Awkward Bonus Room Does Double-Duty as a Closet and Home Office

When renter Kasey and her boyfriend both found themselves working from home, the only space for Kasey’s desk was in the bonus room she was using as her closet. It was a tight squeeze, especially since Kasey cleared the wall behind her desk to create an acceptable backdrop for video calls. With Patti’s help, the room now takes advantage of natural light and provides enough room for work, storage and getting dressed and ready for the day.

One of the biggest issues before Patti reconfigured the space was the window blocked by Kasey’s hanging clothes. Patti immediately decided she needed to uncover the window.

In the new layout, Kasey’s desk sits right next to the window, where she can enjoy natural light during her workday, a key ingredient for avoiding eye strain and midday slumps. Patti replaced Kasey’s tiny desk with a larger, secondhand one. She painted the legs gold and added hardware to dress up the desk, for a total cost of just $40. A new upholstered office chair is dressier and more comfy than the old one.

Before the makeover, Kasey said she struggled to focus because of all the clutter. She even had her hair products right next to her pens for work.

Now, closet and dressing items are clearly organized away from the desk. Hanging clothes are stored in the wardrobe where Kasey’s desk once sat.

On the angled wall now behind the desk, Kasey’s childhood dresser looks totally transformed, thanks to white chalk paint and dressy brass hardware. Patti removed one other dresser from the space to give some breathing room. She used peel-and-stick wallpaper, an ideal renter-friendly solution, to elevate the look of this wall that becomes Kasey’s backdrop during video calls.

The view from the bedroom into the space was no treat before, either. Seeing your work space from your bedroom isn’t healthy, as your mind needs a break from work while you’re trying to rest.