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15 Closets Turned into Space-Saving Office Nooks

If you live in an apartment or a “cozy” home, then you know just how much of a hassle it can be to try and position your furniture (or even fit all your furniture) in a way that looks good and is relatively functional. And when you don’t have a room to call your home office, figuring out where to put a desk can be a serious challenge. The den? The bedroom? Where else? Well, if you’re willing to sacrifice some storage space, then the closet could be your solution. These closets-turned-offices maximize space in small rooms and actually look really great!

Just Enough Room

Is your closet ridiculously small? Even if you have nothing but a very shallow section of the wall carved out that could barely be considered a reach-in closet, there’s still hope for turning it into an office space. Take a look at what some homeowners and apartment renters were able to do with their teeny tiny closets below. [Photos from HGTV]

Very shallow (but long) closet with wallpaper used as office space
Reach-in closet that fits a small desk perfectly
White desk with drawers and shelves built-in to a long reach-in closet
Built-in shelving space turned into an office desk area

Cozy Reading Spaces

For those types of closets that take up a lengthy area of the wall, you’re probably going to need some ideas for that extra space where your desk doesn’t reach. This closet office space from House of Rose incorporates a cute little reading nook that’s built into the desk. What a great idea!

Closet office space that has a built-in reading nook
You can incorporate shelving, wall art, and even lighting into the smallest closet offices

Stepping It Up for Storage

If you don’t mind keeping all of your clothes in a dresser or hanging somewhere else, then a closet office might be a great option for you. But what about all that other stuff you keep in your closet? You know, bins and boxes of things that need to be stored away and only brought out once in a while? With the right shelving, you can still make it work. Either keep the original top shelf in there, or bring in some new shelves to maximize all that space above your desk. [Photos from Apartment Therapy, Freshome, and Decor Pad]

Keep the original top shelf in your closet to use for extra storage
Maximize that wall space above your desk by adding extra shelving or hanging things
Match the height of your shelves to the things you want to store in there
Top shelf in closet office used to store boxes, sewing machine, and more
Keep everything organized in boxes, binders, and baskets on shelves in your closet office space

Behind Closed Doors

What’s great about turning your closet into an office space is that if you decide to keep the doors on it, you can close them and put all that work out of sight! A great option for when you want your den to look like a den or your bedroom to look like a bedroom.  [Photos from Country Living and Mood Maybe]

Colorfully decorated office space opened up with closet doors
Simple white closet office space that can be closed off with doors
Large closet office with dramatic patter on back wall and doors to close
Clean and organized desk and shelves in a closet tucked behind doors

Walking Right In

Do you think you could handle working in a small walk-in? It might not be every claustrophobic’s ideal work space, but it can serve as a great cubicle-style office if you’re already used to working in that type of environment — and the best part is that you can decorate it any way you want.  This one from Apartment Therapy has the right idea!

Small walk-in closet transformed into a functional office space
Shelves provide great storage for binders and other office supplies

Elise Moreau

I write for decoist.

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