Cloffice?

October 17, 2013

Yesterday on The Chic Site I talked about double functioning guest rooms and my desire to make better use of our own guest room, which currently gets used maybe 30-45 days a year.

A whole room devoted to being used just a few days every year? Oh no, I don’t think so! Not on my watch!

After writing about ways to make this room earn it’s keep around here, I think I may have come up with a plan! (This is when my hub starts to shake his head and turn the other direction.) You may remember that I de-craft-ified not to be confused with decrapified the closet in this room a few months ago. The guest room closet used to house all of my crafty supplies, until I evicted them and relocated things to the sideboard turned dresser opposite the guest bed.

So that leaves the closet empty. (insert evil laugh)

I’m thinking an empty closet + office = my very own cloffice! You know I currently work here in my bedroom on this desk/nightstand.

With my new goal of trying to get more sleep having my work right next to the bed is no longer working out so well. It’s too distracting and makes it hard for me to say goodnight. This is why I think turning the guest room closet into my new home office will be the perfect solution.

These cloffices have definitely inspired me.

Kelly Rae Roberts

A Thoughtful Place

IHeart Organizing

Love of Family and Home

No 29 Design

So what do you think, should I convert the guest room closet to an office? Would you leave the doors on or take them off?

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It's so funny to me that you're posting this today because I've literally been drawing up plans for my cloffice / guest room for the last 2 weeks! I want to make my guest room into my version of a man cave. I'm toying around with the names of "Lady Lair" and "Diva Den". Of course the room would still function as guest room, but also my little escape from the world. Can't wait to see what you come up with!

Love this idea! I have no doubt your cloffice would be fabulous. Can't wait to see what you do.

Just think- you would never be distracted by other things in the room- it's a guest room so it would always be clean and decluttered. And I would leave the doors on!

Great idea, I love it. I would leave the doors on so I could close them and walk away from work. Hugs, marty

Uh-oh!! You have given me food for thought. Just yesterday I said to Jordan that I would like to move my office out of the pantry so the panty could be just that. Then I added, "But I don't know where to put it." You just gave me an idea. Hmmmmm!!!

i did this in my closet. well, i wanted to put my desk, but it was like a quarter of an inch too big. but i put my sewing machine and table and all craft stuff in a closet and that's where i sew from. i've got the shelves and all. so i say do it. but keep the doors off. mine were accordion doors, so they used too much space. I put a curtain up instead.

http://www.caitlinmfrost.wordpress.com

YESSSSS!! Definitely do it! I had hoped to try a cloffice in my last home, but didn't get around to doing it. I'm definitely keen on trying it in our new home though, once its built. Can't wait to see what you do with the space Carmel. So seriously…do it. 🙂

i have my craft closet in the guest room…. but truth be told i don't often work at the desk- i haul stuff out and work in the dining room/kitchen because i prefer the open space. i don't like being at a desk with a wall in front of me! i am just about to make some changes in that room.

I say to go for it! I had a cloffice at our last house and I loved it! I would leave the doors on, just so that you can close the door when you do have guests! So excited to see what you come up!

"cloffice" love it!! I just did a similar post about this same subject and I love that it is such a perfect place to tuck in an organized work space! Genius!

Laura

We affectionately call my office at work the Cloffice because it has no windows and used to be a big storage closet. I say YES! Go for it. The fact that you have an empty closet is actually pretty amazing, but you need to put that baby to work.

Yeah!!! You'll make it so chic and cute. Thanks for sharing R's room! She still uses it everyday. Huge fan of leaving the doors on so you can close it up when you feel like it.

I'm actually about 3/4 of the way through doing this, but my room is a study room/craft studio. I'm in nursing school and I have a very hard time studying in any part of the house were there's another living, breathing human being. Also, I was getting into trouble because my books were everywhere. If you've been in nursing school you know the quality of a book is judged by how big and heavy a book is! I painted out the closet in turquoise and put my desk in there, adding 3 black shelves the length of the closet. My desk is actually 2 painted 2-drawer filing cabinets with a black door on top that gives me TONS of room. In the rest of the room I have my huge comfy purple chair for reading, bookcases, a small upright dresser (want to change that out), and I'm adding an antique drafting board of my dads to craft on – the base only probably-with a flat top. My dad also gave me the biggest cork board I've ever seen and I use 1/2 of it for inspiration and 1/2 of it for school work. I can't wait to hang the curtains and finish organizing it. It is my favorite place to get away, even when I'm not studying! Do it!

When I was a kid, I had two small closets. I always thought it was a great idea to put a desk in one closet to free up space in my bedroom. My mom would get so mad 🙂 Who knew 15 years later, it's still something I think is a great idea… and so many other people are on the same page! I (obviously) say, Go for it!! You won't regret it!

Cloffice — cracks me up! Instantly reminded me of something I use: PANTLE = my piano used as a mantle! Hey, whatever works, right?!
I do love these 'cloffices' though … cute & functional.

My desk/computer is in a cubby similar to the IHeart Organizing one. You can see the mini makeover I did to it last year here: http://rindymae.blogspot.com/2012/08/computer-cubby-makeover.html
It's small, but it functions. That doesn't mean I don't dream of the day of having an entire room. Only 10 years till the oldest goes to college. 🙂
I love your little desk next to the bed, by the way. But I understand wanting a bigger space.

I'm sure you will make it look amazing! I would leave the doors on!

I had a clots office at my last house and loved it. I like the doors on so I could shut the mess up and not have to worry agouti looking cute or not, but that's just me!

Thank you for featuring my cloffice! It has worked out so well and really opened up my daughter’s room. Plus she now has the cool room!

My mom actually did this when we were little. It was great, but it did take up the whole closet since the desk was so big.

I would like to do this but I can't use the whole closet since I need it to store presents as I buy things throughout the year. I can't wait to see what you do with yours. 😉

I think it is a great idea! I would leave the doors on, so when company does stay the night it can all be nicely tucked away.

sounds (and looks) like the perfect solution – and gives me a sneaky idea for one of the closets in my house! go for it

I've been considering making a cloffice in our guest room too! It will be awhile before I can make it happen, but I'll just have to live vicariously through you until then! 😉

Love it – glad to share with my readers!

ha! Love it – my kids make fun of me because I'm always making up words – they say I need to write my own dictionary!

Sounds pretty dreamy!

I think that is a GREAT idea! I agree that having your work right beside your bed would make it distracting…. and it's just an excuse to decorate something else 😉

i think a cloffice is a fantastic use of space and if its done well and is beaituful, why put doors on!

I love cloffices. I think they are a wonderful way to maximize space. I think you should do it! But I'm assuming you already have based on your IG feed;) I think definitely take off the doors. You can always hang curtains or pretty fabric if you want to hide it away when guests are in town. Can't wait to see what you do Carmel!

Love the word cloffice. I'd take the door's off.
I blog from my comfy Ikea Strandmon chair which my son calls the blogging chair. I don't think I need an office 😉

Do it!!! And take lots of pictures, please!!!

I think it sounds like a great idea! I mean, your hubby has a whole room for an office. You should at least have a cloffice! And whether you leave the doors on or take them off should be decided by whether you want guests to see it or you want it to be tucked away. If kids spend the night in there for sleep overs, you might want to leave the doors on.

I did my 'cloffice' several years ago! I measured the opening of my closet and then bought my desk with attached hutch based on that. My closet is actually in the master and was originally a second closet (only needed to use the one big walk-in). To close if off, I removed the wire shelving and painted, added the desk and then to finish I put up a curtain rod with sheer curtains (doors wouldn't close with chair pushed in) The outletr outside the closet is hidden by a nightstand so just got a long corded powerstrip and would it around to power the PC/Printer/Lamp/Etc and the cord is hidden by the sheers! Has worked beautifully and I'll be doing another in our new house hopefully in a few weeks…but in the guest room this time! 😉 Good luck with yours!!

Thanks for the inspiration! Glad to hear you liked it so much that you would do it again!

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