As a millennial knitter for the past dozen years, I’ve recognized how much being a maker becomes a part of someone’s identity. For me and plenty of other knitters, crocheters, fiber spinners, and sewers, crafting is more than just an interest—it is a lifestyle.
Because making is such a crucial part of my lifestyle and the lives of the human beings I understand (and, yes, that includes guys and non-binary parents, so please don’t call a crafting space she shed), there are simply things we look for in a house or a rental.
The most important segment of crafters is between the ages of 18 and 34—which also happens to be the age group shopping for homes—so it could be a clever way to market areas.
Just like a middle island might be a key amenity in a chef’s kitchen, here are some things makers want in a home.
Great light — mainly natural light
I realize that all but the most intrepid knitters can’t knit in the dark. Any Instagrammer knows natural light is essential for those works-in-progress or completed-item pics. Recessed lights and huge windows are exquisite features for any room.
Storage as shown
I love a large closet as much as the next individual — in truth, the abundant closet area became one of the fundamental reasons my husband and I chose our Brooklyn condo. However, I do not need to hide my particularly curated yarn stash behind closed doors. Built-in garages and partitions that manage huge shelving systems are super belongings for storing substances and equipment you want to reveal.
Don’t bargain random rooms. Makers can get innovative with small spaces, so play up the random closet-sized or oddly fashioned “bonus rooms” and rooms without closets that can be outfitted with open or recessed shelving for storage.
Consider facet hustles
While it is flawlessly satisfactory to stick to crafting as something to do in your spare time, increasingly more humans, particularly knitters, are turning their interests into corporations.
Homes with cottages, outbuildings, or attached gadgets that cannot be transformed into legal flats could make wonderful studio areas. A pal of mine who works at a tech enterprise has a successful aspect hustle, referred to as Nerd Bird Makery, promoting tooth pins, t-shirts, and different add-ons advertised to makers, and chose her Portland, Ore., home partly because it has a TV room on the decrease degree with a personal entrance that has the capacity turn out to be a studio.
Another pal chose her 14-acre belongings in Bedminster, N.J., with a transformed barn because she had been developing a spinning fiber commercial enterprise, which she named Middle Brook Fiberworks after the brook on her belongings. The more acreage helped set off a move to elevate Shetland sheep.
