If the kitchen is the heart of the home, then the office is definitely its brain. This is the spot where bills get paid, crafts get crafted, and to-dos get done. But not everyone has a room in their home to dedicate to a home office. Here, weve gathered design tips, expert tricks, and affordable, stylish products to create the home office of your dreams, all within the confines a typical closet (yes, you read that right!), corner, or tucked away nook.Because the office is typically one of the smallest spaces in your home, it needs to work a little harder, taking advantage of every horizontal and vertical inch. The ideas youll see here also work for any corner or overlooked area in a room. Got a kitchen breakfast nook thats just not working hard enough? Or a guest bedroom that doesnt host many guests? Employ these ideas for creating a small home office to get organized once and for all this year. Read on for clever and charming ways to get organized and corral your supplies, and more!David Hillegas for Country LivingWe outfitted this underutilized closet with a desktop and shelves for a hardworking home office that doubles as a functional crafting space.Five Steps to Turn a Closet Into a Home Office Youll Love:1. Start with a blank slate.Remove all items, racks, and rods from your closet. Prep the walls and doors for paint.Cover the back with cork for pinning up paint swatches, invitations, photos, artwork, and such.Install a floating desktop from end to end using brackets and sturdy boards. The standard height is between 28 and 30 inches from the floor. As an alternative to a built-in desk top, consider a freestanding piece of furniture with the just-right dimensions.Hang shelving above. Make sure to leave enough vertical space for your storage and decorative items to stack/fit.2. Make closet doors work harder.Paint the closet doors a color that goes well with the overall office design. For a similar look to our design, try Minor Blue by Sherwin-Williams. Or, check out our list of the 100 most popular paint colors. Turn the inside of closet doors into a makeshift craft room by covering them with pegboard. Hang varying sizes of wire baskets to corral crafting supplies and hooks to keep items like scissors and measuring sticks at the ready.Wooden dowels suspended from brackets also help organize rolls of tape and ribbon. For an alternative to a typical memo board, also hang a roll of kraft paper to jot down to-dos.3. Pick desk supplies with character.Not-so-stuffy desk supplies, like an animal-shaped tape dispenser and colorful storage containers, bring a smile to mundane tasks.Store magazines and catalogs neatly in color coordinated files.Stack storage boxes and bins on upper shelves to hide unsightly supplies, photos, receipts, and more.Pretty patterned notebooks also make everyday tasks feel more special.Kitty Cat Tape Dispenser$23 at AmazonWireless Typewriter KeyboardNow 20% Off$53 $42 at AmazonDecorative Cork Board $16 at Amazon$16 at Walmart24-Inch-Wide Brown Kraft Paper Roll$30 at AmazonLined Spiral Notebook$15 at AmazonSet of 6 Magazine Holders $40 at Amazon4. Go for furniture with style.Office chairs have come a long way! Opt for seating that is functional, comfortable, and stylish, too. A short two-drawer filing cabinet (or repurposed nightstand) tucks under the desktop perfectly.For lighting, forgo standard office task lighting for a pretty glass lamp that shines a light on work and crafts alike. We also love cordless tiny lamps for easy task lighting in those places where cords wont reach! 2-Drawer File Cabinet$125 at AmazonGlass Table Lamps $40 at AmazonWhite and Gold Leather Desk Chair $135 at Amazon5. Reuse what you have.Get creative! Gather materials and items from other rooms in your house to get your workspace into shipshape. For corraling pencils and pens and other supplies, we love Mason jars, julep cups, and vintage trophies. And, you can never have too many baskets to hold larger supplies, papers, and more. Use a paper towel holder as a ribbon dispenser.Christopher Silas Neal for Country LivingUse a paint can as a mail holder.Christopher Silas Neal for Country LivingUse a magazine holder as a fabric scrap sorter.Christopher Silas Neal for Country LivingUse an egg crate as a desk organizer.Christopher Silas Neal for Country LivingGET MORE TIPS ON ORGANIZING:Amy MitchellManaging EditorAmy Mitchell is the managing editor for VERANDA and Country Living, where she writes articles on a variety of topicsdecorating and design, gardens, and holidays. Amys experience in the shelter magazine category spans more than 20 years, as shes previously held positions at Coastal Living and Cottage Living. Her personal pursuits include cooking, gardening, and hunting her favorite tag sale spots for the next piece of Pyrex for her prized collection.