Cozyhome 101

Turning a large closet into a small office is not as hard as it seems. With a little design and a lot of work, you can create a space that is both calm and productive. You can have a space that can be completely closed off from the rest of your life. That way, even though you may be working at home, you can still separate your work life and your leisure life.

When focusing on making a space productive, you need to make the space seem bigger, bring in light, and keep down the clutter. You need to focus these things because they help keep your mind in a productive state.

Here are some tips on how to do that.

Make the Space Seem Bigger

Making the room seem bigger is going to help you focus. It’s also going to help make this a room you like being in. And that is key to making this a productive room.

Strip everything out of your closet. This will help you measure the space and get a good idea of what is realistic and what is not. Check to make sure you have access to the right type of outlets for your equipment, and call a professional electrician if you do not.

Paint Choices

If you can paint the walls, choose light colors. Soft hues make small spaces seem open. Soft Blue and grey hues are especially good at this effect. This is going to help make the room feel bigger and make it a place you want to be.

If you are especially daring, you can attain the same effect with incredibly dark tones like soft blacks or royal shades of blue and purple.

If you can’t paint, then use wallpaper, decor, or any other resources you have to make it feel bigger.

And bright whites add contrast when painted on the moldings or other trim. This clever contrast adds depth.

This depth is going to help open up the room so that you feel like you can move around. It is also going to help reflect light from the bottom of the room and decrease dim spots that may make the space seem smaller.

Also, choose a paint type that reflects light. This is going to help brighten up the room. Light is essential to make the room productive and calm. Different paints will have different reflective qualities so be sure to take your time and find out the best one for you.

Decor Choises

Choose a contrasting, modern style or minimalist furniture. And only as much furniture as you absolutely need. The goal here is to keep as much space visible as possible to create depth.

Remember you still have to add storage so don’t overdo it on the furniture. The large rolling desk chair with plenty of stuffing might feel the best, but it will probably be a pain to maneuver around, especially when you are tired and just want to be done.

Streamlined and Smooth Mirrors

Add a mirror to really open the room up. It does double duty to reflect more light and to add depth. A large mirror needs to be the focal point of the room while smaller mirrors can accent large pieces of art.

Avoid big bulky mirrors that will hang off the wall and take up space. Keep thinking modern and minimalist.

Add Large Art Pieces

If you are to add art, add a large piece of art that is the single focal point in the room. Add lighting in the corners of the room so that they overlap to prevent dark spots. Recessed lighting is a good choice because won’t add any more furniture to the room. You can also consider adding lights to the bottom of any mounted shelves or other cabinetry. This is to help sure all working surfaces have light.

Organization

Measure depth, width, and height before choosing furniture or storage options.

Knowing these measurements when help when knowing how much paint you need, what furniture like filing cabinets or desks will fit. Office furniture varies widely in sizes so I suggest you write these measurements down so you can have easy access to them throughout the whole process.

Know Your Organizational Needs Beforehand

Think about how you store things. Do you store most of your files on disk? Do you even really need hard copies? Do you need space for a fax machine or space to store office supplies?

Then shop around at offices stores in their organization section. There are tons of options out there so you can find just the one you need.

Know Where to Put Each Furniture Beforehand

Make sure cabinets can be securely fixed to your walls, make sure organizers can fit into the drawers or in the space you plan on keeping it. You may need to make measurements of individuals drawers or spaces to ensure you find the right fit.

Vertical storage or other inventive ways

Don’t be afraid to use solutions that reach far above your head or even store less used things in nearby rooms. Be sure to make sure any shelving is properly secured to the wall so that everything is sturdy.

And make everything you can do double duty. For instance, no need to have a printer in your office if you already have a home printer.

Another space-saving tip is to organize any stationary you need into a bag so that you can store it under your feet.

More Ideas

When working from home, a clean, productive space is a must. You can spend a little of time and a lot of hard work turning a closet into an office so you can work without losing another room. The best part about having an in-home office is that you can close the door and keep your work self separate from your home self. If you need more design ideas, here are some of the most popular ideas on Pinterest