express | Friday, May 30, 2014 | Your guide to D.C.-area apartments and home rentals
Creative Space Solutions Think outside the box to find room in your apartment for hobbies Rental Remedies
TEDDYWOLFF (FOR EXPRESS)
Corrie Allen never bought enough food to fill the sizeable pantry in her one-bedroom Petworth apartment. So she came up with another use for all of that space. “I moved the food to one of the cupboards over the counter and converted the pantry to a craft closet,” says Allen, 38, who likes to sew and to work with beads and paper. Now it holds fabric and other supplies she previously had to stash under the couch or in her bedroom closet. “It’s made it so much easier for me,” she says. “Everything’s in one place.” Space is often at a premium in D.C.-area rentals. So for folks like Allen who partake in hobbies that require both storage and room to work, it can be a challenge to indulge their pastime passions. But there’s no need to get rid of the glue gun or power drill — renters can find plenty of ways to pursue their preferred diversions, both in their own homes and outside of them. The first step is to get organized. “Categorizing and prioritizing your materials is pretty important,” says Heather Bouley, director of SCRAP DC (3101 12th St. NE; 202-827-4547, scrapdc.org), a thrift store of sorts for creative types. It’s run by a nonprofit focused on creative reuse and sustainability. “Remove the things you don’t need,” Bouley also advises. You could even remove gear that’s not required every day, which
Corrie Allen, 38, opted for a chic, compact Parsons table to stage her sewing machine in the living room of her one-bedroom Petworth apartment.
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