Having a separate office can make all the difference for those days (or weeks, or months) when you’re working from home—but what if you simply don’t have the space? For Los Angeles-based decor and style influencer Janea Brown, who lives with two roommates, a dedicated room for handling her day-to-day affairs just wasn’t in the cards. So what did this ingenious interiors guru do? She transformed an unused closet into a DIY workstation—and today she’s demonstrating how you can too.
Even if you don’t have a closet to spare, with Janea’s practical, space-saving tips and a bit of creativity, you can easily revamp any neglected nook or ho-hum corner into a motivational work zone all your own. “It’s important to make the space you’re spending so much time in as comfortable and inspiring as possible,” Janea says. Click play to watch her closet-to-office makeover come to life, and then read on below for a step-by-step guide to recreating the look at home.
Step 1: Invest in a desk

A made-to-order floating desk can be fitted to whatever size space you’re working with (Janea had hers cut to match her closet length exactly) and mounted on the wall, creating instant elbow room. The natural wood provides a solid foundation to build upon, but won’t be too cumbersome thanks to its minimalistic design. “It really does maximize the space in my closet, because I have so much storage room underneath,” says Janea.
Step 2: Set some boundaries

“Because my office space is in my bedroom—and I definitely want to be able to step away from work—I wanted to create some sort of divide,” says Janea. A handmade linen curtain helps preserve that precious work/life balance by drawing a physical line between the two. Follow Janea’s lead and hang up a sheet in a soothing neutral hue, and accent with decorative touches like hanging plants to enliven your backdrop during virtual calls.
Step 3: Opt for unexpected storage

You’ll need a practical place to arrange all your essentials, but you don’t have to sacrifice style for substance. A compact pegboard is a modern alternative to more traditional wall cubbies, and can be customized to store stationery and display knickknacks of all sizes. And for a clever prop for your laptop, Janea recommends a lightweight, collapsable stand. “I’ve seen these before, but they’re usually plastic,” she says. “I loved that this one was wood, and it’s super easy to put together.” Really want to get creative? Slip a matching wooden crate beneath your desk for simplified file storage.
Step 4: Get organized!

A busy day can translate to a busy desktop. But thoughtful, space-maximizing pieces will help you avoid a jumble. Concrete catchalls streamline your supplies, and leather cord holders keep an organizational headache at bay. “It’s no fun detangling cords all the time,” says Janea. “These are not only super cute, but also very functional. You can easily just wrap your cord around and snap it closed.” As for decluttering your mind? A weekly notepad planner will do the trick nicely.
Step 5: Add your personal stamp

Now that you’ve nailed it on function, it’s time to add some flair. Pepper in small decorative accents—plants, candles, tiny desktop treasures—to deliver mini mood boosts throughout the day. And for a refreshing final flourish, you can’t go wrong with a touch of greenery. “While you’re deep in work, you can have a little bit of the outside world inside,” says Janea of her leafy potted friends. “It’s a great way to let the outdoors in.”

Photographs courtesy of Janea Brown (JnayDaily).
70 comments
Nikos Raftopoulos from xylophos said 156 days ago
amazing ideas thank you once again... i clean my space and i try to make some of your advise and one of my tea holder is ideal for this concept thank you again
Richard Gourhan from LemonBirdArt said 156 days ago
Thanks for the inspiration! I live in a small home and am always looking to get the most out of each space.
Constance said 156 days ago
I love how organized and sufficient your work area is! I especially love the nice 👍🏻 clean look and it’s not cluttered! Very nice choices indeed. Thank you 😊!! Constance.
Tatiana Pavlova from KnittedLoveFinds said 156 days ago
Great tips! I love decorating my home!
Tiana Kotskulich Precious Embroidery from TianaHandmade said 156 days ago
Amazing solutions! I love to use wicker boxes to rganize my threads and stones for jewelry making
branda Moreno from branda said 156 days ago
Fantastic!! Congratulations!! :-) :-)
Anna from SublimationDesignsAn said 155 days ago
Wonderful. A good solution for a small apartment
Gillian Northcott from esanivintage said 155 days ago
Beautifully done.
Tanya from YashchirkaClothes said 155 days ago
thanks for this tips! for small workplace is perfect !
Fabio said 155 days ago
Formidabile estro e professionalità fantastici 👍
Haze TRO from AloeThereStudio said 155 days ago
What a great set of ideas. I love decorating my workspace like that too. Thank you for sharing. :)
nov1bu said 154 days ago
Thanks, Jenae! I dedicated the day to creating an office wall oasis because of YOU!
DRAW FUNNY from TrendHeo said 154 days ago
Cảm ơn bạn đã cho tôi một ý tưởng tuyệt vời!!!
DRAW FUNNY from TrendHeo said 154 days ago
Cảm ơn bạn nhiều !!!!
Anna from LissiKids said 154 days ago
I love the floating desk! Great ideas for saving space in small apartments.👍
Yelena from Elenatoyspattern said 153 days ago
Thanks for the ideas! I don't have much space and I think it will come in handy.
Sasha Bradley from MyWoodElf said 153 days ago
I love the tiny plants and candles! Bringing the outside in can definitely add some needed stress relief to the home office. Thank you for the ideas!
Viktoria from LazyToy said 153 days ago
I love it. I am just decorating my small workplace and these tips will be useful to me. Comfort is in the little things! Thank you ;)
Nina from OriginalJewelrByNina said 152 days ago
Прекрасные советы! Очень понравилось, спасибо!
Becky Roach from StitchedandStampedCo said 152 days ago
Love these tips and inspiration! I particularly love the plant suggestion. I brought plants into my workspace and they make me so happy :)
Jackie Land from JackieLandDesignCo said 151 days ago
Love These Ideas, Thank you!
Agnieszka from Makramianki said 151 days ago
Awesome ideas, lovely items and charming woman. :)
Ayanna said 151 days ago
Very cool and I got some amazing ideas!
Cat from OpulenceAcres said 151 days ago
That was fun! Love your sttyle and energy Janea!
Maria from EcoLinenShopArt said 151 days ago
very cozy and beautiful) and most importantly, a lot of eco material
Cynn said 151 days ago
Thank you. Your video was succinctand helpful. Great choices for maximizing your space, while still keeping it comfortable and eye appealing. I'm definitely going to order that pegboard and note board for my kitchen and guest room. I look forward to more videos from Jenae, you've earned an instant follow.
Vlada from BeeNovaShop said 151 days ago
Thanks for the inspiration! ❤️ This is so important for me now ✨
Pinelopi Digoni from NarcissusJewels said 151 days ago
Very Inspiring great ideas. Thank you !!!
Noemi said 151 days ago
It’s absolutely beautiful! I love I’ve love the peg board shelf! I need those pronto! For those of us on a tight budget any tips for that &up cycling?
Watts DryGoods from WattsDryGoods said 150 days ago
Love the curtain!
venicebeachvideoblog from EyeGlassChainsDesign said 150 days ago
Great ideas and presentation. Especially the computer stand. Thank you
nandita singh from nanditasinghdigitals said 150 days ago
Thank you for these amazing tips!
aldinha kalberer from AldasAttic said 150 days ago
Loved it Janea!
Sujata from TreasuredMemoryLane said 150 days ago
Amazing ideas! Thank you for sharing!
xraymd said 150 days ago
I loved watching this as the space evolved item by item. What a joy! My question today is what did you do (if anything) to add more lighting - anything beyond the lovely brass table lamp with the braided cord?
Geri from JasperCup said 150 days ago
I'm inspired! Lovely presentation ... and item choices.
Jane Cottingham said 150 days ago
I want the flip black/white numbers calendar
Melissa Delgado from PolyCreativeMamiPR said 150 days ago
Love this one. Great ideas that I will be able to use around the house, especially in the kids rooms.
indysmami said 150 days ago
Way cute!
kim rhodes-thomas from pinksnakejewelry said 149 days ago
Love the Natural wood decor within the clean minimalist space!!! Plants are a beautiful addition to any space as well.
Nada from OniHorns said 149 days ago
Grrrrrrr, I love it ! what a wonderful way to utilize small spaces !
Judy Kierstein said 149 days ago
I love your stuff...I’ll be ordering for the holidays!
Brenda from Penmagic said 147 days ago
It looks so clean and lovely. I have had my business for 10 years on Etsy and have saved so much 'stuff' that I don't even use any more. I love alot of these ideas. This is a great inspiration to 'clear the decks' and make my office more inviting. Thank you Janea and Rachel! Brenda at Penmagic Designs
Leanne Tran from leannetran said 147 days ago
Loved the wood styling! Thanks for sharing :D
Betsy from RelixForHer said 147 days ago
Great ideas! Thank you 😊
Elke Zamorano said 147 days ago
Great, really helpful ideas. Thank you for this. Your space looks really nice. Can't wait to try this to make the most out of my limited space. Stay safe and healthy. :)
Bob Hawaii from HawaiiBobsGardenArts said 147 days ago
Love the closet idea!
Pamela Fuller said 146 days ago
I love her office nook. It is inviting and functional. I especially like the idea of a curtain, so at the end of the day, one can just pull the curtain and hide any paper clutter. Great idea--hanging the satchels (large paper sized and strong) on the wall. That way, one project can go into ONE satchel. I'm a lawyer...and think I may adopt that idea since everything doesn't fit in my file cabinets... Very creative and great result! Thanks - (In Hoboken!!))
Sorina from BijuBrill said 146 days ago
This gave me some motivation t reorganize my messy work space :-)
BCKFabrics Koni from BCKFabricCollection said 146 days ago
This is awesome. Thank you for sharing. I have a small space, so this helps a lot.
Janice Clark said 146 days ago
These are very good ideas. Thanks for sharing.
Rose Jackson from RozillazCollectibles said 146 days ago
You did a superb job of transforming your closet space into a very comfortable office space for working from home. You are excellent in expressing your ideas and very wonderful for sharing all the items you purchased from other sellers on Etsy. Nice job :) I really enjoyed watching the video.
Peach Print Goods from PeachPrintGoods said 145 days ago
I loved this! Makes me want to redo my space. Great ideas and the look really came together!
Lorain Lolatte said 145 days ago
We have two children who have moved out. I also have moved my office to the kitchen table during social distancing. And with sales activity dropping, it made no sense to leave the house daily. It's getting a bit cumbersome with 1/2 the kitchen table full of computers and office junk. Last night my husband suggested I make a small office in one of the bedrooms... but I really don't want to give up my bedrooms since I have saved my parents and my husband's grandparent's bedroom sets for those two rooms. WOW the next day I see adorable you and your fabulous idea. So my husband isn't getting the closet in my son's room after all ha ha ha ha ha! Be careful what you wish for right? Closet office it is! MUAH thanks so much.
Shatokhina Maria from WasabbiDesign said 144 days ago
Wow so simple and beautifull. I feel the vibe of this work place. Inspire on a good work in peacefull place.
Elena from Cosyhat said 144 days ago
Thanks! I will use these simple and ingenious ideas to organize my workplace. I suffered so much that I did not have a separate room for work, but thanks to this article, I see that nothing is impossible!
Lucy Yanagida from LucysStudioArt said 144 days ago
So adorable! Great video. And you are as cute as you can be Janea!
Ashley Griffith from HelloNatureShop said 144 days ago
I'm always looking for new ways to make my desk feel more inviting and inspiring - love these ideas! The floating desk is such a cool idea, too. Time to rework my work space!
Kevin Jones from ModernPrintableShop said 142 days ago
What a great guide and love her aesthetic!
Carol Anne Williams from 16thAvenueCreative said 142 days ago
So many great ideas! Thanks for the inspiration. I'm just about to turn a spare bedroom into my office. And I really loved a lot of the items you used to turn your space into such a fantastic place to work! I love those round memo boards! Those are terrific!
Anastasia from YourAdventureInGlass said 140 days ago
I like the idea with curtain: office is closed or office is opened! Great!
Felicia Lucas said 139 days ago
Creative idea
Varinia said 138 days ago
I love the floating desk! Great ideas for saving space in small apartments.👍
Kristina from PatternCrochetToys said 137 days ago
I liked the curtain that covers the workplace from strangers thanks for the idea!
Nikki B from Apt1708 said 135 days ago
These tips were super helpful as I am definitely struggling with finding a space that’s all my own where I can work away from everyone else. Thank you so much for the great tips!
Maria said 114 days ago
Great ideas for small places
Krzysztof Orłowski said 109 days ago
Piękne detale, nie każdy potrafi zrobić coś takiego .
Vy Louis from VysCeramicBoutique said 84 days ago
Great tips! Thanks for sharing.
Umesh Vigg from TheInspireDecor said 72 days ago
Just loved the floating desk! So innovative thing for saving space in small apartments.
KATERINA AMPRIKIDOU from ThroughTheStitch said 18 days ago
Great tips!! I will follow your advice!