Art and creative expression has become more and more important to my children as they have gotten older. The older they get the more of their play revolves around creating something. Whether it is book making (a Henry favorite) or painting (a Nora favorite), much of the time my children spend after school at home is in our art area.
I know I did a tour of this area last year, but then in the fall we did an extensive kitchen remodel and the art area got a major face lift. With the exception of one picture (which is clearly screaming for a picture of maybe-someday-if-we-are-totally-crazy baby number 4), the area is finally feeling like it's done. So, I wanted to share again.
This time, the focus was much more on having the space for open ended art exploration. With the kids getting older, we needed less shelf space for prepared art trays, and more space for just storing art supplies. We also needed a larger table for collaborative projects and larger work. Here's a look at some of the main elements in the space:
Wall Shelves
These shelves are simply spice racks from IKEA. I loved the price point, and that they could be hung at different levels. This way we could hang them away from Gus' reach (he doesn't need scissors - yet!) but still at a place where the older kids could get them. I found the acrylic boxes at Target and the other various containers at craft stores. They all make it easy for the kids to grab a supply and to restore it.
This post contains affiliate links at no cost to you.
Work Table
I have talked about my debate with work tables before! I finally decided on this table with a set of stools from IKEA. The stools allow for a lot of flexibility and movement, but they tuck under the table which I love. The table is big enough for large projects or for both Henry and Nora to work at. Downside, it's too tall for Gus. So, we added a smaller table to our playroom (I'll share that another time, soon!).
Storage
While I wanted open ended supplies in the space, we still needed some shelf storage for Gus, and for larger supplies. This BESTA frame from IKEA did the trick. It's not too big, but enough that we can store a few trays. Then, there is the DIY wash basin area, and the paper storage cabinet. The cabinet was a thrift store find, so I don't have much information about it. Finally, we have dedicated one drawer in our kitchen (slightly out of the pictures here) with extra art supplies, or things that may be too large for the wall shelves.
And, that's about it. It's working well for us right now and gives us the space we need to accommodate older children and open ended supplies!
---
