Converting a Closet to an Office

A fun project was presented to me recently in the form of a home office. The original space was overwhelmed with a desk and chair in the center of the room, allowing for no other activities in the limited space. To maximize the space, the client wanted to make the closet into an office, allowing the rest of the room to be a cozy relaxing place to hang out.

Before: Desk is literally in the center of the space.

Closet before

To start, all of the previously stored items in the closet were removed. The client, a young, design savvy, professional woman shared some pictures she had found on Houzz of built in desk areas.  She had some great pictures with some clever design solutions.  My challenge was how to give her something different from what she had already seen but not make it so "designed" that it was more about form than function!  I knew I wanted to do something interesting with the wall because this is what the client would be looking at as she sat at her desk. My brilliant assistant and I started brainstorming ways of making the small space interesting. We discussed some standard solutions for office closets, and came up with unique paint applications, wallpaper, and creative shelving solutions or cork boards, but what really inspired us, and caught our clients attention, was the idea of a mural. 

Mural after installation

My client came to me with an established color scheme of gray and pink, which I loved. The gray walls led me to settle on a black and white mural on the closet wall. Now to find the perfect photograph. I had it in my head that I wanted a Parisian street scene and after surfing the web, we found what I think is the perfect picture. The mural is what makes this space interesting and unique while not sacrificing any function. The other inspired purchase was a reproduction ghost chair.  I give credit to my client (I told you she was design savvy) for suggesting it. The chair's classic french shape subtly ties into the Parisian mural. A desktop and shelving were installed next. Pink accents and accessories really pop against the gray and white background.

This room is still a work in progress, but in the weeks to come we will add a sofa, draperies, and fun accents to bring this room to a spectacular finish. What had been a functional but uninspired office, has now become a fun and stylish workspace for this young client. 

After