We all know that every man dreams of a craft corner – better known as a man cave.

Or do we? Maybe the image of a man wanting to get away from his wife and locking himself in the garage is as out of date as this:

However, I think it is true that we all, men and women, are more interested in making things or having a craft hobby of sorts. These days there is no division between a male and female hobby, my son-in-law loves tailoring jackets, my daughter is keen on making furniture. The thing is, whatever you make, it is great to have an organised space in which to do it – a craft room or just a craft corner.

There are two main things I look for when involved in a project of some sort: a table big enough to work on which I can leave my stuff on overnight if I wish – and the ability to find the equipment I need easily, ie to have it all organised and to hand. And that’s it – the secret to a happy, creative space.
Tables
A table like the one below is a dream come true. It is large, clean, clutter free, with space all around for easy access. Marvellous but how many of us can devote a whole room to crafting?

If you have a separate dining room the table can often be used for long periods between dinner parties,

but many people have incorporated dining into their family kitchen so what then?

Integrate the functions so the table has more than one function with the appropriate shelving around for easy clearing up.

Or go for something much more flexible like this sewing table from Ikea which has two flaps so the whole that the whole table collapses into a little storage unit.

Basically, however small your space – where there’s a will there’s a way to include a craft table.
Get organised

Don’t you just dream of a cabinet like this, full of wonderful paper and pens? I would love one but I don’t need anything this complicated or extravagant. I do need to be able to find pen and paper though

just one of these little cabinets would do the job.

This person seems to have the right idea.

While this space may look a bit messy – everything seems to have its place.
of course, however beautifully arranged the space,

it’s not about how creative it looks,

but how creative you are: you need to get into it and actually make stuff which gives you pleasure. And, as we all know, that can happen in any spare corner.