Hobbies feed our souls. They allow our brains to relax and expand as we release creativity. Adults usually make sure their kids have space to be creative with art and craft supplies but often put their own creative needs at the bottom of the home project priority list.

It’s important to make room in your home for the things that energize and restore you, not just make your life function.

Every hobby has different space and storage requirements – think of the differences between embroidery, painting, quilting, carpentry, stained glass making, and writing, for example.

Regardless of your hobby, consider your needs in these 3 areas:

Work Surface

• How much space do you need?
• Do you need a dedicated surface or can you use a temporary one?
• If dedicated, can a folding table suffice for when your projects are active?

Location

• Can you do your hobby in a room used for other things? (dining room, guest room, garage?)
• Do you need quiet or isolation to focus on your hobby?
• How is the lighting and atmosphere in the location you use? Can it be enhanced to make your work area more appealing and functional?

Supplies

• What kind of supplies/tools/equipment do you need?
• Make a distinction between your active supplies for a current project and your full inventory of supplies for your hobby.
• Active current supplies need to either live near your work surface or be contained in a way that makes them portable.

Doing the hobby that makes you happy is more important than having the perfect storage solutions. Space constraints are always a consideration and you may have to limit your supplies to what your home can accommodate. Take a first step and figure out what you need to get started!