I love how you used the sheers in this article. There are so many new sheer patterns and colors and I find they are still under used in many homes. You have shown a great way to utilize this great drapery. Kravet and Robert Allen especially have great sheer patterns.

The Designer Insider

These examples look spectacular (except maybe the last picture) but in general I don't think good workspaces need to be hidden. If anything, closet space is a precious commodity that should be used efficiently. Stuffing an office inside one seems like a waste of storage space, especially if you live in a small home.

Maybe it's just my own priorities, but I cannot understand how someone would give up precious closet space for an office. With laptops and smartphones, why do you need a real office in the home? I feel like storage is more important -- and illegal danish is right, offices don't need to be hidden. However, sometimes a messy closet does. I'd be saving that space for clothes and shoes, but that's just me!

I did this in my last home, and it was lovely and a great space-saver. My home was small and there wasn't anywhere else to put an "office." The "office in a closet" solution helped get my husband's laptop off the kitchen table. Hallelujah!

Yay elfa and The COntainer Store slide #6!!

And #9 :-)

When you work from home, it's really nice to have a separate space for work. I'll be working from home most days in my new apartment, and being able to close the closet doors to my office nook (which I'll set up in a walk-in closet) will do wonders for my sanity.

We use the closet in our our den as an office, since it was just extra space and there's already a walk-in closet in the bedroom and a coat closet in the entryway. Our office closet isn't nearly as pretty though.

I love these inspiration pics, and actually have had a number of them among my tear sheets for a while. I especially love that blue one with the chinz-like wallpaper.

My husband and I, whenever we are able to move in to our new house, are lucky enough to be able to dedicate a larger room to a library/office/occasional guest bed. I need a sewing a crafting space, too, so I'm hoping we'll be able to put some of these great ideas into practice to do so.

As someone who works from home full-time, its a necessity to have a true office! Most of an office space is storage anyway (only the computer and the desktop are "work" spaces), so it makes sense to repurpose existing storage areas. There's no way I could work on my laptop from a couch for 40 hours a week and its nice to have a designated "work area" that leaves my living spaces dedicated to non-work purposes.

We're super-fortunate to have enough room in our home for two separate offices. My desk and storage is on a gorgeous sunporch off our living room, while my husband's office is in a spare bedroom on the opposite end of the house. Someday we may need to actually use the spare bedroom, so I'll eventually be looking to repurpose a closet for our second office space.

These are lovely, but are more suitable for bill-paying and internet surfing than for some people who work from home. For example, I need a multi-function printer, space for two monitors, some desk space, and more file space than is shown in most of these examples. I find it difficult to work from a laptop all day because the desktop is too high to hold my arms in an ergonomically correct position. Also, I like the feel of a real keyboard and mouse. I seem to brush my hand against it accidentally and do things I didn't mean to. Desk height is supposed to be 29". Keyboard height should be ~26". I'm tired of seeing ads for beautiful office furniture showing an empty table with an open laptop on it. I ended up ordering custom furniture because no one offered what I needed. I didn't think my needs were that unusual.

I have a room that functions as an office in my home, but we still took the closet and container-stored it out for storage. Now the office is functional for more than just working from home. With more in the closet (files, desktop surface and also personal storage) we were able to fit a small sofa in there and now we have a dual purpose space.

I'm all for sacrificing a meager closet for the potential of turning it into a super-storage area. I also find that it keeps things neater in there. It was a bloody mess before, but now it's all organized and rarely in any messy state. That's HUGE for me.

I thought it was nice and if you have an extra closet, I suppose it would be ok. But it PAINED me to see the one LONG closet with the window converted into an office...oh the humanity! Having a walk-in closet is a gift to my clothes and sanity! :)

posted by LMNOP
"Maybe it's just my own priorities, but I cannot understand how someone would give up precious closet space for an office. With laptops and smartphones, why do you need a real office in the home? I feel like storage is more important -- and illegal danish is right, offices don't need to be hidden. However, sometimes a messy closet does. I'd be saving that space for clothes and shoes, but that's just me!"

Seriously? A lot of people who use computers for work or hobbies need a real home office. Laptops don't cut it for more than surfing the web. Plus, everyone needs at least a place to store important paperwork/printer/supplies.

Some people value/need a workspace more than clothing.

Our house is only 700sq ft and we're using the 2nd small bedroom as an office, but if we add to our family I'll have to convert half of our master bedroom closet into an office. I've already sketched it out, and this post helps a ton. Very inspiring, thanks!

I live in a 900 sq foot loft and am about to demolish a fabulous home office that I've had for decades and relocate it to the bedroom closet. I'm doing this primarily because the office constrains the options on my apartment re-design - but also because technology is changing in major ways. When iPad 2.0 comes out, I'll buy it, and my surfing will be on my sofa. ONLY when I need a secure transaction or to write a letter will I need to use the stuff in the closet. And with printers connecting wirelessly, as do things like stereo speakers, there are a lot more options for where stuff goes.

And why put your office in a closet? Maybe you're paper messy on your desktops - but really good about getting rid of stuff you don't use so you have extra closet space. Even in a city...

Does that first bright yellow room come with seeds? LOL Man, that is YELLOWWWWW.

What pains me is in several photos there was enough room to incorporate a desk outside of the closet. I would be hard pressed to finish my work if all I had to look at was the back of the closet...I'd get stressed at that and wind up wandering off to do other stuff. If you really have so much stuff that clutters your desk top and you can't just get rid of it, maybe dedicate part of the closet to shelves where you can store it. At least most of the closet can be used for it's original purpose.

I wish I had an extra closet.

I adore that yellow room. Something about the yellow pompom fringe and sheer curtains does me in every time I see it! And I also vote for office in closet. Who wants to look at a pile of computer equipment all over the place all the time? It just looks messy!

This will be perfect when the hus & i move to denver next summer. (when we find a two bedroom, that is!)

I like having a desk in front of a window... I would go nuts looking at the back of my closet, not to mention that it gives me claustrophobia just looking at these pictures.

I can't work with my head inside a closet. ---ok, Patrick(the other one) I'm ready for your comment now!---

I'm a person who practically jumps out of my skin when someone comes up behind me while I'm concentrating. I need some peripheral vision.

I have only one tiny closet which is not even deep enough for regular sized hangers so it pretty much precludes having a closet office. Hardly anyone I know living in a San Francisco Victorian apartment has the spare closet space for an office.

I'm lucky enough to have a huge (14' x 20') office / parlor, but it has only two plugs (four outlets) in the entire room. I'm definitely overloading the poor outlets with electronics (computer, printer, phone, lamps).

Lack of outlets is a major problems in old SF apartments. I notice the paucity of outlets in all those carefully staged, wildly overpriced condos/TICs/homes for sale in my neighborhood.