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We are getting ready to move (the packers come in just THREE DAYS ACK!!!) and part of the new house is figuring out the crafting area. There is a fairly large 'bonus room', but it will have to serve as office/guest room/craft space so I need to make my space pretty to look at. One thing I am going to need to purchase is a new craft desk. Right now I am using an inexpensive fold-up banquet type table from Wal-mart. It's big (probably too big for this space) but it is also really terrible for crafting. It is bowing after several years, the top is textured, it sags when you stamp - it is no good!
So what kind of desk do you recommend? What size, what materials? If budget were no obstacle what would your dream desk be? But budget IS an obstacle, so bargain ideas are welcome too. If you want to post pics of yours, that'd be awesome too.
Bring on your ideas, crafters! And thanks for taking the time.
I love the variety available from IKEA. Corner pcs are available, you can get drawer units of various types for under the desk...just find you can create just what you want for the space you have. Have had mine for 11 yrs.
I'm stamping (and sewing and every-other-crafting) on a dining table - the big, chunky, solid kind) that I got at Goodwill for $14. Best investment EVER! I was going to refinish the top, then changed my mind. I don't care what happens to the "distressed" finish - I figure I'm just adding more character! Maybe you could find something similar, only smaller (this baby is 42" x 60")...
I have had a craft table like the Pottery Barn one since We moved into this house 3 years ago. I love it because I do stand quite a bit when I am crafting and it is the perfect height. But I recently purchased an Ikea Expedit desk that I attached to my Expedit 2 x 4 bookshelf and I absolutely love it! The surface is completely smooth, unlike my craft table top, and is large enough to have things right at my fingertips. I also purchased an Ikea Alex cart that fits under the desk perfectly and holds all my inks, powders, glitters and single stamps. The whole set-up is under $500 and you can add bookshelves as needed. I can't believe I didn't do this from the beginning, it has made my crafting life so much more pleasant!
Good luck with your move!
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I love it. I love the side portion as I keep my cutter there and when I am using my vagabond or other machine I use it for them as well.
We have now put up three Billy bookcases, and one CD Benno also. I just got the ALEX draws that Fishymom mentioned. I have my distress inks, tools in there for now. It is a great piece.
We are getting ready to move (the packers come in just THREE DAYS ACK!!!) and part of the new house is figuring out the crafting area. There is a fairly large 'bonus room', but it will have to serve as office/guest room/craft space so I need to make my space pretty to look at. One thing I am going to need to purchase is a new craft desk. Right now I am using an inexpensive fold-up banquet type table from Wal-mart. It's big (probably too big for this space) but it is also really terrible for crafting. It is bowing after several years, the top is textured, it sags when you stamp - it is no good!
So what kind of desk do you recommend? What size, what materials? If budget were no obstacle what would your dream desk be? But budget IS an obstacle, so bargain ideas are welcome too. If you want to post pics of yours, that'd be awesome too.
Bring on your ideas, crafters! And thanks for taking the time.
I have an 8 foot banquet table that I use. This allows me to store a tray (3 high) of white, confetti and vanilla cardstock, a tray with jars of various items and a variety of jars, my Copics, my cutter, etc. I cannot imagine using anything smaller.
__________________ My husband lets me have all the stamping supplies I can hide.
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A few months ago I found my perfect crafting desk and it was at a secondhand store. It's very sturdy, approx 2'x4', and with a must-have glass top. I won't/can't craft on anything else. Size is great as I needed to be able to get this in the house by myself and the smaller size limits the clutter on my work space. I like the space under my desk to be open so I don't store anything under it, and the desk has pretty Queen Anne style legs. And my bonus feature is the concealed shallow drawer tucked under the tabletop. I use this to store my scorpals and fiskar trimmer. It wasn't a bargain buy but it had ALL the features I wanted and then some. Still it cost way, way less than a Bigshot! ;)
I took a couple of quick pics. Bear in mind that I have just moved into this room a few days ago so it's looking civilized today. I'm in the process of doing a huge purge as I'll be moving house soon and don't want to take everything with me. Half of my stuff (read clutter lol) is still in the old craft room and nothing makes it into this room unless I really realy want it. This is a trial version of what my new craft room will be like when I get to the new place.
I took a couple of quick pics. Bear in mind that I have just moved into this room a few days ago so it's looking civilized today. I'm in the process of doing a huge purge as I'll be moving house soon and don't want to take everything with me. Half of my stuff (read clutter lol) is still in the old craft room and nothing makes it into this room unless I really realy want it. This is a trial version of what my new craft room will be like when I get to the new place.
Nice!
__________________ Denise
"If a person who indulges in gluttony is a glutton, and a person who commits a felony is a felon, then God is an iron.�
― Spider Robinson
I have a workbench made from a section of clearanced countertop I found at Lowes. I paid 11.00 for a 8ft(?) section. DH cut it down to 4 ft. The base has shelves underneath and there are towel racks on the end to hold punches. We found cheap racks at the local hardware store. The whole workbench is on wheels so I can move it as needed.
We also repurposed an old desk we had as a cutting station.
__________________ Denise
"If a person who indulges in gluttony is a glutton, and a person who commits a felony is a felon, then God is an iron.�
― Spider Robinson
Denise, could you please post a picture - my parents have a 5' piece of countertop I know my mother would love to get rid of and could be an answer for my craft area.
Karla
Thank you all for your suggestions! I love Ikea and was already looking at it, but the countertop idea sounds even better. What did you say when you went to Lowe's looking for the piece?
Like you, the room does double duty, so this is a great choice. I usually have just one of the leaves up on mine. But for a big project, I can open it up all the way; if I need the room, I can fold it up and wheel it out of the way. All of my stamp supplies except for a couple of DVD towers are kept in the closet (that half that doesn't have my clothes and shoes), so if there are guests, I roll it in front of the closet and it serves as a nice counter for them to use, too.
This table is GREAT. There is a shelf on the bottom below the drawer - and the drawer is deep! It runs the almost the width of the table, too.
It sits high - funny considering I think it's original intention was to be used as a sewing table - you'd have to put the pedal on a box! I used to stamp standing up but now I can use my old drafting chair with the table and it's perfect.
So it folds, rolls easily on the wheels (mine is in front of a bookcase so I do have to roll it away sometimes), sturdy, easy to assemble, and really flexible in size.
Lots of suggestions from IKEA for desks, but don't forget to look in the kitchen section too. My work table is a 5' long kitchen cabinet section with a woodblock style top from IKEA. Everything stores in the drawers underneath, but the large table top is perfect for all my crafts.
__________________ Where I live when not at SplitCoast: Pink Persimmon
If money were no object, I would purchase the office furniture from Pottery Barn.
I stamp on a old solid wood kitchen table--study and smooth--great for stamping and scrapbooking. It is dedicated to crafting so I just just leave projects out if I want.
For storage and shelving, I have purchased expedit shelves for IKEA along with their storage boxes both the white cardboard and fabric ones. I love them! They are sturdy, functional and look very nice mixed in with the rest of my furniture.
I purchased a ceramic tile topped patio bar table on sale at Target back in 2006 and have loved using it. Mostly because I have two long glass shelves underneath that store a ton of stuff! This picture was taken 3 or 4 years ago and while my scrap room and desk top have changed slightly the table is still the same.
(My room is a patio the previous owners enclosed and while I love the size I don't love the color!! Still it is a very big room 9x25 with cathedral ceilings so the idea of painting all that boring wood paneling is daunting!)
Don't forget to check craigslist if you're looking for a good deal. I don't have the patience for garage sales, but I've found 2 tables now on craigslist (hoping to buy the second one tomorrow) that I'll use in my new craft room. Both tables are pine, smooth top, with normal post legs so I can put Jetmax cubes underneath for extra storage. The first table I got was $110 and included 4 chairs, and the one I'm hoping to get tomorrow is an identical wood table in a slightly smaller size for only $20.
I've also seen a lot of DVD storage / media towers (great for CD and DVD sized stamp cases) as well as book cases / other shelving units that would work for paper, magazines, and stamps - even if they're not specifically marketed as craft room furniture. It would also be pretty easy to throw a white coat of paint on things to make it look newer and match.
@klh54 - Not related to a desk (but I do love the bar idea, with a slight wrap - very cool!) but don't worry about painting the paneling! Our family room is large also and is paneled as well. After living with it for 6 years I finally bit the bullet and painted it. Just a couple of coats of primer and a couple coats of a slightly offwhite interior paint and it looks like a whole new room. I was worried about the process of painting the paneling and it ended up being really easy! I had read about issues with "bleed through" from the wood, but only ended up with one tiny spot...if that's an issue, you just need an oil based primer. But again, I had no issue. Next project is to finally replace the tattered curtains in front of the picture window in the room that came with the house - ugh!
Good luck if you do decide to paint!
__________________ Melanie "Today I will be happier than a bird with a french fry."
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@klh54 - Not related to a desk (but I do love the bar idea, with a slight wrap - very cool!) but don't worry about painting the paneling! Our family room is large also and is paneled as well. After living with it for 6 years I finally bit the bullet and painted it. Just a couple of coats of primer and a couple coats of a slightly offwhite interior paint and it looks like a whole new room. I was worried about the process of painting the paneling and it ended up being really easy! I had read about issues with "bleed through" from the wood, but only ended up with one tiny spot...if that's an issue, you just need an oil based primer. But again, I had no issue. Next project is to finally replace the tattered curtains in front of the picture window in the room that came with the house - ugh!
Good luck if you do decide to paint!
Thanks for the encouragement, Melanie. I'm gearing up for the paint work...after 5 years I'm so tired of brown everywhere. My next dilemma is what color?!
Thank you all for your suggestions! I love Ikea and was already looking at it, but the countertop idea sounds even better. What did you say when you went to Lowe's looking for the piece?
My husband bought and made me a desk using a countertop, and it was great. If you have a smaller area...you could probably get some cubes from Michaels or Joann's and stack them, then put your countertop on top of those. Would be very functional too!
__________________ "I believe, that my life's gonna see, the love I give, return to me..." John Mayer
I have a used countertop as my desk also. I went into the Ikea scratch and dent room and purchased two kitchen cabinets (with small defects) and used these on each end of the countertop. It's a wonderful workspace with storage and a perfect height to stand at!
Like you, the room does double duty, so this is a great choice. I usually have just one of the leaves up on mine. But for a big project, I can open it up all the way; if I need the room, I can fold it up and wheel it out of the way. All of my stamp supplies except for a couple of DVD towers are kept in the closet (that half that doesn't have my clothes and shoes), so if there are guests, I roll it in front of the closet and it serves as a nice counter for them to use, too.
This table is GREAT. There is a shelf on the bottom below the drawer - and the drawer is deep! It runs the almost the width of the table, too.
It sits high - funny considering I think it's original intention was to be used as a sewing table - you'd have to put the pedal on a box! I used to stamp standing up but now I can use my old drafting chair with the table and it's perfect.
So it folds, rolls easily on the wheels (mine is in front of a bookcase so I do have to roll it away sometimes), sturdy, easy to assemble, and really flexible in size.
Hope you find what works for you!
I too have a folding type craft table workspace. I got it at Crate and Barrel. It works really well in my office/craft/guest room. I like it because it can be folded up and appear unobtrusive for when I have guest staying, or it can fold out into a great workspace. For the most part, I leave it open on one side with my latest projects.
I have had a craft table like the Pottery Barn one since We moved into this house 3 years ago. I love it because I do stand quite a bit when I am crafting and it is the perfect height. But I recently purchased an Ikea Expedit desk that I attached to my Expedit 2 x 4 bookshelf and I absolutely love it! The surface is completely smooth, unlike my craft table top, and is large enough to have things right at my fingertips. I also purchased an Ikea Alex cart that fits under the desk perfectly and holds all my inks, powders, glitters and single stamps. The whole set-up is under $500 and you can add bookshelves as needed. I can't believe I didn't do this from the beginning, it has made my crafting life so much more pleasant!!
Which cart fits underneath that desk? I'm not very familiar with Ikea stuff.
Which cart fits underneath that desk? I'm not very familiar with Ikea stuff.
Terry
YIKES!! I just checked the Ikea website for that desk and bookcase and shipping to me in Arkansas is $349!! Guess I won't be going THAT route! :confused:
I am using our solid Maple dining table that we have had for many years, had to take legs off to get up the stairway to my craft room. It is solid and holds so much more than the folding camping table I had previously.
I have the Norden Gateleg Table from Ikea and I LOVE it. It's really solid, and gives me a lot of work space, plus space for my friend when she comes to craft
Thanks for the encouragement, Melanie. I'm gearing up for the paint work...after 5 years I'm so tired of brown everywhere. My next dilemma is what color?!
Yes, Just do it /
Pick the easy-est wall to do... clean it with TSP, Rinse it and patch it/ Sand it if it needs. You could ask them to tint your primer and test it on one wall and if you don't really llke it you just paint it over with the color you want.
If you like it keep going or if you're tired then do it another day.
I would go lighter and change the curtains and see the difference.
You could do one wall or the works if you are up to it. Just think of it as a big giant scrapbook page or card to embellish :P} :p
Oh yeah and then you could get some new furniture and move things around.
I forgot that was the reason to get a new desk/ table top. right ...:rolleyes:
Desk Advice?
