5 Incredible DIYer Workspace Projects from the One Room Challenge®
STORY BY VIRGINIA BESHEARS
Once you reach a certain point in your DIY career you’ve probably accumulated a lot of tools and supplies. These 5 One Room Challenge® participants created absolutely killer DIY workspaces where they can flex their skills with ease thanks to their ingenious storage solutions. As a beginner DIY-er whose projects usually occupy the kitchen floor, these spaces inspire me so much. So, without further ado, here are 5 incredible DIYer Workspace Projects from the ORC.
When Mercedes was house-shopping, this outdoor shed was a big selling point for the house she ultimately purchased. In the process of moving, the shed became disorganized and cluttered, so she used the ORC to turn it into this incredible she-shed workshop. The pegboard on the right very conveniently houses the tools she uses most frequently. This bright and clean space seems like a wonderful place to work!
IMAGE VIA FHTHdiy
Garages are a tough space to give character, and Jenna of FHTHdiy was able to create this incredibly functional AND fun workshop space in her garage. She built those stairs herself, and they’ve got a hidden storage area for things like paint cans built into them!
PHOTO CREDIT SIGNED, SAMANTHA
Samantha was able to make the most of her garage space with storage for her kids’ sporting equipment, a gym area, and, most importantly, a fabulous workshop area. She says that having a designated spot for all of her tools and supplies makes projects significantly easier.
Jackie of Sew Bright Creations collaborated with her husband to create this jaw-dropping workshop in their basement. Their goal for the space was to make it functional and organized without blowing the bank. The space has a lovely rustic feel, as per her husband’s request. It looks like paradise.
IMAGE VIA JUST A MOM WITH A DRILL
This wonderful workshop space created by Ndandu started out as a cluttered garage. She built her miter saw workbench using pieces of her old counter top and old desk! The art hanging above the workbench is an incredibly sweet collab between Ndandu and her kids.
GET STARTED WITH YOUR DIY WORKSPACE…
Carol (@carolpham) took on the spring '26 ORC by tackling what she affectionately dubbed "the most awkward wall in my house", a partially recessed half-wall that never quite pulled its weight in the room. Her goal from the start was to turn a space that "always felt a little unfinished" into an intentional cozy nook with shelving and a small seating moment.
Jeanne (@littlejoymarket) tackled her primary closet during the Fall 2022 ORC, with the goal of building a fully custom, floor-to-ceiling closet and dressing room, complete with cabinets, trim, moulding, and a rolling library ladder to reach it all. The result of this massive undertaking could not be more stunning.
The room Cathy Balsom transformed into an absolutely beautiful nursery during the spring '24 ORC started out with zero closets or storage space. Cathy's solution was to build custom built-ins that embrace the room's slanted ceiling rather than fighting it, turning what could've been wasted, awkward space into a fully functional and beautiful storage wall.
It feels kind of insane to say marble and other natural stones are having a moment right now, since they’ve been “trending” for quite literally centuries, but the past couple of years really have seen a boom in marble, marble alternatives, and natural stone in kitchens and bathrooms. Here’s our guide to marble, marble alternatives, and how to choose, featuring some amazing past ORC projects.
Color is one of the most nuanced elements in any design, and the English language doesn’t make it easy. We have maybe a dozen everyday words for color, but color itself has dozens of distinct properties. The result is a lot of “you know what I mean” conversations that somehow end in the wrong wall paint.
The good news is that you don’t need a degree in color theory to fix this, you just need to master five concepts.
I've been working on a guest bedroom transformation for a few months now, and my vision for the light fixture was specific enough that I knew I was going to have to get creative.
To nobody's surprise, the ORC community has produced some incredible garage glow-ups over the years. In my opinion, garage transformations are some of the most satisfying before-and-afters out there. Seriously underrated.
Good eclectic design is more than just mixing lots of elements. The best eclectic spaces feel surprising and remarkable due to the juxtaposition of eras and styles.
I've tried aging terracotta with garden lime before, but it's surprisingly hard to pull off. Getting that authentic weathered look rather than an obviously painted-on whitewash is genuinely challenging.
Let's talk about how to protect yourself and make sure you can keep DIYing for years to come.
If you’re hankering for some extra warmth in your space, be it temperature or vibe-wise, here are just a few ways you can infuse a bit of coziness into any room of your home.
Whatever color you want it to be!
Click through to read our take on “color of the year.”
Virginia from Team ORC tackled a mini project during the fall event. The catalyst for this project is named Clancy.
Some of the most satisfying home improvements are the tiny ones that take less than an hour but somehow never make it to the top of the to-do list.
Last week, on the very first day after the time change, I could already feel myself getting sluggish and blah as the sun started setting at 5:30pm. This year, I'm deciding to be proactive and set myself up for success, and I've learned some genuinely interesting stuff that I'm sharing here.
We're officially halfway through the fall '25 ORC, and wow, what a season it's shaping up to be! We've been absolutely loving watching everyone's progress unfold. In case you missed the first few weeks, here are just a few of the MANY highlights from this season so far.
Welcome back, now comes the fun part! It's time to use design to finish creating a dining space you'll enjoy. The aesthetic choices you make should support and enhance the functional plan you created in Part 1.
If your Instagram feed is anything like ours right now, you're probably drowning in jaw-dropping fall vignettes that look like they took a full weekend (and a small fortune) to create. Not everyone has Martha Stewart's budget or her team of stylists, though, and that's absolutely okay.
As we head into October and November, we're sharing our strategy for bringing seasonal charm into your home in an economical, thoughtful, and refreshingly low-effort way.