Flattery and cloffice inspiration

Flattery will get you everywhere with me. And so, I'm very happy to share the news that Tiny-Ass Apartment was listed at #8 on Graphic Design Degrees' list of the Top 100 Interior Design Blogs! Graphic Design Degrees is run by Amy Cook, and is a great source for information about obtaining an online degree in graphic design. Aw, shucks! Thank you!

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Now, as I mentioned a few days ago, I am madly working on getting my place "Smallest, Coolest"-ready. My biggest project is converting my hall closet into an office. My too-large desk was crammed into a corner of my bedroom, making the space feel too tight and also making it all too easy to stay in bed and pretend to "work" instead of getting up and making the physical and mental transition to real work-time. My hall closet is a small walk-in, and so it makes perfect sense to ditch the old setup for a new, more efficient one.

I love closet offices, and am constantly amazed at how a fully-functioning workspace can be created out of even the smallest closet. Melissa Massello of Shoestring Magazine's new "cloffice" is no exception!

Melissa's business was starting to overtake her small home, so, with the help of Maxine Gautier of Out from Under Organizing, she decided to reorganize and consolidate her work area to fit into a closet in her one-bedroom apartment.

The closet before

When a closet and an office have a baby: the "cloffice"

Overall, the transformation cost Melissa only $128.27 -- a totally reasonable price to pay for keeping your sanity. She purchased a console table to act as a desk (which is exactly what I'm doing! I think more desk manufacturers should look into making narrow desks, since everyone turning a closet into an office is turning to console tables or wall-mounted shelves instead!). She also purchased organizers for her desk and files, as well as painted the wall with chalkboard paint to jot down notes. I really love how she put a frame over one section of the backboard for her to-do list, and the hanging vase with the fern is adorable. Simple, but still unexpected and eye-catching.

There are a lot of organizing tips over at Shoestring Magazine, so check them out over there. I think the most apt tip is to never label a file or box "Miscellaneous" -- who knows what kind of crap will end up in there, and whatever goes in is guaranteed to never, ever come out.

Thanks, Melissa, for the "cloffice" tour, and of course I'll be sharing my own progress with you guys soon!