$800 Later, a Tiny Closet Becomes a Bright Office Space Brimming with Color
When Juliana Arthuso (@joujee_) moved into her new apartment in Nob Hill in San Francisco, she had 13 solid wood doors to work with in a 600-square-foot apartment. She got clever when it came to working with all the doors and thresholds: One doorway in her kitchen became a spot to nestle an IKEA BILLY bookshelf, and the larger closet in her bedroom found a new purpose.
“The apartment had two spacious walk-in closets and no office space,” Juliana says — you can see her old office space here — “so the larger closet became my funky new office,” she explains.
“Although it was just a closet, it’s now brimming with personality,” she adds. How did she add said personality? With wood furniture, paint, and a textile on the walls — and it all cost about $800.
The purple paint and wallpaper are very Victorian.
Like many apartments in SF, Juliana’s one-bedroom is a Victorian-style home, so she leaned into tradition and gave each room a distinct, vibrant color palette. “The modern spin on Victorian [style] took shape in the closet-turned-office with a textile pattern I designed to emulate a fun wallpaper … and the classic SF pastel lilac color,” she says.
Taking inspiration from Minna fabrics, Juliana designed a pattern on her iPad, uploaded it to Spoonflower, and had it printed on organic cotton. “I wanted to design my own piece and try out textile application rather than peel-and-stick wallpaper,” she says. “It’s also renter-friendly, reusable, more affordable, and adds a nice texture to the walls. I will say, the application was not as easy as peel-and-stick.”
The wall color is literally called Victorian Trim by Benjamin Moore, and the darker purple in the room is California Lilac.
Slender furniture adds storage.
Juliana says the paint provides a nice contrast with the wooden pieces and DIY shelves added to the room. “The wooden piece used as a bathroom vanity in my LA loft turned into a small office cabinet and gained a matching armoire sidekick,” she says, and her advice is to “always use vertical space available.”
Her arched storage pieces are from Urban Outfitters, and she also took out the old shelf and clothing rod in the closet (which she can add back if she moves) and added box cabinets, a desk, and light wood shelves. “The shelving and cabinets I added to the office space gave me so much storage room,” she says. “I love how much larger the space feels … it’s a cozy little room I actually like hanging out and working in.”
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