Are you in desperate need of a home office? Is that corner of your dining room table no longer doing the trick? Are your files and papers a jumbled mess simply because you have no place to put them? Well, then, it might be time to look around and find a more suitable place for your home office. Chances are you don’t have a spare room, or you would already be using it as a home office, right? How about a spare closet? Do you have an extra closet somewhere in the house that you could clean out and use for a home office?

Many people in need of a home office turn to a closet. Adapting a closet into a home office takes some time and creative thinking. Most closets are small, so you have to use the space wisely. You will probably need a desk and some sort of shelving unit to house your supplies and equipment. You may purchase these from a closet design company or create your own.

If designing your own desk, make sure you use quality lumber for the top or a thick piece of plywood that you can cover with laminate. You may also be able to use a solid-core door. You can purchase ready-made legs, create your own or use file cabinets to serve as the base. As for a chair, you can purchase one that folds down so you can keep it in the closet or use one that you can leave in the room when you are done working.

You will probably need access to electricity, so if your closet doesn’t have any outlets, you may need to hire an electrician. If you have a computer, you may need to contact your phone or cable company to install an additional line in your closet so you can have Internet service.

Once you have the necessities in order, you can focus on storage. Make sure you take advantage of every available space, using shelves, stackable organizers, baskets and more. Consider using chalkboard or magnetic paint on the back wall to provide a place for writing or attaching notes.

The best part about a home office contained within a closet is you can shut the doors when your work is done. Of course, your closet doors may or may not suit your purposes. If they slide, they may only allow you access to one side. In that case, folding doors or curtains may be better.

Whatever you choose, you can close up the space when you are done and never have to worry about someone dropping by and seeing your mess. The clutter of your home office will be contained behind closed doors.