A good art corner has three things going for it: a wipe-clean wall, a rack where wet paintings can dry, and a basket where the markers really live. This one is made from flattened cardboard, a vinyl tablecloth and a laundry rack, and it folds flat when the room has to turn back into a guest room.
The idea comes up every time a family talks about redoing a spare room: where will the paint go? Planning Boulder home remodeling is easier when you know what the room will be used for, so we build the art corner out of cardboard first and let the big decisions wait for a few weeks of real use.
What you’ll need
- One large flattened cardboard box, such as an appliance or bike box (or three sheets of sturdy corrugated cardboard, each taller than your youngest kid)
- A vinyl tablecloth or plastic shower curtain, wiped clean (or a few big trash bags slit open and taped flat)
- Cloth tape or duct tape for the hinges (wide masking tape will do in a pinch)
- Painter’s tape for holding paper to the screen
- A folding laundry rack and a handful of clothespins
- A drop cloth, old sheet or plastic liner for the floor
- Washable tempera paint, brushes, markers and a stack of paper
- A muffin tin for paint (or an egg carton)
- Old shirts, a tray and a damp rag for the wipe-down station
Set up your space
Pick a corner that gets daylight and sits on a hard floor, or on a floor you can cover well. Close to the bathroom or kitchen is better still, because the walk to wash brushes is the part everyone forgets. Lay the drop cloth first and put the tray and rag within reach before a single paint cup comes out.
Now the mess plan. Everyone gets an old shirt. Keep a trash bag open next to the rack, a towel folded on the tray, and a rule that wet hands go to the sink before they touch a doorknob or a wall.
While you set up, start a list on the fridge. Where is the light poor? Where would a shelf or a sink help? How far is the walk to the water? That list is the most useful thing this project makes. Changes to lighting, outlets or plumbing are work for licensed professionals, and your local building department can tell you which jobs need a permit. For the weekend version we use daylight, no cords and no drilling.
One more line for older homes: if you ever plan to sand or scrape painted walls or trim, have a professional check the old paint first. Our screen never touches the wall, so nothing gets sanded.
Step by step
Step 1: Clear the corner and mark the floor (about ten minutes)
Move the furniture out, lay the drop cloth and tape its edges down so little feet don’t skate on it. When it’s right, you can walk around the whole corner without stepping on bare floor. If it bunches, smooth it from the center outward.
Step 2: Cut three tall panels (about twenty minutes, grown-up job)
Lay the flattened box on the floor and mark three tall panels of about the same width. A grown-up cuts along the lines with a utility knife, working slowly and keeping the blade away from fingers. When it’s right, you have three panels with fairly clean edges. If one is wavy, don’t recut it; a strip of tape over the edge hides the wobble.
With kids: Let them draw the cut lines with a marker and a straight piece of cardboard as a ruler. The knife stays with the adult, and the youngest kids move to a different table until the cutting is done.
Step 3: Hinge the panels (about fifteen minutes)
Set the panels side by side with a thumb’s width between them. Run cloth tape down each seam on the front, flip the whole thing over and tape the back the same way. Stand it up in a zigzag. When it’s right, the screen holds itself up without leaning on anything. The slip here is taping only one side, which gives you a screen that flops one way and folds the other, so tape both sides of every seam.
Step 4: Wrap the front in vinyl (about fifteen minutes)
Lay the tablecloth over the front, fold the edges around to the back and tape them down every hand’s width or so. When it’s right, the surface is smooth and the paint wipes off with a damp rag. If the vinyl wrinkles, peel back a corner of tape and pull it snug; wrinkles collect paint puddles.
Step 5: Park the drying rack (about five minutes)
Stand the laundry rack beside the screen, close enough that a wet painting only travels a few steps. Clip a few clothespins to the rungs. If the rack sits across the room, every painting leaves a trail of drips, so keep it close.
Step 6: Fill the supply basket and set three house rules (about ten minutes)
Squeeze a spoonful of each color into the muffin tin, drop the brushes and markers into a basket or shoebox, and agree on three rules: shirts on, paint stays on paper or vinyl, brushes get rinsed before snacks. When it’s right, a kid can find everything without asking. The slip is overfilling the muffin cups; small portions make less waste and fewer spills.
With kids: Younger kids do best with two or three colors and fat brushes. Older kids can take over the setup, choose the colors and run the wash-up station.
Step 7: Paint something (about fifteen minutes, then as long as it lasts)
Tape a sheet of paper to the screen with painter’s tape and let the first painting begin. When it’s finished, lift it by the corners and walk it to the rack. If the paper sags while it’s wet, lay it flat on the drop cloth until it firms up, then move it to the rack.
Finishing and display
Let paintings dry on the rack until they feel cool and stiff, which usually takes a few hours for thin paint and overnight for thick. Don’t stack them while they’re damp. Once they’re dry, put a sheet of plain paper between the keepers and slide them into a big folder.
For display, clip the day’s favorite to the rack where everyone can see it, or tape one to the back of the screen. At the end of a session, wipe the vinyl, fold the screen and slide it behind the door. It stands up again in a minute.
Live with the corner for a few weeks and read your fridge list again. If the kids still beg to paint there, you know the room wants to be a studio. If the corner sits empty, you’ve saved yourself an expensive guess.
Try it this weekend
A one-panel version of the art corner that fits into a single free afternoon.
- Time: about an hour, wash-up included.
- Supplies: one big sheet of cardboard, a vinyl tablecloth, cloth tape and the laundry rack.
- The step that matters most: wrap the vinyl smooth and tape it down on all four edges.
- Prop the panel against the back of a sturdy couch or a table so it can’t tip.
Where to take it next
- Roll butcher paper across the front of the screen for a group mural, one color per person.
- Have a grown-up cut a window shape in the middle panel and turn the screen into a puppet theater.
- Build a second screen and make a two-kid corner.
Whatever the room ends up being, the best test is a Saturday with paint in it.