Before & After: Project Area/Art Supply Storage

I work from home as a freelance graphic artist, and for the first few years I worked out of a closet office my husband built out for me in our guest room.  Though I soon out grew it, and it was decided our little used guest room must go, and make room for a full size office for myself.

Initially I toyed with the idea of doing an office/guest room switcharoo, and installing a murphy bed for guests in my former closet office.  But I then chose to keep the workspace in there, as it would be better utilized as a storage and project area for all my creative endeavors.  I needed a second desktop where I could paint and glue without fear of spilling jars of water or paper mache paste on my computer.  I could finally make a mess-in-progress and leave it there for days, or weeks, shutting the doors on the mess when not working on it. I could also have all my supplies organized and within reach.

After completing the office, I only got as far as painting out the closet, and then kind of lost my motivation.  The contained space also made it easy to shut the door on this incomplete area of my office.  And it made a good landing pad for anything I didn't want to deal with, or couldn't find a home for, as well.  Needless to say it was a sad little neglected mess.

BEFORE

Note the calendar which hadn't been touched since October.

I finally decided that I needed the workspace, not a junkyard.  So after a trip to The Container Store (one of my favorite places in the world) and a three days of fervent filing, cleaning, and organizing...

 AFTER

I should be a professional organizer.

Categorized color coded files keep paperwork at bay.

Vintage Caboodles makeup cases make cute and practical storage for art supplies.

Magnetic spice holders are good for the little stuff such as paperclips or beads.

Store all your manuals and warranties in one place with a document box.

(If your on a budget a shoebox will suffice.)

These lucite magazine holders are a must for magazine archives and clip art books.

Having various cards organized and on hand means you are always prepared.

A birthday book ensures you never forget a birthday.

My piece de resistance: a little gift wrapping station!!

Full office tour to come...