As a designer and DIY blogger my work can often explode all over the house. My husband and I talked about it and we decided that I needed a place to store all my stuff but it also needed to be a place that I could get messy. When we moved into this house over a year ago our basement became a catch-all so we decided to create a an atelier art studio in the unfinished basement. Since January is all about organization I thought I'd share this before and after basement organizational project. 

Okay here is a photo of the before (ewe, I'm feeling very vulnerable sharing this level of untidiness with you). This work bench was here when we moved in a the previous homeowner left a bunch of tools and knick knacks behind (although this is mess is on our shoulders for sure). My plan was to pull out the workbench so I would be able to work on either side of it, paint the cabinetry and shelving and just reorganize in general. I needed plenty of boxes for paint, electrical, small hand tools, adhesive etc. etc.  Scroll down to the see the after.

Before:

I painted the workbench and cabinet, laid-down an octagon self adhesive wallpaper on the floor, painted the shelves black, added some striped storage boxes and added a new light. The lighting situation is still not perfect but it will do for now. 

After: