Your closet is brimming with home workstation potential, it just takes the right decor and furniture pieces. “Cloffices,” aka closets that double as home offices, are a functional yet design-savvy way to carve out a designated workspace at home when you don’t have an extra bedroom.
Interested in transforming an underutilized closet at home into a bona fide WFH space? From closet-sized desk setups to wall-mounted storage solutions and more, here are seven cloffice ideas to inspire your own home office nook.
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Add a petite desk
Make no mistake about it: A compact desk is key when designing a cloffice. Whether it’s a slender accent table or a drop leaf-style desk, a small, clean-lined desk that can comfortably fit inside a closet is the foundation of a cloffice space.
For a pint-sized desk with enough surface space to work on, consider a narrow desk with thin metal legs and a built-in drawer, like the Industrial Mini Desk at West Elm, or a slim console table, like the Steel & Wood Rectangular Side Table at Food52, that can easily be squeezed inside most closets.
For a super small nook-friendly cloffice desk, try a wall-mounted foldout style with storage, such as the Wood Wall Mounted Fold Down Desk or the Floating Oak Desk at Etsy. Just remember to compare the measurements of your closet with the dimensions of the desk to ensure it will fit before ordering.
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Install floating shelves
Searching for a goof-proof way to create storage space out of thin air in a tiny cloffice? Look no further than floating shelves. Sturdy and easy-to-install, wall-mounted shelves will transform the back of your closet into ample storage opportunity — without taking up an inch of floor space.
For a sleek and simple cloffice setup, install a clean-lined floating shelf or two, like the LACK Wall Shelf at IKEA, or the 24-inch wide Holman Handmade Floating Shelf at Pottery Barn, above your desk to store everything from books to office supplies to art and décor accessories for inspo. If you aren’t working with a ton of wall space, consider a compact, wall-mounted cubby unit, such as the Triple Cubed Shelf with Ledge at Macy’s to score some room for storage in a cramped closet.
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Mount a wall organizer
If your closet already has a built-in shelf or shelving, a good wall organizer can help keep your cloffice streamlined without sacrificing any valuable floor space. Widely available and ultrafunctional, wall-mounted office organizers, including corkboards and pinboards, allow you to display important memos and inspirational pics mood-board style in your cloffice.
Try a grid-style wall organizer with detachable hooks, clips, and shelves like the Grid Wire Board at Amazon, to show off to-do lists and other office miscellanies in style. Or, for a modern bulletin board with storage opportunity, consider a wall-mounted organizer with a marker board, such as the Aubrey Office Organizer at Pottery Barn, to make even the tiniest of nooks feel like a proper office in no time.
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Pull up a side comfortable side chair
No workspace would be complete without a chair to sit on, but picking the right one for a cloffice can be tricky. Not only should a good cloffice chair be petite enough to squeeze into your compact work area, but it’s also crucial that it’s comfy.
For a dainty but comfortable chair that will slide into just about any size of a closet, try a midcentury modern-inspired molded chair, like the Paxton Task Chair at Poly & Bark, or a cushioned dining chair with a swiveling base, such as the Wilsta at Article. If you need a seat that’s extra small but super cushiony, consider an upholstered ottoman or pouf, like the Auburn Ottoman at West Elm, that can easily fit under a cloffice-sized desk.
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Incorporate small space-savvy light fixtures
Good lighting is essential in any office space, and cloffices are no exception. However, finding ways to integrate lighting into a tight closet is no easy feat. Thankfully, space-friendly light fixtures, including wall sconces and decorative flush mounts, are easy to come by.
For a small space-friendly light fixture that won’t cramp up a tiny cloffice, consider mounting a petite but stylish wall sconce, such as the Ace Single Globe Wall Sconce at CB2 , on either side of your desk. And if bold statement lights are more your speed, install a flashy ceiling flush mount with a low-profile, like the Desi Flush Mount at Anthropologie, that will draw the eye up and supply plenty of overhead light.
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Have fun with decor
Once you have your desk, chair, lighting, and storage in place in your cloffice, you can infuse your personality into the design with décor accents. Your cloffice should be an uplifting space that motivates you to be productive, so take care to integrate art and décor elements that help you stay inspired.
If your cloffice is lacking in both wall space and color, consider painting the walls in a bright, mood-boosting hue, like poppy pink Rosé Season by Clare, or golden yellow Sunshine (2021-30) by Benjamin Moore. Not in the mood to paint? No problem. Peel-and-stick wallpaper, such as Speckle at Chasing Paper, is widely available and every bit as stylish as the real deal. You can also hang small pieces of art, like framed photographs and postcards — to personalize the space in your unique style.
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Lay down a rug to warm up space
Whether you have a walk-in closet-turned-home-office or a small hallway cloffice setup, a sophisticated rug can create visual interest while defining the area as a designated work zone. Of course, the right size of the rug depends entirely on the square footage of your cloffice, so it’s important to measure the dimensions of your workspace to ensure you don’t wind up with a rug that won’t fit.
To warm up a small cloffice, look no further than a plush accent rug in an eye-catching motif, such as the hand-knotted Moon Pile Rug at MINNA. Typically sized anywhere from two-by-three-feet to three-by-five-feet, accent rugs are smaller and therefore more affordable than area rugs, so you have the opportunity to have fun with different colors, materials, and patterns without breaking the bank.
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