I Converted a Closet Into an Office
By: Brynn Mahnke
Tags: Work From Home, Mental Health, Home, Work Life Balance, Parenting

I Converted a Closet Into an Office

And I found freedom in a tiny space

Photo by Malin on Unsplash

I have a big family. I’m married and my husband works from home. I also have six kids at home, ranging in ages from 4 to 12. Daily I spend time homeschooling, working on my own classes as I finish up my degree, working on finances for our business, writing, or doing goodness knows whatever else needs to be done.

I have a desk in the living room in the basement with all of the kids’ desks and school stuff, which is a great place to sit during homeschool hours. During every other time, kids are running around, building pillow forts, screaming, making videos, making up games, or turning off lights to do a neon-light dance party. It’s not the best space for getting things done.

When the pandemic hit, suddenly things became real. We were all home all the time; our regular baby sitter couldn’t come anymore, and I was left to try to get more done in less time, with more people around. My solution was to sit at the kitchen island, on a comfy stool with my laptop. Well, it turns out the kitchen island isn’t much better than the basement, as far as noise levels go. Barely two minutes went by where someone didn’t come in and ask me a question or strike up a conversation, just because I was sitting there.

Besides that, there was the issue of my stuff. Files, books, planner, computer, power cord — it’s asking a lot of the island to hold all that stuff PLUS be, you know, the place where we make meals three times a day for eight people.

My mental health was suffering. As an introvert, I rely on quiet to get stuff done. The constant interruptions were hard at first; after two months, they became unbearable. I needed a place where I could shut the world out, just for a few hours a day, to work in peace.

But there was nothing to be done. All the rooms in our house have a purpose already, other than the storage room which is bare concrete. I was nearly desperate enough to give that a try until I realized that I had a perfectly good space that was the right size for what I needed — just enough room for a little desk and a bookshelf.

It was the closet!

The Space

It’s about 4'x8', certainly not very large but bigger than a lot of closets. It’s right off the garage, which means it’s to the side of the house rather than smack in the middle like the kitchen. It’s cedar-lined; our house was built in the 60s and I guess this was common then. I imagine it was filled with warm winter coats or clothes for special occasions sixty years ago; we used it as a hodge-podge holding place for seasonal decorating items.

There aren’t any outlets in it, but there’s an access panel to the laundry room. I have no idea what the original purpose of this panel was, but by going through the panel, I can plug a power strip into the laundry room and feed it into the closet. I found a floor lamp for some extra light and used a sewing table as my desk.

Photo by Author

I ended up buying myself a cushy office chair with moveable arms for a little bit more freedom of movement; otherwise, this conversion cost me nothing besides a bit of time clearing out the closet and moving some things around.

I hung a few pictures on the wall and squeezed a bookshelf in to hold my crafty stuff and planners and books. Ok, SOME of my books.

The Result

I adore my tiny office. I share it with some Christmas decorations, bike helmets, running accessories, and 90% of the time my dog is snoozing at my feet. Frequently there is at least one child in here, but they usually aren’t yelling so I count that as a win.

My dog, photo by the author

My “stuff” has a home, and I’m not in fear of it being spilled on or being in the way of the rest of the family trying to live their lives. I can stand up and walk away instead of having my work following me around the house.

I feel much calmer on the inside, too. I can shut the door when I need to make a phone call. If I need to quit working to do parenting stuff, I shut the office door and walk away without having to put every single thing where I know it won’t be bothered.