Decluttering a Craft Room to Create a Cozy Lounge: A Before & After
- Tara M Stewart
- 4 days ago
- 4 min read
Do you have a space in your home you keep walking past, thinking, “I know what I want this to be…” but you close the door because today is not the day?
Maybe you don’t have the bandwidth. Maybe you don’t have the time. It might be a spare bedroom that slowly became a storage unit, or a craft space filled with supplies for hobbies you haven't touched in years. The vision for the room is there, but the thought of getting started feels so overwhelming that it’s easier to just close the door.
That’s exactly where our client, Jo, found herself.
Sidenote: Before we even dive in, I do want to make it very clear that the final room design was ALL Jo! We were there for the declutter and purge. The room is her design, her vision, her baby and she killed it! So the "after" pictures you see are all her! The big purge - that's us!
The Client: A Creative Pivot
You might know Jo as one half of the duo behind Chica and Jo. They share DIY projects, clever home décor ideas on Instagram and yes those viral "Altered Moments" where Chica transforms vintage Precious Moments figurines into something totally unexpected. Check out one from The Christmas Story HERE.
Creativity is at the heart of Jo's life and business. Her craft room held every supply, project, and creative idea she’d collected over the years. But recently, she felt a shift. She was ready to part with the crafts she no longer practiced.
The Vision: She wanted to remodel the room into a warm, inviting "Ladies Lounge" a place to read, play games, and spend time with friends.
The Problem: The first step was a massive purge, and tackling it alone felt paralyzing. That’s when she reached out to us.
Decluttering a Craft Room
Jo’s goal sounded simple: clear the craft room. But as is often the case with organizing, there was a catch.
To clear the craft room, we needed to move the "keep" items to a dedicated storage room. But that storage room was already full of old entertaining items and keepsakes.
I know you’re familiar with this pickle. To do one thing, something else has to happen first. And because the chain of events feels so long, none of it happens.
The Process: Two Visits to Freedom
We stepped in to break the cycle. We completed two visits, four hours each, to make it feel more managable.
Visit 1: The Purge. We focused on fully purging the craft supplies that were ready to go. Because Jo runs a DIY business, this wasn't just trash it was valuable material.
Visit 2: The Shuffle. We gutted most of the storage room so the crafts Jo did keep could move there. Everything needed to be categorized and easy to find so the main room could stop feeling like a Hobby Lobby aisle and start feeling like a lounge.
You can see here how, by the end of visit two, we set up the storage space for the supplies she was keeping:
In between our visits, she gave away the old furniture in the space to friends who were more than happy to give it a new home.
Where Did the Donations Go?
One of the best feelings in a purge is knowing your items aren't just disappearing, they are going to do good.
Because of the volume of supplies, I reached out to Lexington Center for Creative Reuse (LCCR). They are a fantastic nonprofit that diverts materials from landfills and puts them into the hands of teachers, artists, and community members on a sliding scale.
They also provide a variety of crafting classes which are always fun! Check out the list of classes HERE.
We spent extra time thoughtfully boxing everything up. We categorized, labeled, and marked boxes with large sticky notes so the LCCR volunteers knew exactly what they were opening.
Pro Tip: It may sound like a small thing, but that extra care saves volunteers time and helps materials get back onto shelves faster for the next person who needs them.
The Result: A Space to Breathe
Once the clutter was gone and the remaining items found their true home in the storage room, the shift was immediate.
The space felt lighter. Quieter. More intentional.
Jo’s materials didn’t just leave her home; they became part of someone else’s creative story at the LCCR. And Jo was left with a blank canvas to create the cozy lounge she had been dreaming of.
Again I do want to make it very clear that the room design was ALL Jo! The afters are her work!
3 Tips to Steal from this Project
Even if you aren't hiring a pro, you can use the same strategy:
Identify the "Domino": Is there another room you need to clean first before you can organize your main space? Tackle that one first.
Don’t donate to the dump: Find a local creative reuse center (like LCCR) to make letting go easier. Check out more of our donation resources HERE!
Label for the next person: If you donate in boxes, label them clearly. It helps the volunteers and speeds up the process!
Ready to Tackle Your "Closed Door" Room?
Jo had a vision, but she needed help with the heavy lifting to make it reality. Do you have a space in your home you keep thinking about but haven’t quite tackled yet?
If you’re ready to turn that idea into something that actually works for your life, we’re here to help. Reach out to get started, or follow us on Instagram to see how we help real people create spaces that feel lighter and more livable.
Seriously, check out the special little touches Jo added to the space! She has a gift! Please go follow them on Instagram!
