Few of us have the luxury of devoting an entire room to act as our home office. Even when we do, we’re often just one life event away from losing our space. When you have a baby, the office becomes a nursery; when you move to a smaller home, the bedroom you sacrifice to afford a better location is going to mean losing your office. The good news is that as long as you can spare a closet you can still have your home office. All you need is some help from our team of experts who work together to turn your Dallas closet into a beautiful customized home office space.
Preparing Your Closet
If your current closet is empty and ready to be transformed into your cozy home office, this section isn’t for you. If your closet currently looks like it was recently hit by a tornado, you’ll need to clean it out before we can get started. It’s time to donate, sell, or junk everything that stands between you and your home office. Get some ideas and tips from our Trash or Treasure sorting blog!
Is Your Closet Big Enough to Hold an Office?
Creating a custom office out of a closet space means re-imagining a closet as merely a recessed space. While a walk-in closet can very easily be transformed into a spacious home office, it’s not necessary to give up your master bedroom closet.
If you evaluate your home and decide that the only closet you can sacrifice is small or particularly shallow, it can still offer us plenty of space to build an elegant nook for your desk, computer or laptop, and a small collection of files and office supplies.
When working with smaller closets, we might guide you to choose a design strategy that will create a sense of delineation between your new office and the rest of your space. A deeper accent wall, finely textured wallpaper, or a cohesive collection of framed artwork can each serve as a dramatic element that adds to the sense of depth and separation.
The flow of your home and overall design aesthetic should be the factor that determines the approach that will work best, and we can help you decide which way to go.
Can a Creative Workspace Fit in a Closet?
If your home office work is in a digital creative field, but you still rely on inspiration from tangible visuals, consider making your new office’s accent wall a space for you to display your current mood board.
Magnetic chalkboard surfaces can work well here, especially when paired with liquid chalk pens or markers. Even something as simple as a fabric and elastic memo board or uniquely-shaped cork board can be sufficient. The important thing is to keep paper off your small desk in order to keep it organized and accessible.
Take Advantage of Vertical Space
Even the narrowest of closets usually offers a great opportunity for us to expand organization elements vertically. Consider adding more than the standard closet’s single shelving, even if it’s only in the corners.
Of course, this is the ideal opportunity for us to create a fully-customized hutch and built-in desk, which offers the most seamless look and offers the most extensive storage options. Choosing white or light shelving against a deep background creates a crisp, expensive feel; enhance this effect with thin crown molding.
The shelves themselves can be enhanced with organizers, baskets, or used as-is for items like binders and supplies; just keep in mind that most closets don’t have electrical outlets installed and plan accordingly. Scanners and printers, for example, may need to have a space elsewhere in the home.
Organize Diligently
Your home office will only make you happy if it continues to look clean and inviting. If you allow your desk space to become a catchall for junk mail, your coat and keys, or your dog’s leash and tennis ball, it’s never going to feel large enough for you. If instead you honor your work space with fastidious organization and refuse to permit any outside items that do not belong there, your modest little office will bring you joy and aid you in productivity for years to come.
