Have you ever wondered how to make a closet office? Converting a closet into an office can be a great way to take advantage of the space in your apartment and set aside a dedicated area for your laptop or desktop computer.
Also called a “cloffice,” a closet office can offer an ideal solution if you work remotely from home, but it can also provide a quiet place at home to take care of bills and emails or for children to do their homework.
One of the most awesome benefits of having a workspace in your closet is that you can close the door and hide it when it’s not being used. Here are three tips to help you get started on a closet office that both looks terrific and functions well.
1) Assess Your Space
If you live in Adams Crossing’s luxury apartments, you have a walk-in closet, so obviously there is going to be more flexibility with your cloffice layout, but even the smallest closets have potential. The first thing you will need to do is measure the width and depth and analyze the shape of the closet. This will dictate whether you will need to create a surface to serve as a desk or use an actual piece of furniture.
Another consideration is the type of work you’ll perform in the office. An artist or crafter will probably need more desk space and storage than say, a writer. A family where different members of the household will use the space may need a larger work surface as well.
2) How to Make a Closet Office Desk
Gone are the days when an office had to have many separate elements in order to function. Most people nowadays, whether they work from home or not, get by with a laptop and maybe a printer that requires just a flat surface to sit on.
In a small closet that won’t fit a desk, you can install a piece of countertop or plywood cut to size by attaching cleats to the walls. This approach is minimally invasive. The cleats are long strips of wood that only need a few screws for mounting. You can easily remove them when the closet must return to its original purpose.
In a walk-in closet, a small table or an actual desk can be brought in without any construction considerations. They come in many sizes and configurations to fit flat walls or corners.
In either scenario, unless you want to leave your closet doors open and show off your office space, make sure that everything will fit inside the closet with the doors closed.
3) Add Organization and Décor
Once the anchor of your closet office is in place, it’s time to add the other elements that will pull it all together without permanently altering the space. Most closets come with two features that are perfect for a closet office: shelving and rods.
The top shelf is ready-made to put books and storage bins up and out of the way and support lighting underneath. You can mount an LED light strip using stick-on fasteners that will illuminate your work surface without drilling any holes. You can also easily purchase portable battery-operated light switches that attach to your closet walls with removable adhesive strips or Velcro tape.
If you’ll share the office with others in your family, it’s easy to separate everyone’s things with storage bins. You can even let children decorate their own bins with fabric markers or stickers. Use labels to identify where things are to make them easier to find.
You can utilize the other standard closet feature — the rod — for hanging baskets for organization and storage. These baskets help separate materials by family member. You can then attach additional storage to the walls or hung from the back of the closet door.
Whether your new cloffice is your personal space or a family space, make sure you add personal touches that reflect the personalities, hobbies, and interests of everyone who will be using it. Remember, it’s yours so design it any way you like!
Enjoy Using Your New Closet Office
Now that you know how to make a closet office in your apartment home, there’s no better time than spring to get started on it. And remember, since it’s a special place for doing bills, working at the computer, or for children to do homework, you’ll free up the rest of your home for family time and relaxation. When you finish the day’s work, you can close the door to your closet office and focus on the important things.
Located in Waldorf, MD, Adams Crossing offers affordable luxury apartments ranging from two to three bedrooms. Haven’t taken a tour of Adam’s Crossing yet? Schedule a tour with one of our marketing professionals to see why we’re a 2017 Top Rated apartment community through ApartmentRatings!
