Similarly, Richardson, a blogger who renovated her 1972 fixer-upper in Northern Alabama, also started her transformation by looking on Pinterest and sketching out the space. Then, she gutted and reframed the closet to expand the opening and give herself a little more work space. “Definitely keep in mind you might need to add an electrical outlet,” she says. It’s particularly important if you want to be able to plug in a computer or other device. “Initially, the mudroom’s purpose was to prevent wearing shoes in the house, but now it’s become the perfect drop zone,” Bui says. These ideas (both from our research and from our survey of remote workers) will help you plan your closet-to-office renovation no matter what size your closet is.
My quick office closet project helped me finally look professional on video calls. Plus, I love that I have a dedicated space to work and can shut the door when I’m done. I went super minimal with my project, but you can go as crazy as you want with custom buildouts and decor. Are you ready to take the plunge and convert your closet to an office? Take a look at some of the creative solutions below to craft a space that fits your needs.
Dress It Up with Wallpaper
It reflects light better, adding to the brightness of the room, and makes the space look bigger. As long as you have several sources of light, you can turn off the ones you don’t need at the moment and create an ideal ambience in your home office. Get some inspiration for your office with these inspiring office built in ideas. Additionally, a wall-mounted drop-leaf table can serve as an alternative if space is extremely limited. It can be folded down when not in use, freeing up valuable space for other activities.
Get some wireless puck lights
Trust us, if you do this, you’ll look forward to enjoying your morning coffee in here day after day. If you paint the walls at the back of the closet, and add trim, it will look just like a real bookshelf built-in with a backing and all! But it is just painted to look like there is a backing…you’ll use way less wood than if you were doing a full build. By now you realize that the “bookshelf” part of the office is just 1×2″ wood attached to studs, and plywood shelves secured on the wall.
Go Doorless to Show Off Your Space
- Instead of using clear boxes for storage, try using baskets that are opaque to introduce texture and hide the items inside.
- Add some greenery to improve the aesthetic of your cloffice and boost up your mood.
- She started by measuring the space, so she could find a small desk and chair that would fit perfectly into the nook.
- You can add and remove shelves and manipulate the placement whenever the mood for a redesign strikes.
- The desktop is just a piece of 1/2″ plywood cut to the width of the closet, and the desired depth.
- Incorporate a comfortable reading area within your closet office to create a multi-use space.
After a basic cloffice setup is done, it’s time to take a look at 21 practical ways you can enhance your workspace and make it personal. It’s rare for closets to have a window in them, so as a result, many of them can feel dark and dingy—combat that with a light and airy color palette. This bright white shiplap paired with natural textures and a touch of greenery feels bright and fresh. Creative paint jobs aren’t reserved for full-sized rooms only—you can just as enthusiastically infuse tons of much-needed style into a tiny closet office. We love the look of this pink ombre closet-turned-office, and the best part is all it takes is a few cans of paint.
Add some shelves or cabinets to those areas to create further room inside a small workspace. convert closet to office You want to spread the lighting around by adding puck lights, desk lamps, and mounted sconces to dark corners. Install the vertical trim from ceiling down to where the desktop will start. Personal touches such as photos or mementos can make your closet office feel more inviting.
Just remember to extend the plywood all the way to the back of the wall and under the shelves. The amount of each item you’ll need depends on how big your closet is, and how many shelves you want to add. My closet measures 53″ wide, and I needed four 12′ pieces of 1″x2″ select pine. Additional shelves can also accommodate decorative items that add a touch of personal flair to your workspace. Whether you’re a freelancer, student, or CEO, you can create a custom home office out of just a closet with these tips. It only took Kaitlin Clark about three hours to transform an extra closet in her home studio into a functional workspace and vanity that’s also 100% reversible.
Do you have an extra closet organization system lying around the house? If so, you can use it to keep your cloffice tidy… just like Jennifer Gizzi of Making Pretty Spaces did! This cloffice is outfitted with shelving from The Container Store’s Elfa collection, which you can mix and match to suit your space. There’s even a little printer shelf tucked underneath the desktop for easy access. You’ve heard the phrase, “a cluttered desk is the sign of a cluttered mind,” and this especially rings true in tighter spaces. Keep your desk as clean and workable as possible by storing away less-used items in uniformed (and labeled) bins on higher shelves.
Her neat bedroom cloffice features two shelves that wrap around the whole alcove, as well as additional lower shelving just inside those side nooks. It’s the perfect spot to arrange books, keeping them accessible yet off of your workspace. All they did was arrange a small floating desk and stool inside an existing closet, then hang a whiteboard on the wall. The closet still has its upper shelf and hanging rod, so if it doesn’t work out, the space can easily go back to storing clothes. If you don’t have the time or know-how to build a custom office in a closet, you can use a freestanding desk.
Reach-In Closet
“If you do nonpermanent upgrades, the beauty is that you can switch it around as much as you wish,” the lifestyle content creator explains. If you’ve got an extra hall closet, it might be the perfect opportunity to create a mudroom. Jessica Bui, the blogger behind The Orange Home, accomplished this task in 2020 when she converted the “most random closet in the world” into a practical catchall space.
If you’re lucky enough to have a closet with a window (like the one from The Spruce’s article above), get the most out of it by placing your desk in front of it. Not only does this give you a good view while you work, but it introduces light to your face. You’ll want to put soft curtains or even blinds on the window to keep it from glaring, but this can help you look great on video calls.
