What do you do when you have a perfectly organized office/craft space, but can’t seem to find anything and can’t seem to focus on creating anything?
Well, personally, I tear everything apart and reorganize!
I know that may sound a bit drastic, but, hear me out. As an adult with ADHD I know that I have a big problem with object impermanence. So, to deal with this issue I have fully embraced the maximalist lifestyle that lets me see all of my things all of the time. However, the storage I was using in my beloved office was purchased before I even knew what Object Permanence was, let alone that it was something I struggled with. Because I had invested so much money into this organization furniture and time into actually organizing the room I was hesitant to change things.
After waffling for months about not being able to find things, overbuying yarn and tools, and losing my crafting motivation I finally made the decision that I was going to make my creative space work for ME. The first thing I did, naturally, was take every single thing off of the already existing furniture and take it all out of the room to sell online. Keep in mind this was a Sunday and I had a full week left of work that needed to be done in that same room. Needless to say I was fully embracing this change, though I may have been getting ahead of myself as I had not even chosen replacement furniture.
So with yarn and tools taking over half of my office I set to work making a list of what I would need in order to see all of my knitting and supplies. One big issue I had to tackle was the cats. We have 2 cats that like to explore this room. They will leave yarn alone as long as the ends aren’t easy to pull out, and they will leave needle sets alone as long as the cables aren’t easy to nibble on. This posed some logistical problems, since I wanted all of my yarn on display. My current set up kept the yarn in opaque tubs, free from paws and claws, but not really visible. While the TROFAST units from IKEA are great for modular organizing they just weren’t made for me.
After browsing Pinterest and Ikea’s website I settled on the KALLAX. We already had several of these in use in our home, so they are definitely a favorite. What really drew me to this particular storage unit for my office was the DRÖNJÖNS storage boxes that fit inside of the cubbies. While these bins are technically metal mesh, and not clear, they are transparent enough for me to see their contents and keep things safe from curious paws. The KALLAX unit also has add-ons such as shelf dividers and drawers that can be slid into the cube openings.
Once I had settled on the furniture I wanted it was time to so some math to see how large of a unit I would really need. Budget was also something I needed to consider. After selling my existing furniture I decided to “go big, or go home” and I ordered the 25 cube KALLAX unit with some baskets and shelf dividing inserts. I already had all of my patterns, books, and tools organized on an 8 cube KALLAX, so 25 extra cubes may sound like a lot, but I had my reasons:
- Get my current WIPs (Works In Progress) out of my closet and into the light, so I would be more likely to work on them.
- Group sweater quantities together, so that I’m not digging for them amongst other yarns later, when I get up the nerve to knit another garment.
- Sort skeined yarn together by theme, color, or weight (this was fairly easy since I mainly use DK and Fingering weight yarn).
- Make a colorful area to inspire creativity.
- Leave room for new yarns and the ability to reorganize as my interests change.
With this list in mind I felt that the large 25 cube unit was perfect. Once it was delivered I was having second thoughts, though. This thing was HUGE. It didn’t take long to assemble, maybe 30 minutes. And I know IKEA gets a bad rep for being difficult to assemble, but this is a pro IKEA house and we actually enjoy making their furniture. Anyway, this shelf took up most of my living room, but once it was assembled I was in heaven. I just stood back and stared at it thinking of all that potential for a good 5 minutes, then it was time to get to work.
It took me 2 days (thank goodness it was the weekend) to get things sorted and all set up on the selves. Once I was done I was left with my personal vision of a perfect craft room/office, complete with comfy chair and yarn winding station.
It will definitely be a while before I rearrange my office, since these shelves are so large. But with all the organization possibility these units have I’m sure I’ll be reorganizing their contents over and over again as the months and years progress. I mean, who doesn’t like to shake things up every so often.