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# An office in a hall cupboard
- URL: https://haven.ghostcms.templates.codememory.com/an-office-in-a-hall-cupboard/
- Published: 2026-08-07T09:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-08-07T09:00:00.000Z
- Description: Ninety centimetres wide, sixty deep, and doors that close at six. The commute she does not have.
- Author: Sofia Marin
- Tags: Home offices, Small spaces, #room Hall cupboard, #budget £300, #time One weekend, #style Warm white and oak, #Import 2026-10-02 16:14

When Sofia started working from home, there was no room for a desk. So she turned a hall cupboard, 90 centimetres wide and 60 deep, into a small office that closes at the end of the day. People call it a "cloffice", and it changed how she works.

![The cupboard office: a desk, two shelves, a lamp and doors that close at six.](https://haven.ghostcms.templates.codememory.com/content/images/2026/10/clo-shelf.jpg)

The cupboard office: a desk, two shelves, a lamp and doors that close at six.

## Why a cupboard

A small flat often has no spare room, but it usually has a cupboard full of things nobody uses. Sofia emptied hers, gave away half of what was in it and found the other half a home elsewhere. The cupboard became the only place in the flat that was just for work.

The best part is the doors. "At six o'clock I close them, and the office disappears," she says. "It is the commute I do not have."

## The build

1. **Empty and paint.** The inside of the cupboard was painted a warm white, so it reflects as much light as possible.
2. **Desk.** An oak board, 75 centimetres from the floor, resting on battens screwed to the side walls.
3. **Shelves.** Two narrow shelves above the desk, for files, a few books and a plant.
4. **Power.** An electrician added a socket inside the cupboard, so no cables run across the hall.
5. **Light.** A small LED strip under the top shelf, and a clamp lamp for evenings.

> I did not need a big office. I needed a place where work could stay when I stopped.  
>  
> **Sofia**

## The details

The chair is a simple wooden one that slides under the desk when the doors are closed. A pinboard on the inside of one door holds notes and a calendar. Cables are clipped under the desk, out of sight.

![The clamp lamp, for the long winter afternoons.](https://haven.ghostcms.templates.codememory.com/content/images/2026/10/clo-lamp.jpg)

The clamp lamp, for the long winter afternoons.

## The budget

| Item                     | Cost |
| ------------------------ | ---- |
| Oak board and battens    | £75  |
| Paint                    | £25  |
| LED strip and lamp       | £60  |
| New socket (electrician) | £120 |
| Chair (second-hand)      | £20  |

## Is it comfortable?

For a full working day, a cupboard office is smaller than ideal. Sofia uses it for focused work and takes calls on the sofa. The key is good posture: the desk is at the right height, the screen sits on a small riser, and she stands up every hour.

💡

Measure the depth before you start. Anything under 50 centimetres is too shallow for a laptop and your arms.

#### Does it get hot inside?

With the doors open, no. She keeps them open during the day and closes them at night.

#### Can renters do this?

Most of it. The desk can rest on removable battens, and a lamp can replace the new socket.