I needed to put a sound booth together in order to read audio versions of my books and for a podcast. The under-stairs closet in our house seemed a perfect dead space, so I set up an old sewing machine table as a computer stand and fit an office chair near the door. On the long shelf above my work space, I stashed my research binders and books so I could take advantage of the quiet to study. But now I’d constantly be carrying my computer up and down the stairs to and from my main office.

I realized I could fit all the essentials in my writing office in a closet. My extensive library of books on writing or for review didn’t fit, but a bookcase outside the door serves the purpose.

A previous owner of our house remodeled the closet as a play space for children, so the door has air gaps and a stained-glass window. The antique doorknob and vintage wallpaper add personality. I had planned to pull the wallpaper off, but my husband, child at heart that he is, asked me to leave it intact.

My productivity has gone up since I moved into my closet office. I’ve found, also, that my family members interrupt me less.

Interest in my office spiked traffic to my website, which tells me there must be a child in all of us intrigued by the idea of hiding away. This picture of my closet office was featured in the Seattle Times.

I thought you would enjoy this look into my writing life. And who knows? I may inspire you to set up a private closet of your very own. If so, you have to email me a picture!