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Working from home became the new normal in 2021 due to the corona pandemic. This not only brought some ups and downs, but also required a few adjustments to the facility. One of the biggest problems was finding a suitable place for a PC, office documents, etc. In order not to be disturbed by the family, experts recommended a separate room for working. We have already shown you how creative professionals turn the guest room or the dressing room into a home office have repurposed. But not everyone has space for a separate combination room in their apartment and so the workplace was usually set up in the living room or bedroom. Isn’t that ideal for you? Do you always have the feeling that the desk in your living room or kitchen overflowing with paper and display cases is a permanent reminder of your work? The solution for optimally separating work and leisure time and being able to switch off after work is to hide the office in the closet. At the end of the work day, just close the doors and relax!

Cloffice: This emerging trend will transform the way you work from home

It is easy to get distracted when doing personal matters during working hours. The result: you have to work longer than in the office and it becomes more difficult to separate your work and private life. The new trend that comes to us from America is called Cloffice (Closet + Office) and offers a solution to this problem. The workplace is housed in a niche or a wardrobe and disappears behind closed doors at the end of the day. This way, the room always looks tidy.

It is possible to design workplaces in the smallest of spaces

Nowadays we generally use a lot less paper in our everyday work and do almost everything digitally. This means that working from home takes up much less space. A perfectly equipped workplace can also be designed in a closet. You usually only need a desk with enough space for a PC or laptop and a few shelves for documents and office utensils. At the bottom there is usually also space for a small roll container.

So, if you have a closet in your apartment that you are not using properly, you can turn it into a mini-office. Here we have collected some tips and suggestions for every budget and taste.

Hiding the office in the closet – this is what you should pay attention to

First, it is important that you need a power connection in the closet for a PC, printer, desk lamp, etc. Two multiple sockets would be ideal here – one above and one below the desk.

It is best to have your mini-office next to a window or patio door so that you can take advantage of the natural light. In the evening, a desk lamp provides the right light and prevents your eyes from getting tired quickly. Some interior designers also opt for recessed spots or LED strips on the shelves above the desk.

Which doors are best?

The cabinet doors should ideally open 180 degrees or slide along the side walls so as not to interfere with the work process. Here are some of the best variations:

• Folding doors – they are particularly space-saving and can be easily and conveniently pushed together.
• Pocket Doors – these are rotating sliding doors that, when open, disappear completely into pockets on the side of the cupboard and thus offer maximum freedom of movement.
• Sliding doors – they are ideal for elegant built-in solutions, but they have one disadvantage. Since the guide is attached to the top of the ceiling, the space on the side of the wall must remain free.

Hide the office in the closet, but don’t neglect ergonomics

So that you feel comfortable at work in the home office, you should pay attention to ergonomics. The correct table height when sitting depends on the body size and varies between 65 and 80 cm. The upper edge of the monitor should be positioned at eye level at a distance of 40 to 75 cm.

In order to maintain the recommended minimum distance to the screen, you should pay attention to the depth of the desk and the cabinet. A depth of around 60 – 70 cm is usually sufficient for laptops. If you plan to work on a flat panel display, the best thing to do is to use a pull-out panel for the keyboard. There should also be enough space under the desk for your legs – at least 70 cm deep.

A suitable chair is essential for the correct sitting posture at the PC. If there is enough space under the desk in the closet, you can slide a small stool underneath and hide it behind doors. But that would not be ideal for an 8-hour working day. Alternatively, you can plan a few centimeters between the edge of the desk and the cabinet door so that the thin back of a chair can fit behind it.

Here’s a great example of how to hide an office even in a small closet. The rotating sliding doors are simply moved out of the way and do not interfere with your work. Desk, chair, keyboard and screen are ideally matched to one another. There is even a small printer on a shelf below. By the way, in this article we show you more ideas on how to hide a small workstation and a large printer in the living room.

Does the shape of the chair seem strange to you? But this office stool supports active sitting and prevents back pain by promoting a healthy sitting posture. Active sitting means changing your sitting position regularly. This promotes the metabolism and relieves the muscles. Incidentally, sitting balls are the classic for dynamic sitting. If you have back pain after sitting for too long, try an alternative seat.

Dark shades create visual depth

There are hardly any limits to the imagination when it comes to colors. Design the interior of the wardrobe according to your wishes and ideas. An interesting idea would be to paint the back wall in an eye-catching color or to highlight it with wallpaper. Office accessories, such as briefcases and storage boxes, can also be easily adapted to the color scheme.

Color green the creativity and the emergence of new ideas

IKEA’s proposal from the 2022 catalog

IKEA also presented a few ideas in the 2022 catalog on how to set up a workplace in a small space. The solution from IKEA: the small MICKE desk and the equally small NILSERIK standing support were placed in a wardrobe. On the wall behind it, the SKÅDIS perforated panel serves as a mood board and storage space for office utensils.

White writing board for notes

And here’s another brilliant idea for designing the back wall in the closet: a whiteboard to write notes on. It’s also magnetic, so you can attach notes with magnets.

Workplace in the Pax wardrobe

Anyone who owns a PAX wardrobe with sliding doors can also try the following idea: place the PC on a shelf and mount a COMPLEMENT pull-out shelf for the keyboard.

Remodel an old wardrobe

If the vintage style appeals to you and you like to mix flea market finds with modern elements, you can also convert an old wardrobe into a mini-office. It is important that you cut out the floor in such a way that legroom is guaranteed.

The interior designers have found an elegant built-in solution for this modern apartment

The workplace was hidden in the built-in cupboard in the hallway

The rotating sliding doors can be completely hidden in the carcass if required

This workplace has sufficient daylight from the patio door

The mini office is in a large kitchen

It is also possible to hide the office in a hanging cabinet

The closet is deep enough and has built-in lights

Indirect light also creates interesting lighting accents

With its warm wood tone, the cabinet creates a warm contrast to the white tones of the interior

This PC workstation has a minimalist elegance

Sliding doors can be used well as room dividers

When the work is done, the stool disappears behind closed doors

The built-in wardrobe is deep enough to also accommodate the office chair

The wallpaper on the back wall forms the perfect background for the desk and shelves made of light wood