For reasons I won't bore you with, I have to have 2 areas ... one upstairs and one down. Among other things, all my fabric, design wall, large table for cutting, etc., magazines, books, battings, a couple of sewing machines & serger are downstairs. Upstairs is my biggest, newest sewing/embroidery machine, computer, ironing equipt. and most of my thread. I do my fabric choosing/auditioning/cutting downstairs, put the pieces in a box or boxes and bring them upstairs to sew & press. I also use the cutting table downstairs for large construction issues, putting the quilt layers together and dozens of other things. While that might appear to be inconvenient, it works perfect for me. Perhaps you could split your work area into two as well.