Daniel Ashworth
A Notice Board That Actually Looks Good
A plain cork board does its job, but it rarely does much for a small home office. Covered in fabric and criss-crossed with ribbon, the same board becomes something you are happy to look at all day — and, more usefully, a proper display system for the things that keep a project moving. Swatches, thread samples, receipts, reminders, a postcard that sets the tone for a colour scheme: all of it sits at eye level instead of disappearing into a drawer.
The whole job takes an afternoon, costs very little if you already have fabric in your stash, and needs no special skills beyond being able to pull fabric taut and fire a staple gun without wobbling. A board roughly 60cm by 45cm suits most desks; go larger if you work at a bench and want room for fabric swatches.
What You Will Need
- A cork notice board, or a sheet of cork roll glued to a piece of 6mm MDF cut to size
- Medium-weight fabric — cotton, cotton-linen, canvas or a light upholstery weave. Quilting cotton works but shows every pin hole, so choose a busy print if you plan to rearrange things often
- Ribbon, 15mm to 20mm wide. Grosgrain holds its shape far better than satin, which slips and frays at the cut ends
- Polyester wadding or old quilt batting, if you want a softly padded finish
- A staple gun with 6mm to 8mm staples, plus a glue gun or PVA for the ribbon crossings
- Iron, tape measure, sharp scissors, drawing pins
- Picture hanging strips, or two D-rings and picture wire if you prefer to hang properly
Preparing the Board and Fabric
Iron the fabric first. Any crease you leave in now will sit there in raking light for the next five years. Lay it face down on a clean floor or table, put the board face down on top, and cut so you have at least 8cm of overhang on every side — 10cm if the board is thick.
If the board has a removable frame, take it off; it is easier to wrap the cork alone and the fabric sits flatter. If the frame is fixed and slim, leave it and wrap the fabric round it, stapling into the frame's back edge. For a padded look, cut wadding about 2cm smaller than the board and glue it down first, pressing out lumps with the flat of your hand.
Covering the Cork
Work with the board face down and pull as you go. Start with one staple in the middle of a long edge, then one in the middle of the opposite edge, tugging the fabric firmly before you fire. Repeat on the short edges. What you are doing is tensioning the fabric evenly rather than chasing wrinkles round the board, which is what happens if you staple one side completely before starting the next.
Then work outwards from those centre staples in 5cm steps, keeping the weave straight. Corners need a hospital fold: pinch the excess into a triangle, fold it flat against the back, trim the bulk, and staple. A little extra thickness at the corners is normal and disappears once it is on the wall.
Adding the Ribbon Grid
- Lay your vertical ribbons first, spaced 12cm to 15cm apart. Keep them straight by measuring from the frame edge, not by eye
- Staple each end firmly on the back, pulling just enough to remove slack — over-tighten and the board will bow
- Run the horizontal ribbons across, weaving them over and under the verticals. The weave locks the grid so nothing shifts
- At each crossing, add a small blob of glue or push in a drawing pin. A pin gives you a natural anchor point and a neat, tailored look
Trim ribbon ends on the back and seal cut edges with a quick pass of a lighter flame if the ribbon frays — hold it well away and move quickly.
Hanging It and Putting It to Work
Fabric and staples add maybe a few hundred grams, so most boards hang happily on two picture hanging strips rated for the weight, or on two screws with plasterboard fixings. Use two fixing points rather than one, spaced a third of the way in from each side, so the board cannot tilt.
Position matters more than people expect. Aim for the bottom edge about 15cm above the desk surface and the top at roughly eye level when you are sitting down — high enough that you are not tempted to stack things in front of it, low enough to read without standing.
Then give it a job. Keep the left third for reminders and deadlines, the middle for fabric swatches and paint chips pinned in a row, and the right for inspiration: a photo, a sketch, a scrap of wallpaper. Review it once a month, pull down what is finished, and pin up something new. A notice board that never changes becomes invisible; one that shifts with the season stays useful, and stays worth looking at.
