How to Turn a Closet into a Small Home Office

Building a small home office can be an interesting challenge, particularly if people have limited space in their particular dwelling. When people have a home office they typically want to keep the rest of the house and the office from overlapping too much. This allows for the person to conduct their business but potentially keep some boundaries with the rest of the life. Sometimes this means that the business gets relegated to a closet, simply because there are no other rooms that will accommodate an office. Here are a few thoughts on how this conversion can occur so that the office is effective for its overall purpose.

Compact furniture

The small home office in a closet typically starts with furniture that will fit. Despite the temptations to get a large desk, people have to be realistic about their space management. Thankfully, many office supply stores and storage stores such as The Container Store provide furniture options that are compact and functional. Sometimes, a computer armoire may be a good solution as it can combine a desk space with storage.

Creative storage

Speaking of storage, people also have to be realistic about where they put things in a small closet space. Sometimes the best thing to do is to get storage up off the floor, so that bulky file cabinets or other storage containers do not take up the square footage. Mounting things on the wall can be very helpful, and the aforementioned Container Store can provide a variety of interesting solutions.

Digital solutions

Another way to maximize space is to pursue more digital solutions for storing data. Rather than storing a lot of paper, people should look to scan documents and store files in their computer, rather than in a file drawer. While laptop computers are more expensive, they are certainly more compact and fit better in a closet space. In addition, the laptop gives people the freedom to move around and potentially meet with clients if they run a small business out of their home.

When it comes to fitting an office into a closet, it is best to let the function of the office dictate the space. In other words, people should not purchase and stock a bunch of materials if they will potentially not need them in the future. Rather, the closet should be filled as people go along so that the "office" remains functional and people hopefully forget that they are in a closet.