By Lisa Canning
I wouldn’t exactly call me a crafter (my lifestyle of six children and a business means I am of DIFM — do it for me — than DIY), but I might change my ways after creating this space for my most recent makeover. We created a craft room that I think is pretty ultimate.
Here are some essential things to consider if you want to create your own:
Keep it Colourful
If you can’t have fun with colour in a craft room, where can you have fun? In this case, we went with a beautiful teal called Sylvan Mist by Benjamin Moore. It’s soft and inviting but definitely saturated enough to be whimsical and playful. I think it’s also a really fun accent to the MDF tongue and groove we applied to the walls from Metrie.
And I had to add a bit of colour with the cabinet hardware. Shayne Fox Hardware is a newcomer to the Toronto artisan community and her handmade hardware really is a piece of art. We used her cast bronze knobs in bright bronze for a pop of contrast against the white cabinets.
And, again, because it’s a craft room and why not, we chose a bold colour on the chairs. These chairs from Wayfair provide a fun pop against the white base cabinetry. And don’t forget about accessories — even in stationary products you can incorporate colour like paper clips and the feather-shaped pen holder (and pens) from HomeSense.
Keep Practicality in Mind
A craft room has to be really practical so keep paint spills, sticky fingers and a general mess in mind. For this reason, I wanted a really durable, but beautiful floor. I used ErthCovering ’s Tivoli natural stone plank, which has the texture of wood but the durability and liquid resistance of stone.
Including a sink makes so much sense. We used the Delta Cassidy faucet, with Touch20 technology, which allows you to simply tap anywhere on the faucet when the handle is in the on position. When your hands are covered in glitter glue, and the faucet is as pretty as this, you better believe that Touch20 capability comes in handy. I also love how the pull-down spout is integrated so elegantly in the design, and you can position elements like the spray toggle and handle as per your personal preference. Finally, I love how the Champagne Bronze finish looks with the knobs.
Keep it Cozy
This room is in the basement adjacent to the backyard entrance and is cold and drafty, especially in the winter. To keep it cozy, we put in the Celeste stove by Dimplex. My favourite thing about this electric fireplace is how portable and easy to install it is. It provides instant warmth and a cozy atmosphere to a space, with very little fuss, mess, or expense. The pop of colour in this carpet from HomeSense completes this cozy vignette.
To help with that exterior draft, we replaced the window with an Energy Star-rated, top-quality vinyl window in white by Fieldstone Windows and finished it off with Metrie’s Very Square casing to keep the details contemporary.
Keep it Personal
Again, I feel like a craft room is where you can get really fun and personal. This homeowner loves the outdoors, nature, and essential oils, so I worked with Posterjack to create all of the artwork in the room using personal photos to create unique pieces. With an assortment of styles and sizes to choose from including canvas prints, framed prints and acrylic prints you can really create a customized look featuring your own photos.
Keep it Organized
This is arguably the most important element! Keeping craft supplies organized really is the key to an ultimate craft room. And the best solution to this, hands down, is strategic storage cabinetry. I partnered with Tailored Living on this project, a custom organization company with franchise locations across Canada and the U.S. They provide all the tools to create effective storage solutions that will help you meet your organizational goals. In a craft room, this means a combination of shallow drawers for small items like essential oils and paper, base cabinets for tall bottles and jars, and tall cabinets for rolls of wrapping paper and banners. Colourful baskets from HomeSense keep the interiors neat and tidy.