Back in November of last year, my wife asked me what I wanted for Christmas. I told her that I really wanted to get my hobby area organized and put together in a way that actually helped me be more productive in what little time I have to hobby. I showed her all kinds of desk organizers from the industry, everything from acrylic shelving to the MDF organizers that are configurable.
You know what she got me?
This.
Yup, that is the Home-it Nail Polish Rack Nail Polish Organizer that holds up to 102 bottles of nail polish. She actually got me two of them. You know what's awesome?
This. This is awesome.
See, she knows we have very limited space in our house and in my office to dedicate to my hobby, and she wanted to make the most of it for me. Instead of taking up valuable desk space, she thought that it would be more economical to get a wall-hanging solution. She measured the wall and found that two of these units would fit side-by-side perfectly, so she ordered them immediately. As you can see, they work perfectly. Not only can I for all my paint on them, the bottom three shelves right now are holding the models currently in the painting queue, and keeping them off my desk.
Here's what it looks like with a shot of the desk and all.
The only thing really missing is to the left of my desk are two office organizers with drawers that hold everything else needed for modeling and painting. I used to have three, but being able to elevate all my paints reduced what went into some drawers, and I was able to consolidate down to just the two.
You know what else is awesome? The price. These things were only 40 bucks each on Amazon. Check them out HERE.
Don't get me wrong, the offerings out there for hobby organization are great. Everything form Back 2 Base-ix organizers, to Games and Gears, Shark Mounted Lasers and more, are all solid hobby organization solutions that I would happily own and recommend. However for the price, fit and use, these were perfect for me.
So did it work? Am I more productive now that I'm organized? You couldn't tell it form my lack of actual painting updates, but absolutely. When I sit down for only an hour of painting, I get so much more done than I used to which is extremely beneficial with my hectic schedule right now. I would highly recommend that anyone in this hobby add some organization to their toolbox. It'll pay off in leaps and bounds.
What about you, have you done anything like this?
- Tim
Those are very nice mate! Your wife has a good eye, obviously.
ReplyDeleteI have some (no longer available, sadly) narrow-with-a-lip shelves from Ikea that do a similar job to your pictured organisers placed just above my desk for the same space reason, though I have no where near the amount of paints you do. If I had been a little more clairvoyant, I would have bought 10 of the bloody things.
I actually looked at Ikea first!!! Just didn't find anything I liked to fit the bill and left it up to her. Glad I did :)
DeleteI built some paint shelves for my hobby room over the summer. I spent about $40 in material from the hardware store to make two big racks. With the amount of material I bought, I could have made them larger (and I wish I did, because they're both full!).
ReplyDeletehttp://surfaceofspace.blogspot.com/2014/08/paint-rack-upgrade.html
Okay, you win in terms of cost and versatility. You can vary the heights and make whatever you want like that. Solid solution, I like em!! :)
DeleteThey look very good. Can I ask what your painting lamps are? I'm needing an upgrade.
ReplyDeleteThanks Cameron!
DeleteMy lamps are Ottlite office lamps that I bought from Office Depot. The one on the left is a floor unit, and the one on the right is a desk lamp.
Thanks. They seem to be the top lights. The floor model looks like what I need. Thanks.
DeleteVery cool storage solution! I wish my painting area was half as organized and tidy. Those are some cool lights - hadn't thought about getting the bar/tube style. Do you have 'real daylight' bulbs in 'em?
ReplyDeleteI REALLY like these lamps. The completely bendy necks of them really let me position the light wherever I need it easily.
DeleteYup, they are true daylight bulbs in em too. :) I definitely recommend them, but do not buy the Ottlite brand bulbs. get the size and numbers from the bulb, then buy them from your Home Depot or whatever home store is available in the area. MUCH cheaper.
I got 9 bottles of craft paint sitting precariously on a shelf of foamcore off-cuts... I think I've just found the replacement.
ReplyDeleteJust remember that the shelves on these are only about 1.75" deep. If you need deeper, and are handy, tr Thomas' method from his link in the comment above :)
DeleteI love organizing my hobby area...it means I can work on that many more projects and clutter it all back up again!
ReplyDeleteI never thought of it that way... I probably shouldn't if I like my marriage ;)
DeleteWhat a great idea for storage solutions. I soon will have to find some storage solutions, as I am potentially losing my hobby room due to a little one on the way, and this is a great idea .
ReplyDeleteAlso noticed an airbrush extractor in the pic. Do you use it without a hose out the window or just with the filter? I have thought about getting one but don't have the desk space for the extraction hose ect
Cheers :)
Yeah, that's why I got relegated to a corner of my office, Naf :)
DeleteI tried to use it with the hose, but there just isn't room. What I do instead is still run the fan, but double-up on the filter thickness. That way it still pulls and traps the atomized paint, but it does go out the other side. Unfortunately that means I typically have to change the front filter more often, but hey, the price you pay, right?