6 tips for organizing a design workspace

How does one start organizing a space. I've broken it down into some pretty common sense steps.

1. Just start. If the area is too overwhelming, then pick just one spot.
2. Clear the area. Try to put things away that belong in other rooms. Move things to a temporary new home, if necessary. The organizing tv shows always clear an entire room out, but don't feel like you have to do this.
3. Sort your stuff into keep, charity, and trash/recycle.
4. Study your available space and arrange furniture in an attractive and efficient workspace. Make a list of organizing needs like shelves, baskets, labels, etc.
5. Bring things back in. Rework your plan as needed to accommodate your things.
6. Maintain. Once you've set up your space, you'll need to keep it up. Put things away when done, etc. It's easy to backslide back into a chaotic space if some do diligence isn't implemented.

As you organize your workspace, try to create zones. For example, I have a cutting table, sewing machines, ironing board, and storage. Each of these areas have certain tools and supplies that need to be readily available. This may mean having multiple pairs of scissors, pin cushions, etc so that you aren't having to walk across the room multiple times.

In my case, I've picked one hot spot in my work space and that is my cutting table. I've put stuff away and cleared most of it off. The remaining items are the things that always float around the table while I'm trying to work (not ideal when trying to cut something out!)

So, I'm looking for wall baskets to hang near my work table to contain all these things. I found a few ideas on Amazon and Ikea, but I'll check out my local hardware stores first. I know that I'll probably need at least three wall baskets, so might as well stock up. Anyway, here are a few ideas from Amazon (click on the images to go to Amazon).

I like the looks of these baskets.

This one would be easy to mount to a wall.

There is probably a simple way to mount this style too.

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Find more ideas in The Organized Fashion Designer.