I’ll admit it – I wasn’t thrilled with my daughter’s growing pile of art supplies. After they outgrew our desk drawer, I packed them into an old plastic storage bin I found in my husband’s workshop and there they sat…an eyesore in the corner of our dining room. I guess it was technically a kids craft corner, but it was all function and no form.
With everything piled on top of everything else, my daughter had to really dig to find what she wanted. And with a black plastic front and sides, it was almost as if she forgot about half of the supplies hidden inside. I wanted her to be able to see and easily use all of her art supplies, but I didn’t want to sacrifice my home decor or personal sense of style.
Enter…our current kids craft corner! While it still highlights a bright rainbow of colors, it contrasts her supplies with jars and bowls and baskets that perfectly complement the rest of my home and add a touch of sophistication!
How can you create your own gorgeous kids craft corner? Let’s break it down!
Start with something beautiful.
The fact is that beautiful things draw our eyes and attention. When my daughter’s supplies were packed into a plastic bin, they simply felt functional…there when she needed them.
But on a corner shelf that blended well with our existing decor, nestled perfectly between two light-filled windows? Suddenly, the corner was calling her name. If you want your kids craft corner to see lots of action, start with an appealing shelf or other base.
Display your kids craft corner out in the open.
Everyone knows the saying, out of sight, out of mind. Tuck your kids craft corner into a room that doesn’t see much traffic, or even away from where your family spends the majority of their time, and it won’t be used as often.
Although many decorators would likely disagree with my decision, I placed our kids craft corner in our dining room. For one, I noticed my daughter was doing the majority of her drawing and painting at the dining room table. So it felt like a natural choice to place her supplies where she used them most.
Secondly, our dining room lies adjacent to our living room. That means she can view the craft corner just as easily and readily as she can view the TV. And that is a rivalry I’m interested in supporting!
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Make every supply clearly visible.
If you want to up your corner’s curb appeal for your kids, make every supply clearly visible. For me, that meant storing everything I could in (plastic) mason jars, old vases, and clear bins.
The same theory is being applied here – out of sight, out of mind. But when my daughter can clearly see the markers, pipe cleaners, and colorful poms in our kids craft corner, it’s like they’re calling her name.
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Utilize plastic jars or small bins they can easily move to the table.
My goal is to make creating art as easy as possible for my daughter. That’s why I separate markers, crayons, colored pencils, and more into their own mason jars and bowls. My daughter only needs to decide on a medium, pick it up, and move it to the table.
Another option? Store supplies together, but keep a bowl or small bin handy that your child can easily fill with their chosen supplies.
Leave a clear space for art to take place.
Again, my apologies to home decor experts. But because my daughter has always opted for the dining room table for art, I’ve stopped decorating with placemats and cut down on table decor to help maximize the space available to her.
First of all, it saves me the frustration of seeing my beautiful decor pushed to the side in a heap for several hours at a time. Secondly, it provides her with more space and a lesser need to exercise caution around “mom’s things.” And the more free your child feels in a space, the more likely they’ll be to actually use that space.
It reminds me of something Joanna Gaines says in her book, Homebody | A Guide to Creating Spaces You Never Want to Leave. “I had spent so much of my time cleaning up any trace of my kids that this [living] room had become a place they didn’t even feel comfortable in. It was then that I realized I had let the pursuit of perfection inform how I designed this space instead of the people who were actually supposed to be enjoying life in it.”
Make everything washable!
With that said, your child’s comfort doesn’t mean that your table or home needs to be ruined. You can buy almost every art supply today – crayons, markers, colored pencils, paint, stamps, and more – in washable form.
Sure, it may cost an extra dollar. But I could list a hundred times I felt incredibly grateful I opted for washable art supplies! And as a last-ditch effort, I’m pretty positive Mr. Clean Magic Erasers are a direct gift from God Himself.
You can make your kids craft corner colorful and playful, while still blending it with the rest of your home.
Yes, a kids craft corner is all about…well…kids. But that doesn’t mean you can’t have a little decorating fun of your own with it!
After all, you’ll have to look at it every day. Wouldn’t you like to be looking at something you love just as much as your kids do? That’s why I opted for a corner shelf that complemented the rest of our furniture.
That gorgeous banana leaf wicker basket? It came in a set of three, with the others serving other functions around our home.
And the wooden bowl that houses crayons matches the bowl on our coffee table that houses remotes and coasters. By storing supplies in containers you love, both you and your kids can enjoy the visual appeal of your kids craft corner.
By incorporating beautiful storage, increasing visibility, and making the whole setup comfortable and livable, you can create a kids craft corner your entire family will love. What have you found essential to a beautiful kids craft corner? Be sure to share in the comments!
P.S. Want links to everything you see on this page and more in one place? Check out our kids craft corner idea list on Amazon HERE!
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