Our Home Art Studio

When the new year came around last month, I felt a strong urge to clear the clutter and re-organize our house. Can you guess where the worst of our clutter lived? …In the art studio! Art supplies seem to have a way of rapidly multiplying and taking over a space. In order to tackle the mess, I decided to clear the shelves and get some new containers that actually fit our space and materials. I also splurged on a few streamlined items (the chairs and large baskets) to take the visual stimulation down a notch.

Home art stuido for kids 2

Finding the right containers for us was tricky. We kept a few that were working well, and then looked for others that fit our supplies and were easy to transport to the table.

Our Art Studio for kids 03

Art Studio For Kids 05

Our new caddy was a great buy. It holds our markers, crayons, and colored pencils (affiliate links) in one unit. This seems to encourage my girls to branch out from using just markers all the time. When there are other options right in front of them, they are more inclined to try them.

Home Art Studio for kids 04

Karuna and Ora are currently both really into writing letters and making cards. I decided to incorporate this into the design by adding letter holders on top of the paper rack. They hold blank greeting cards, envelopes, (affliliate link) and colored cardstock. Because of the light-weight material of these letter holders, I added bits of Putty (affiliate link) to the bottom to stick them to the paper rack. These babies aren’t gong anywhere now!

Art Studio For Kids 12

The colorful drawers are great for storing collage materials and other crafty items. Each drawer can be taken out and moved to the table for easy access.

Below the shelves are large baskets that hold recycled items, broken toys, fabric scraps, and wood bits. They make for great, inexpensive art supplies. Ora loves getting into these baskets!

Art Studio For Kids 11

As I’ve mentioned before, I always try to incorporate toys into an art space. When I noticed my girls were using their little animals and figurines in their art play, I knew I needed a special place for them to live in the studio. I came across this house shelf at an antique fair, painted it white, and added some fun paper to jazz it up. It now lives on the wall next to the art supplies to encourage more play in their creative process. It also lives next to a new art display line so the girls can clip up their work whenever they like.

Art Studio For Kids 02

The best part of our studio? It’s a converted porch- right off of the living room- that can be closed off and yet still visible! I like to shut the door (because you never know what will happen when you let a 2 year old loose around all these materials) and peer into the space every now and then through the living room windows.

Art Studion For Kids 07

How is your art clutter? Do you tend to let it pile up or do you try do a clean sweep every now and then? I’d love to hear about it in the comments! And as always, let me know if you have a question I could help you out with.

You may also like

13 comments

  • Pingback: Our Art Pantry - The Art Pantry February 24, 2015  
    • Tracy October 17, 2015  

      Love love the space! I am SO excited I couldn’t sleep last night for my play/ art room visions.

      I am wondering how you you decided on what size and shape table to buy?
      Is it according to age, or the largest table that would fit in the room? Are you able to sit at the table in the photo?

      Thanks so much!
      Leo (3 years) and Marina (1.5 years) and Tracy (excited Mommy)

      • Megan Schiller October 17, 2015  

        Hi Tracy,
        I’m so excited for you to get your art space set up! I decided on this size table for a few reasons. It was just large enough for big art projects for my 2 kids, or smaller art projects for 4 kids (for playdates). And it was small enough to fit in this narrow room. I made the table using a desk top from Ikea and some old Ikea coffee table legs. The legs are pretty short so It is a little low for my 7 year old, but has been perfect for my 3 year old (I set it up when she was either 1 or 2). And yes, I can even sit at the table (although it’s a little cramped for my legs!).

        Feel free to email me with any questions. If you haven’t seen my eGuide yet, I go through a step-by-step process of setting up a kids art space, including choosing table sizes and making your own table. You can find it here: https://www.theartpantry.com/diy/e-guides/

        Good luck! And please keep me posted on how it goes!

        Megan

  • Crystal Foth February 25, 2015  

    i just love the design and organization! Can I ask what system you are using on the wall to hang the artwork?

    • Megan Schiller February 25, 2015  

      Thanks, Crystal! Both of my art clip systems are from Land of Nod. Here is a link to what they currently have: http://www.landofnod.com/fine-art-clips-bird/f13641. Pottery Barn Kids also has some with a wire cable system (search for Art Cable System on their shop). I’ve also just used eye bolts (a screw with a loop on the end) and twine with clothespins. It looks great too.

      • Crystal Foth February 26, 2015  

        Oh thank you for the info! I must check it out. I have a huge wall above my couch in my living room that is just screaming for art!!

  • Linda Morgan March 4, 2015  

    I am more than happy to help the Art Pantry community with Land of Nod needs. Feel free to contact me at the CA location! 714-754-1969. Linda Morgan

    • Megan Schiller March 4, 2015  

      Thanks Linda!

  • Kara March 13, 2015  

    Thanks for sharing your lovely space! It gives me lots of great ideas for our new home.

    • Megan Schiller March 13, 2015  

      Thanks, Kara! Don’t hesitate to ask if you have any questions or just want to share how it’s going.

  • Pingback: Five Tips to Keep Your Kids Engaged in Art January 18, 2016