My office/craft room has always been a “make do” space. It started in a spare dresser and closet and then took over half the guest room. When I started my business, it became clear I needed more room. My kitchen counters were always covered in paints, papers and projects. It drove me crazy and it was incredibly impractical. My mom suggested moving things around, so I moved both boys into the guest room, the guest room into my older son’s room and my office into the nursery.
I now had a permanent space, but I still just made do. Furniture has come and gone. I organized and reorganized and did it all over again. I was finally ready to turn it into a proper craft room and office. I already showed you a small section of one wall…
Here’s what the room looked like when I first took it over as my office…
…and here’s what it looked like when I really settled in (well, after I cleaned off the shelves a bit)…
…and here’s that corner now.
I found this tall, mirrored armoire at an antique store for a great price and was immediately in love. It’s an old piece that’s in great condition, so I just left it as is. It has a few scuffs and such, but I’m cool with that. My husband put shelves inside, so I could store my fabric, pillow inserts and sewing notions.
It’s a good size and it sets limits. I can only have what will fit inside and when it’s full, it’s time to work on some projects and make room.
Oh…grain sacks. How I love looking at you in all of your folded and stacked glory.
Ahem. Excuse me.
Did you catch a peek at the wool rug and the French armoire? I’ll share much more soon, including how I organized myself, letting things go, the clad wall, colors used, etc. All in good time.
The winner of the Vintage Market Giveaway is…
Congrats!!
64 Responses
oh my word!! I LOVE your space, the armoir, MAKE words, and the organized shelves! You did great!! Beautiful space…can't wait to see more!
gotta ask what happened to that beautiful desk under your miral…I have wanted one of those so badly in my bedroom, I just imagine all the writing I can do in a journal I have keep for my daughter for 10 years..if I had that desk I know I would sit and write every night before jumping into bed…btw love your make-over…and that armoire…I'm on pins and needles
Oh, it looks so nice! I neeeeeed to get on my workspace. You have inspired me, once again.
Marian ~
I am loving this because I need help so bad in my work room ~ It is a total disaster and I have been working on it for a couple weeks now ~ I have gotten rid of alot but am at that point now of what more can I get rid of even though I may need what is left ~
I am looking forward to your tips on that ~
xoxo
Lori
Love the rabbit on the wall..I have two rabbits on the wall in my hall bath room..you really don't see them until you (sit) and close the door…one is standing and holding a book…To Kill a Mockingbird..the other is sitting on a stump reading the newspaper….:-)
Love everything in the corner so far! And that rug… is it from Target?!?! They have one similar and it looks just like it!
Ohhhhhhh I was waiting for you to talk about that blue armoire 🙂
BTW i loved that Queen Ann Leg brown desk
What a great room! Sooo nice!
Your space looks fantastic, a beautiful room in which to create and THINK. It must feel great to have your studio in such great order!
Well, what a great space it has turned out to be…and if I am not mistaken you have the same wool rug my daughter-in-law has…and SHE has good taste too- I knew it! Great old armoire! xo Diana
I am loving the french armoire in the background!! Beautiful!! I do really like your storage armoire too..very nice. Where do you find all your grain sacks??
Rachel:)
Love! I'm moving in, so make room for me! 🙂
where do you get your grain sacks from? I really want some but most are out of my price range
looove it!!! guess who started pinning MMS to her pinterest board STAT!? oh, yes, me! 🙂 great job as usual. loving it all and the rug is intriguing me!
xo
Love it! Looks so nice, fresh and ready to use!
Oh I LOVE the Armoire…it's FABULOUS!
and the rug is from Target 🙂 I also saw a smaller version of it in a "Parade of Homes" home.
It's beautiful and I love the grain sacks stacked all nice and neat… love it … more pictures, please.
Marian I'm quite taken with the "MAKE" letters on your wall. I named my business 'Make Me That' because that it truly what we do. MAKE everything! For you it's paint, sew, craft, photograph, etc., for me it's build, paint, sew, craft and on and on. Every day I strive to MAKE something, makes me feel good. Love the makeover too!
Your office is looking good! Change is good for inspiration. My friend/partner and I just did our first vintage wedding for a friend. It was so much fun!!
What a fabulous transformation! I know what you mean about different areas of the home being a disaster with creating. As I write this, I took a break from creating while my dining room table is covered with supplies, along with a craft table in my sitting room loaded to the hilt with unfinished do-dads. Sigh! Maybe someday I'll have a real craft room.
Blessings & hugs,
Karen
Love the mirrored armoire!
Your office looks great! That's one of my next projects!
Debbie
Love those MAKE Letters! Where are they from?
Everything is looking gorgeous!
Looks lovely! I LOVE LOVE LOVE the antique armoire! I'd love to find one like it for a decent price too!!
Can't wait to see the rest…and ahem…I DID! see the sneak peak reflection of the french armoire. Ohh la la!
Hugs,
Gail
Un bel aperçu… de votre antre…
Gros bisous
True inspiration!
What a stroke of genius the storage armoire is. Collect to this point and then you must work! I need to implement that idea into several rooms and aspects of my life!
Looks lovely. Cannot wait to see the rest. Yes, I spotted that rug right away. 😉
One word, Wowza!!
Kris~
oooh eeeeee baby, it's lookin fiiiiiiiine (no idea why your blog posts sometimes evoke ebonics).
stacks of gorgeous linens–inspiring!
michele
I'm so glad you didn't paint the armoire–it's gorgeous! It must be wonderful to have your own beautiful space to create.
Love it so far! Especially since I have the same rug in my living room! And I didn't even copy it from you (unlike a lot of other things in my home! Hehe)! I scored the rug for $25 at a yard sale, I was proud then and even more proud now! Keep the inspiration coming…
http://Www.sweetvintagedecor.blogspot.com
Oh, jealousy!! How beautiful…and well-deserved. I'm moving out of the basement!
Looking good.
And good for you for making yourself a proper office space. You have a very real business and every business woman should have her professional workspace. It is just so extra nice that yours looks so good!
Oh my I love it! So gorgeous! Would you mind telling us how large the room is? I'm always scared to put large pieces of furniture in my home like this because I feel like my rooms are too small to carry them.
Thank you so much for sharing! Dreaming of a wonderful work space and seeing one come together give me hope and inspiration for my own. My husband has finally agreed that when the main house (very tiny) is done, we will add on a dedicated craft room with a wonderful view. This makes my heart very happy. Your sharing of your room is helping me focus on making it lovely from the beginning.
what a lovely craft space, i have a small corner of my spare bedroom and i have to tidy things away after so it doesnt look messy as my partner is a clean freak. i wish i could have a space of my own, i love your armoire and your pile of grain sacks xx
Very inspiring office make over. What I enjoyed seeing is the words that inspired your name posted up. I think it is important to remember where you got your start from.
Just lovely!! It's a beautiful piece and perfect for your 'to die for' goodies!
You truly are an inspiration to me in every aspect of getting my business going! I appreciate how you share your journey with us all. I am drooling over that office. I have a spare room. Now I just need to follow your lead and whip it in shape!
That's the rug I've been eyeing from Target! I'm afraid to buy it b/c a lot of people said it sheds. Do you have that problem with yours?? I hope not because I've been oogling over it 🙂
The rug is great. What is on top of the armoire? The room looks great.
Ellen
I knew I would love how this room was going to look from the beginning! I am oozing green jealousy globs over the armoir!(both!) Sure wish I could find grain sacks in my price range. You have quite the collection there! more green ooze…
I have a terrible problem with never having enough room to work. I just know my space could/would not ever look like this. I have knee walls that limits my storage abilities & no basement either. Ugh!
looks gorgeous!
WOW! That french armoire has me intrigued!! I can't wait to see more:)
I'm so jealous! I relate to the evolving office. Mine used to be a corner of the dining room in our one bedroom apartment. Then we moved into a two bedroom so I could have an office. I'm back to overflowing into the kitchen now. It seems it's never enough space!
Love it! Yes, I am especially anxious for organizing tips and "letting go" of things! 🙂
Sheila
Looks Lovely!I closed my store 2 years ago and started workiung from home. I don't have a set studio space. I have supplies tucked away all over the house. My garage is jam packed with furniture ready to be worked on but there is no room to work on it in there! We don't have a spare room or a basement. I am hoping to one day convert the back half of the garage to a comfortable studio.First step is to clean and purge!
Oh wow! That armoire is gorgeous! But I love the wood planking on the wall to the right of the armoire more than anything . . . great subtle texture. What a lovely place to dream in.
-Amanda
Beautiful space! The armoire is gorgeous. I would love to have something like that to store my craft items in. Great job!
Pat
Oh the neat stacks of fabric. A little piece of heaven. I'm trying really hard not to be green with envy. :o)
It is lovely- the ivory on the walls is perfect!- You must share- what color is it??? It's neither too yellow or too brown. Do you get a lot of natural sunlight in there?
What beautiful craft room!! I feel inspired. Although I do love the mural with the rabbits, I see this is far more appropriate.
it's wow! love the armoire, it's dark rich and yum. I wouldn't touch it either. the mirror is in great condition too. the tiny tip of the rug looks intriguing. can't wait to see the whole thing. love the large letters too. they "MAKE" a statement in the room!
Wow!!! Love the stack of grain sacks… makes me drool!! 🙂 It looks like it is full and time to M A K E something!!
Forgive me if I've mentioned this before. While working in the business I sold, back in the early days, I got the best advice…put the systems in place for your small business as if it's a big business. A lot of it's a mental thing. Things took off when I moved the business out of the house, because I had rent to pay! Sort of like you and Luckett's. You're doing great! One day at a time!
I live in Arizona and have no idea where to look for grain sacks and what the price range is for them.
LOVE your chair!! I've been looking for an armless chair for my craft room. Can I ask where you purchased it from???? Your blog and business is wonderful. I look forward to reading it daily. Thanks for all the inspiration! …diana
dsotten@yahoo.com
Hi~ I have a quick question (not related to photography). How high are your ceilings? It's hard to tell from pictures.
Love your blog.
Alana
bighappyfamily@suddenlink.net
I love your armoire! In my dream home, I'd have a piece very similar to that one. I love that it gives you a tidy place for your treasures.
Oh,how lovely!! Inspiring, even!! Can I ask where you got your 'mustard seed' print??
love! love! love!
I have a craftroom/office that is only semi-done. but really- i want to tear it all out and start over… luckily, almost everything inhere is of the "made do" variety. I think this is actually kind of good because what I *knew* i wanted when I started- is SO Different than what I now know will actually work for me in this space!
Marian ~ I had to come back by and see if you posted your How to get Organized tips ! I posted on my blog what my studio looks like ~ I am in the midst of organizing and it is so crazy!! I need a Mini Mustard Seed soooo bad !
xoxo
Lori
That office space of yours looks fantastic. One can easily tell that it slowly became yours, and yours alone, for your office-related stuff. You made it into something that you would be comfortable in, so good job on that!