5 Ideas for Converting Your Extra Closet Into an Office, Mudroom & More
Jenna Allard’s very own closet turned vanity.
Photo: Jenna AllardSince the beginning of the pandemic, homeowners have come to the New York–based interior designer Sara Mosele with some interesting solicitations. “Requests during the pandemic became really creative,” she tells AD. Mosele’s clients asked for her help designing bars, bike rooms, nurseries, and even at-home saunas. And, to do these projects, they wanted her to transform their extra closets.
Closets are an important part of any home, if not for the storage they provide, then for the fact that they can make your home more valuable and attractive to potential buyers one day. But if you have nothing that you need to put in them, they can certainly feel like a waste of space. Enter the closet transformation. A few nails, paint, and a drill can convert unused square footage into your new favorite corner.
Regardless of the end goal, Mosele says there are a few quick ways to make a closet feel less closet-like: taking off the door, adding a pendant light, and putting in a little paint goes a long way. As she explains, “A very efficient and cheaper way to achieve something aesthetically pleasing is paint.”
Still, it begs the question: What should you actually turn the space into? If you’re in need of a little inspiration, check out these makeover ideas that look so good, you’ll forget what the nook started as.
Jessica Bui's new and improved catchall closet.
Photo: Jessica BuiMake a mudroomIf you’ve got an extra hall closet, it might be the perfect opportunity to create a mudroom. Jessica Bui, the blogger behind The Orange Home, accomplished this task in 2020 when she converted the “most random closet in the world” into a practical catchall space.
“In an Asian American household, it’s customary to take off our shoes when inside the home,” she says. “With that, we decided to take off the standard closet doors and get creative with the space to transform it into a makeshift mudroom where shoes and bags collect.”
The Scottsdale, Arizona, native installed large vertical panels—she used MDF panels and attached them with finishing nails and a nail gun—to add dimension to the walls and painted them black for an elegant look. “From there, we lucked out and found the IKEA Kallax bookshelf was the perfect fit as a bench,” she adds. Wood elements like a floating shelf and a bench topper completed the project.
“Initially, the mudroom’s purpose was to prevent wearing shoes in the house, but now it’s become the perfect drop zone,” Bui says.
The closet-turned-vanity in Jenna Allard's home.
Photo: Jenna AllardBuild a beautiful vanityTake inspiration from content creator Jenna Allard and turn an extra closet into a vanity. “We started by taking out the doors and hardware from the pre-existing closet and then patched, sanded, and painted the interior,” she tells AD.
In Allard’s home, this small closet is actually within a bigger closet designed by California Closets’ Kate Kim. “Kate really loved my idea of turning the small closet into a vanity space and brought it to life by adding the desk and overhead shelving,” she explains.
However, there are plenty of mounted desks and floating shelf options that are DIY-friendly for anyone looking to do something similar. And if, like Allard, you plan to use the space as your everyday makeup station, make sure you’ve thought of a way to get good lighting into the closet. “I was lucky enough to have an outlet in the pre-existing closet, but you could always use battery-operated lighting or an extension cord, if there’s an outlet nearby,” she says.
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Katelyn Richardson's closet transformation resulted in a small at-home office.
Photo: Katelyn RichardsonCreate a clofficeNearly two years into the pandemic, it’s time to stop working at the kitchen table and start designing your dream office. If you’re anything like Katelyn Richardson or Kookie Jackson, all you need is an extra coat closet to make it a reality. “I would have to say that it’s much easier to do than it looks,” she says.
As a content creator focused on DIY, motherhood, and lifestyle topics, Jackson started by looking up inspiration on Pinterest, then sketched out her vision for the room before painting and adding a desk and some floating shelves. “To bring in the character of my space, I chose gold as an accessory accent color and gray because that’s the color scheme in my home,” she explains.
Similarly, Richardson, a blogger who renovated her 1972 fixer-upper in Northern Alabama, also started her transformation by looking on Pinterest and sketching out the space. Then, she gutted and reframed the closet to expand the opening and give herself a little more work space. “Definitely keep in mind you might need to add an electrical outlet,” she says. It’s particularly important if you want to be able to plug in a computer or other device.
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Amanda Dwell's very own DIY library.
Photo: Amanda DwellDisplay a libraryDIY blogger Amanda Walker of Dwell Aware didn’t completely ditch her closet’s initial use, but instead reimagined it as a space capable of much more than just holding clothes. Adding shelving and rods along the side of the closet freed up all of the space in the middle to create a fun library for her kids. “This project is so great for closets that are shallow with deep sides,” Walker says, “It utilizes space in a much more efficient way.”
She started by painting the closet a bright yellow and then added the closet rods and custom shelving in the back corners of the space. But her favorite part is the IKEA photo ledges she used to create a library for her children. “We have some special Italian books from family overseas, so it is nice to have a spot to display them,” she says.
The transformation has completely upgraded her “lackluster and unorganized” space. Best of all, it was an extremely affordable project too, only costing about $125. “It has given us a much better utilization of the closet space, a bright energizing space for my sons to use for reading, and just an extremely delightful pop of color when the closet is open.”
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Try a fun but reversible transformationIt only took Kaitlin Clark about three hours to transform an extra closet in her home studio into a functional workspace and vanity that’s also 100% reversible. “If you do nonpermanent upgrades, the beauty is that you can switch it around as much as you wish,” the lifestyle content creator explains.
She started by measuring the space, so she could find a small desk and chair that would fit perfectly into the nook. The most laborious part of the process was applying wallpaper around the space—Clark chose peel and stick, so it’ll come off easily when or if she wants to take it down. “It’s super easy but requires attention and patience,” she adds.
Clark organized her shoes on the shelves that were already part of the closet, and hung up a circle mirror for another piece of simple decor. “Some have asked if we have kids and need the closet, what we’ll do,” she explains, “We’ll simply remove the vanity and the wallpaper.”
But for now, the space is exactly what she needs. Clark adds, “I’m all about maximizing my space and putting every little corner to use in some way.”
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Originally posted on: https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/closet-converting-projects