Room Inspiration: Craft Corners And Study Spaces

Because I have two little boys (they're aged five and seven, in case you didn't know), I, Rachel, tend to have them in the back of my mind whenever I'm putting mood boards together for Make A Happy Home. I just can't help myself.

My eldest son adores anything to do with reading so if I can, I try to include a bean bag and an accessible bookcase or shelf - having books within reach means they're more likely to be picked up and read or looked at.

My youngest son can always be found with colouring pens and Lego about his person, so desk accessories and good looking storage that can be easily moved from room to room are also important to us - he loves GLTC's little carts and I can't get enough of the gorgeous rope baskets.

However, today, I'm sharing the cutest craft corner come study space, and I'm not going to lie, I put it together entirely with me in mind. Well, seven year old me. This would have been my dream desk. Be it in my childhood bedroom, the corner of my parents' living room, or even squeezed in to the kitchen or dining room.

Once I selected all of the products for the mood board, I even sat and wondered whether I could indeed create a slightly more grown up version of it. My home office seems somewhat lacking in comparison.

What do you think? Some of the things that I've included aren't on the website yet so consider this a sneak peek of the delights that are to come over the next couple of weeks.

magnetic 3D art frame / rabbit clock / greenaway mini bookcase / cloud bedside lamp / in the garden backpack / sage and ivory rope storage basket / gulliver toy storage / faraday desk / confetti spot desk tidy / perpetual calendar / fox carry caddy / fox book cart

When you factor in beds, bedside tables, wardrobes, cupboards, and toy storage, there's sometimes not a lot of room leftover for a desk, is there?

The brand new Faraday desk that I've created this look around is the perfect size to squeeze in to tight spaces. It's smaller than an adult's desk but perfectly roomy for children to sit at and with enough space on top for pen pots and organisers and two sliding drawers to hold notepads and homework books.

Teamed with the Nelson chair, you could create a fab craft corner or study space in even the tightest of spots. And I think that having such a space is so important for children, be it for practicing reading or writing, getting lost in creative crafts, or forming healthy homework habits for later on in their schooling lives.

The Greenaway gallery bookcase has long been a favourite of mine. It's wall mounted so great for saving on floor space, and seeing the covers of all the colourful children's books makes it brilliantly easy for little ones to choose which one they want to read.

New for autumn is the mini version and it's the perfect size for sitting above a desk. It's not just for books ... notepads, pen pots, craft accessories, drawings and even teddy bears sit neatly on the 12 cm deep shelves. For older children, it would work so well to keep school books organised so that they can be grabbed and quickly popped in to school bags when needed. 

While the right desk and chair are important, and good storage essential, it's the accessories that really add the fun element and attract children to spend time in a space ... even to do their homework!

Items like the brand new rabbit clock and the perpetual calendar add so much character but are great learning aids too. And don't forget frames to display school certificates or colourful collages.

Tell me ... have you ever bought things for your children that you would have loved as a child, and what would your perfect craft corner or study space look like? I'd love to know. And do you have any top tips for getting children to do their homework? That's sometimes a tricky one, right?