How to Make a Hobby Room

With the number of do-it-yourselfers on the rise these days, there is a growing need for not only the traditional male workshop, but all-purpose hobby rooms as well. These rooms are used for all types of activities, from kids' crafts to sewing and scrapbooking. With so many diverse hobbies to accommodate, the room needs to be well-planned with ample storage and work surfaces. Read on to learn how to make a hobby room.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Color your hobby world. Wherever you manage to carve out a space for your hobbies, paint the walls and ceiling a color that will inspire you. If the room is to be shared, you can divide the room with different colors, or you can paint the room according to a theme. If you enjoy the outdoors, stick to warm, earthy tones. If you love to quilt, mix it up a bit with some fun colors.

2. Consider installing built-in cabinets and shelving. Built-ins are a great option if you are in the house for the long haul. Because they are custom, they can be costly, so they aren't practical if you plan on selling in a few years. If not, then carefully space plan your room to see where they would best fit and either hire a carpenter or take on the job yourself. The advantage to custom built-ins is that you can design them the way that best suits your needs.

3. Maximize your work space. If you have a need for large work surfaces, as for sewing, quilting or scrapbooking, you can make the most of your space by installing an L-, U-, or T-shaped counter. Counters configured in these shapes allow more than one person to work at the station at a time and provide more usable space than a straight counter.

4. Make sure the height is right. If your hobby involves a lot of standing, the typical height for the counter is about 36 inches. If you plan on sitting while working on your hobby, install a work surface that reaches between 30 and 32 inches.

5. Go vertical. Make the most of all of your wall space. Open shelving is a fantastic way to store items that you can place in labeled plastic containers. Hang pegboards painted to match your hobby room to suspend tools from. Find a large bulletin board where you can pin up favorite sewing patterns or fabric swatches.

6. Plan out your floor space. If your hobby room is for hobbies only, you may want to consider laying a vinyl floor that you can easily clean and that you won't stress over if it gets damaged. If your hobbies are sharing space with an office or guest room, a low-pile or Berber carpet is best. You can vacuum them and rolling chairs move across them easier than plush carpeting.

7. Light your hobby room adequately. It is ideal if you have a hobby room that's filled with natural lighting that lets you see how your finished projects look. But if you have to make your hobby room in a basement, you need to install lighting that meets your needs. Halogen and incandescent bulbs give the most accurate color.

Tips & Warnings

• If your room is large and needs to be separated, you can use screens to mark the entry to the hobby area.
• When designing a hobby room in a home that may be sold in a couple of years, you can buy two cabinets and set them up in the room with their backs to each other. It will provide a decent size counter and storage shelves.

Resources

• Home Plan Design Service Website
• Information and Guidance for Painting Projects