In just a weekend, you can fashion a hideaway home office in a closet that’s well-accessorized, practical, and pretty.
This tiny room serves as a guest room on occasion so making it an office exclusively wasn’t in the cards. But the underused closet had the space for a small office area and doors to keep it private when overnighters use the room.
Although it wasn’t absolutely necessary to remove the existing shelves, we wanted to wallpaper the interior, so out they came. An large-size tropical pattern in vivid pink, teal, and green gave us the decorative punch we needed to encapsulate the tiny space. The pattern is from York Wallcovering’s line of removable papers so it’s not only a snap to install (as much of a snap as possible with two people working in such a small area) but can be changed on a whim.
The small desk in plain white looked a little lackluster in the space so we spruced it up with drawers and door in hot pink to match motifs in the wallpaper. Painting a smooth finish on slick surfaces like melamine can be a challenge. Opt for an alkyd paint or a spray paint formulated for use on plastic to get a durable finish.
Hanging the shelves is another two-person job. Elaine keeps things level as Narvas screws in the shelf brackets.
Make use of the closet door’s real estate with a framed pegboard. Mounting the frame to the door leaves space behind the board for hooking in the organizers that hold tools and supplies.
On the opposite door, a clipboard holds reminders and memos, a small caddy stows sticky notes, tags, and other small paper supplies, and removable stick-on frames showcase favorite photos.
Cheerful and efficient, the small space is now a functional office with ample storage, simple furnishings, and personal accents.
A staggered series of shelves above the desk provide space for bins and boxes while keeping the wall open enough for the wallpaper pattern to shine through.
While a dainty chandelier might not be the light fixture you’d expect to see in a closet, it does add a touch of elegance to the working environment.
The white stag head brings dimensional art to the wall that doesn’t compete with the patterned paper.
To avoid visual clutter, magazine holders, bins, and boxes on the shelves keep periodicals, files, and papers organized and tucked out of sight.
Desktop accessories put office supplies on display while keeping them tidy.
A small study in visual relationships: sinuous lines abound in the scrolled desktop organizer, the tropical wallpaper, the curves of the coral cactus, and even the lines of the little ceramic elephant.
Deep drawers are a boon to a small office. Keep clutter in check with a tray or divider to hold fiddly items.
A cupboard can hold supplies and materials on narrow shelves or, if left undivided, a CPU tower.
Side walls offer additional space to hang organizers, calendar, memo board, or file pockets.
A large wire basket tucked into a corner can hold rolled maps, drawings or plans, fabrics, or gift wrap.
Thanks to York Wallcoverings, IKEA, and Whitmor for participating in this project.
Products that may be of interest:
From York Wallcoverings—Fiji Garden wallpaper (#AT7092)
From IKEA—EKBY BJARNUM shelf brackets, MICKE desk, KARDEMUMMA plant pot
From Quilted Koala—Pink fabric-covered box
From Amazon—Wall-mounted stag head
From Vintage Chic Trading Co. — chandelier
© Caruth Studio