.
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.
This post is all about craft room storage ideas
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