Bead Storage Furniture: how to plan a bead studio

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Whether you’re lucky enough to have a full room, or even just a permanent space, dedicated to beading, you will need some bead storage furniture.

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So, I am going to share some links to a few options for buying. But this post is mostly about how to plan your beading space. That plan will guide you to buying the right kind of bead storage furniture for your needs.

Bead storage furniture, my world of beads

What are the important things?

Whatever size of space you have, there are some things that you will always need to consider.

  • Light
  • Accessibility
  • Safety
  • Practicality

So, let’s take these one at a time.

Light

This may not be the first thing you think about when you start dreaming about your perfect bead storage furniture. But if you are planning a beading space, you need to consider it.

Where in your space is the best source of light?

If your room has a window, then you are best setting your beading desk under that. Nothing beats natural light!

If you are going to be relying on electric light, then definitely invest in a daylight lamp. So, if you are doing that, you will need a plug socket near your workspace. You don’t want wires trailing all over the room if you can help it!

I’m not going to go into daylight lamps here, but in case you need one, this is a good choice – I’ve been using mine for years now!

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Maybe you don’t have room for a desk. So, in that case, you can just sit in a comfy chair and bead on your lap. But you still need the chair to be near a good light source.

Accessibility

When you’re thinking about bead storage furniture, accessibility is really important. You want to be able to just grab your beads or tools easily.

So, take things back a step. How do you store your individual beads? If they’re in some sort of box already, then what type of furniture will be best for storing these boxes?

(If you’re still trying to work out a way of storing your beads, then check out this blog for some ideas)

Shelves give easy access. But will they take the weight of heavy boxes of beads?

Cupboards are great for hiding things away if your storage system is a bit messy.

If you just keep your beads in their original tubes or in grip seal bags, then maybe you should be looking for a unit with shallow drawers.

The point is, you want to be able to see things easily and take them out without having to unpack everything else in the process.

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Safety

This links up with what I just said about shelves. Whatever bead storage furniture you decide to use, think a little about safety.

So, you need to be sure that the furniture will be able to hold the weight of your beads and tools. You don’t want to risk things falling down on you or someone else.

Also, think about who else has access to your bead room or bead area. Do you have small children? Since my niece came into my life, I’m very conscious of this. She doesn’t come to visit me often, but I know I need to be wary and make sure she doesn’t start helping herself to my beads!

So, if this is likely to be an issue, does your storage need to be lockable even?

Practicality

When you’re planning a bead studio, practicality is key. Bead stashes have a tendency to grow. So, in my experience, you can never have too much storage.

So, how do you make best use of your space. Can you incorporate bead storage furniture that extends from floor to ceiling?

If you have found safe shelving, can you use that to utilise the high-up space on the wall that is so often wasted? If you do this, then how will you reach the shelves?

Does your storage need to be fixed or moveable?

Are you looking for something that will sit on a desk? Or can you fit actual furniture in your bead room?

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As a little after-thought, you might also want to consider cleaning… Sorry to mention that – I hate cleaning! So, that’s why it’s important to consider. Lots of boxes on shelves will gather dust. Cupboards and drawers are a much easier option if you’re not a fan of dusting!

Planning bead storage furniture

Notice how I’ve been asking you lots of questions. This is designed to make you think about what you need. How will you be able to use the space you have allocated to beads? What do you need to store? How do you use these items?

If you can answer all these questions, you’re well on your way to working out your dream storage system.

The last layer to put on that is style. Are you going to look for modern, clean lines? Or, maybe you want something a little more romantic – think shabby chic style? Perhaps you would like to go for antique?

[amazon_link asins=’B01HTU07RE’ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’myw06-21′ marketplace=’UK’ link_id=’a4e973af-18b5-11e8-9067-53017972425d’]

Where do you buy bead storage furniture?

Well, let’s forget about the bead storage part of this. Really, you should be looking at storage furniture and thinking about whether it will be good for storing beads.

So, in that case, the field is wide open. Your options might include:

  • IKEA
  • Antique fairs
  • Flea markets or car boot sales
  • Furniture shops
  • DIY stores
  • Amazon – yes, I’ve been posting some ideas from there!

DIY or Ready-Made?

Another point to consider: are you prepared to put up shelving or build flat-pack furniture? If you are, then you can get some really cheap options.

If this isn’t for you, then you’re more likely to want to try furniture stores. Or, perhaps an antique fair or car boot sale will throw up a cheaper option if you’re on a tight budget.

Remember to think laterally here. Look at the paper storage unit below. It may be intended for paper, but I was thinking those narrow shelves might be a good way to accommodate shallow bead storage boxes?

[amazon_link asins=’B073Q4SF9T,B074FTXF9Z,B01MF6U3BE,B001EDQTHK,B016AM8FB2,B01JAI494U,B01IDP8QR2,B06ZZZVJ1N,B01I5K2LBW,B01LYMTH55′ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’myw06-21′ marketplace=’UK’ link_id=’9a4b984c-18b6-11e8-aee7-fbc5014c8f05′]

Finding Inspiration

Hopefully by now, you’re beginning to see what you need your bead storage furniture to provide. Maybe you already have a clear image in your mind about what you want.

If not, then where can you find inspiration? Well, my favourite haunt – probably yours too – is Pinterest! So, try searching for bead storage or craft storage ideas on there.

See what other people have done and how creative they have been. That should hopefully help you to hone what your ideal bead storage furniture would look like.

Who knows, the Pinterest links may also lead you to some more places you can buy the furniture!

A glimpse into my bead storage furniture

I was lucky enough to be able to dedicate my dining room to beading. So, I do still need it to function as a dining room from time to time. But I thought the beads all around would make a good talking point for guests!

Bead storage furniture

So, I wanted my bead storage furniture to give me maximum storage space along with some display space.

I picked IKEA cabinets. So, I can display finished beadwork on the shelves and hide my messy pots of beads in the cupboards.

Where to buy bead storage solutions, my world of beads

I re-purposed a little cabinet that my Mum was going to throw away. So, that gave me a bit of display space on the walls. I was also able to re-use some shelves from my old house.

Then, I have a long window to give plenty of light. I managed to get the window seat under that with storage space all along. So, I can store more boxes of beads under the window seat, hidden by an attractive curtain.

Bead storage furniture, my world of beads

I bead on the dining table!

So, if I need it for eating, I can manage to get all my beads into the bead storage furniture, leaving me with a fully functioning dining room that just happens to be decorated with beadwork!

If you need more help with any aspect of bead storage, then check out this section now >>

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2 Responses

  1. Ruby says:

    I live in the US, and a local bead store uses cabinets from bestcraftorganizer.com. They come in a variety of sizes and finishes but best of all they are perfect for storing beads. They arrive as a kit with assembly required – which was easy because of great pictures in the instructions. I assembled mine all by myself! The hardest part with these cabinets is deciding what cabinet size and drawer sizes to order. I was able to insert a little label on each drawer pull so I know the contents. I store all of my delicas and seed beads in flip-top containers organized by their bead number. It is the best thing I have ever done – so nice to know if I have a particular color, size and how many grams. My friends are so jealous!

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