36 Craft Room Storage Containers and Organization Ideas
Keep your creative space contained with these clever products.
Whether you have a dedicated craft room or simply clear off the kitchen table when you feel inspired, your art supplies and tools have to go somewhere. But craft storage often means messy, haphazard clutter with a couple of paint spills to boot. We've rounded up the best products to organize the most common pain points in craft storage, from endless washi tape rolls to leftover paint. Take a look at these solutions below and get your creative space organized.
Smart Art Bins
The problem with one big caddy is that art supplies have a tendency to get jumbled into a tumbleweed of fabric scraps, half-used hot glue gun sticks, mystery glitter from 10,000 projects ago and a jar of liquid gold gilding that's probably turned over and spilled everywhere. Sound familiar? You need a bin with purpose and lots of dividers such as this ribbon holder from The Container Store or this box with long sections designed for paintbrushes. Dividers keep items from floating around, and, mess aside, it's a safer way to store sharp items such as craft knives and scissors. This stackable bin from Amazon comes with see-through drawers perfect for storing stamps, sewing pins and other tiny items that can get lost. My favorite craft storage is actually a product meant for the pantry: a tea caddy. Clear, cheap tea caddies such as this one from Amazon are a great size for storing all kinds of craft supplies. And they look almost identical to more expensive craft bins!
Drawer Inserts + Organizers
There's a tendency to cram a bunch of mismatched stuff into a drawer, but drawers are a great way to organize your craft supplies by art medium or project type. These office drawer inserts from The Home Edit would be perfect for a calligraphy-themed supply drawer or another craft that uses lots of different materials in different sizes. This marker and pen insert just makes my Virgo, organization-loving heart happy. Technically, it's made for official ArtBin boxes, but you could also use it as a drawer insert. I just love that every pen has its own little dedicated slot, spaced out in a perfectly even grid. I also find that bathroom drawer organizers work really well for craft supplies. This eye shadow palette organizer (under $10!) is perfect for sorting stencils, stickers or other items in small booklets such as gold leafing. Silicone inserts meant for hot hair tools can be used for peace of mind when storing hot glue guns or wood burners that are off but still slightly warm. Another storage item to repurpose? Underwear dividers. This honeycomb grid is perfect for arranging yarn balls and other fabric remnants.
Rolling Storage Carts
If you don't have a dedicated craft room, these three-tier rolling storage carts are a great way to create a pop-up craft space anywhere in your home. They can easily roll into a closet or under a desk when not in use, and there are so many ways to customize them. The cart comes in a handful of colors, but I just love this sage green, and The Container Store also has a great storage cart in several great colors and accessories to deck it out for all of your supplies. There are several lids you can buy that work as a mini work surface, from this chic lightwood topper to this reversible lid with storage inserts. There's also a pegboard you can outfit to the side of the cart with tons of accessories, from hooks to floating bins. A cart like this takes up the same amount of space as an XL plastic tub, but this way you get to see all of your supplies on display and they're always easily within reach.
Paper Storage Solutions
Paper causes so much clutter, and it's definitely a material you don't want to bend or crinkle. Whether you're scrapbooking and have a hoard of decorative paper or storing paper for sketching and painting, these shallow, stackable bins on Amazon are perfect for organizing paper by color, size and texture. They're great for storing felt or foam sheets for kid crafts, too. For something smaller, this plastic bin from Amazon is a great buy. It's part filing cabinet, part storage bin and will keep materials safe from any paint spills. And if you're working with vintage paper, sorting magazine cut-outs for decoupage or using any other delicate, flimsy paper, this 12-drawer unit on wheels from The Container Store is a great way to keep materials organized and within reach but safely tucked away from being creased.
Paint Storage
Paint of any kind should always be stored in a cool, dry place with temps above freezing. If you have a shed or other outdoor space for crafting, just make sure to bring in your paints for winter. And for storing paint inside, you want to make sure it's spill-proof, whether you're working with tubes of acrylic or gallons of chalkboard paint. This spinning rack from Michaels is great for acrylic, oil and other fine art paints because it displays each tube just like a store! You can easily find the color you're looking for. OXO Pop containers are also great for storing paint. The popular lids keep it airtight which prevents the paint from drying out. Upcycled baby food jars are perfect for storing tiny amounts of leftover paint from past projects, but if you don't have those handy, these jars from The Container Store do just the trick, too. They also work wonders with corraling Perler beads and other tiny materials.
