I don’t like clutter, and sometimes even organized clutter looks chaotic.  My husband and I recently converted the room next to our kitchen into an office.  My husband built a custom desk and bookshelves for another room, but I think they work even better in their new home.  The problem?  We have a bunch of stuff (extra hard drives, office supplies, computer tower, etc) piled against the wall under the desk, and to me, it just looks like clutter.  

In the same room, there’s a peninsula where we have three bar stools.  It kind of separates the kitchen from the office and is really functional and great, but under the peninsula on the office side we have open bookshelves where we store extra office supplies, our liquor stash, etc.  Once again, to me it just looks like clutter.

 

Well, I came up with a solution that just involved a trip to my local fabric store, husband in tow because even though he says he’ll like whatever I pick out, I’ve learned better.  It’s better to make decisions like this together.  We had no idea what kind of fabric we were looking for.  My husband kept getting drawn to the superhero patterns meant for kids.  I found the upholstery fabric and grabbed a swatch or two that I thought would look right in our office.  My husband found the printed burlap and was leaning towards one with a Paris print.  I liked it, but it seemed a little busy for the room.  In the end, it was between an upholstery fabric with a swirl pattern in gray and white and a burlap fabric with a geometric navy blue pattern.  In the end, my husband chose the upholstery fabric, and I agreed.  Perfect.  Easy.  While he had the fabric cut (we measured the space before we left the house and decided that we needed 4.5 yards), I went in search of Velcro.  It took me awhile to find exactly what I was looking for.  Ideally, I didn’t want to have to do any additional sewing, but I found one where it comes with 2 types of Velcro, one that you sew onto your fabric, and the other one you stick directly onto a non-fabric surface (wood, plastic, metal, etc).  Perfect!  My husband helped me find thread that was a perfect match for the fabric, and we were ready to check out.

Now to get out the sewing machine!  I don’t particularly like to sew.  It’s not difficult; it’s just not fun for me.  Maybe I don’t do it often enough.  I always have trouble getting the bobbin threaded correctly.  That’s the hardest part for me.  Anyway, I got out the sewing machine, and temporarily, the desk in the office became my craft table.  

I decided to tackle the bookshelves under the peninsula first.

I started by measuring the area I wanted to cover again.  I actually measured it several times. 
Then I cut the fabric to the right length adding about an extra 2 inches, 1 for each end so that I’d have room for a seam.  Then I used a repetition in the fabric to evenly pin the hem on the top.  Then I used my sewing machine to sew a hem.  I repeated the step of using a repetition in the fabric’s pattern to evenly pin the hem on each side of the fabric.  Then I sewed up the hems on each end.  So, at this point I had the fabric hemmed on every side except the bottom.  

 

Next, I pined the sew on Velcro to the top hem of the fabric and sewed it on as described on the directions.  I sewed each end and each side of the Velcro.  Then I stuck the stick-on velcro under the peninsula where I wanted to hang the fabric.  Then I Velcroed up the fabric.  It was a perfect fit, except, of course, for the bottom, which I hadn’t hemmed yet, and which was way too long.  With the fabric still Velcroed up, I used a repetition in the fabric to pin the bottom in a straight line for the bottom hem.  It was easiest to do it with the fabric hanging in place so that I could decide exactly how long I wanted it to be.  Then I sewed the hem for the bottom of the fabric and cut off the extra material.  I hung the fabric back up with the Velcro and added a couple little pieces of stick-on Velcro to the sides of the peninsula so that the fabric would stay securely in place and not accidentally get pushed open.  Since these pieces of Velcro were so small, I just sewed the matching sew-on Velcro onto the fabric by hand.

There you have it, from cluttered looking bookshelves under a kitchen peninsula to sleek, concealed storage.

 

I repeated the entire process to make the concealed storage for under the desk with a couple of minor differences.  I placed the stick-on Velcro directly under the desk, so the fabric kind of makes an L-shape at the top the way it hangs.  It looks fine, and you actually can’t even see it.  
 

I also wanted a couple of options for where exactly to hang the fabric.  On each end of the desk, I have two ways of hanging the fabric because I added extra stick-on Velcro to the bottom of the desk.  That way, I can choose to hide or reveal the trash can and the little drawers under the desk.

 

All in all, I’m very pleased with the outcome of the project, and I have enough fabric left over to make matching pillowcases for the throw pillows on the loveseat in the room.  I considered using the extra fabric to reupholster the seat cushions on the bar stools under the peninsula, but I decided that would be a little much.  The seats would kind of be camouflaged.  Pillowcases will be better.

So, what do you need to do a similar project in your home?

 

Velcro – a set that has both the kind you stick on a surface and the kind you sew on fabric
Fabric – your choice, take your time picking it out
Measuring tape
Straight pins
Scissors
Thread that matches the fabric
Sewing machine

Simply measure the area you want to cover and allow an extra inch on each end for a hem.  Sew the hem on three sides of the fabric with your sewing machine (top and both sides).  Sew the Velcro on the top hem of the fabric.  Stick on the sticky Velcro.  Hang up the fabric with the Velcro and decide where you want the bottom hem.  Pin up the bottom hem (using a pattern in the fabric helps you get it straight) and sew up the hem. Voila.

Now, that’s some Pretty Creative Stuff!