As more people opt to remain in their homes and renovate, many want to create spaces that satisfy different aspects of their lifestyle — not just the “necessary rooms.” Hence the popularity of man caves, media rooms, souped-up garages — and quilting rooms. “This was our second specific quilt space,” says Christine Bleyhl, project director at Vujovich Design Build, in Minneapolis. “We do a lot of specialty rooms — wine-tasting rooms; we even did a Harry Potter room for a client’s child. We’re having to get creative in existing spaces.”
This quilting room, for a past client, is in a 10-foot-by-10-foot space in a 1930s Cape Cod. The challenge was figuring out “how to fit a large program in a small area,” Bleyhl says. “Quilting isn’t a small endeavor.” The consideration of a number of moving parts is similar to the attention needed to design a kitchen with all its accoutrements.
There’s a laundry list of cabinets and shelving for storage of myriad pieces of fabric, sewing machine parts, patterns, and thread. You have to be detailed and organized. Checklists help. “Design is really critical so we could get the exact layout for how the client would utilize the space for sewing, ironing, and pinning up the layout,” Bleyhl says.
Everything needs to fold up or stow away so there is space to move around the room.
Lighting is key. In this case, there was existing overhead light, but Bleyhl added undercounter lighting.
A felt wall was installed for pinning fabrics and patterns.
—Stacey Freed, senior editor, REMODELING.
More REMODELING articles about specialty spaces:
Rack Rooms: Wine Cellar Design Tips
Building a Wine Cellar Requires More Than Racks
Room With a View: Media Room Design
Maximizing Stair Storage: Designing for this awkward space to yield great results
