This study measures just 4 square meters—1.6m across, 2.5m deep—yet it feels secure rather than cramped. It was partitioned off from a walk-in closet, and after many readers asked for the exact dimensions, the full design drawing is finally out of the old computer and into the open. Here is how the space is put together.
The Footprint, Drawn Out
The room was born as a partition inside a former closet area: 1.6m wide, 2.5m deep, 4㎡ in total. Everything fitted inside—the white desk and the cabinetry—was custom-built to those measurements. Everything else came later, piece by piece, mostly in wood tones with metal accents.
The drawing below covers the dimensions readers ask about most: the 530mm desk depth, the 800mm bookshelf bay beneath the desktop, and the heights of the overhead cabinets. If you are planning something similar, it is the single most useful reference in this post.
Will Your Legs Fit, and Can You Walk Through?
Two practical questions come up again and again, so here are the straight answers.
1. Is there legroom under the desk with a bookshelf underneath? Yes. The desktop was designed with 30cm of clear depth left open below it—just enough to sit comfortably with the bookshelf tucked under.
2. How wide is the aisle, and can a person pass? It is 1 meter. With the work chair in place, one person moves through easily; two people passing at once is a stretch.
The payoff for those compromises is a double workstation. One surface holds the computer, the other the tea tray and reading stack. Swivel the chair, and the room switches from work mode to tea-and-books mode—no walking required.
Wood, Metal, and Warm Light
The palette stays deliberately narrow: white cabinetry as the base, then wood and metallic finishes layered on top as pieces were added—the speaker, the tiered riser, the small lamps. Nothing shouts; the room just gets warmer the longer you look.
Lighting does most of the atmosphere work here. The bulbs are chosen at 3500K and 4000K, a range that reads warm without going yellow, and several small lamps are scattered across the desk rather than relying on one overhead fixture. Combined with a big-leafed plant by the blinds and a stack of current reads on the shelf, the tiny room ends up feeling like the most settled corner of the house.
Editor's Notes & Summary
Four square meters is not much, but with a custom-fit desk, a 1m aisle, and light tuned to 3500K–4000K, this converted closet corner manages to feel like the safest room in the home.
10 comments
After installing the bookshelf, you need to leave a 100cm aisle for coming and going to be comfortable.
My room’s width is only 1.3 meters, which feels a bit difficult.
I just love this kind of small space—it feels so safe and cozy, and you can work with real focus.
Is the desk chair comfortable to sit in?
Hi, the computer desk is 530mm deep and the reading desk is 570mm, correct?
It doesn’t feel stuffy because the window brings in daylight and ventilation.
Does it get stuffy in there? My home is also small, and I’m debating whether to build one.
It’s quite comfortable to sit in—the support is nicely flexible.
Yes, that’s the depth.
Mine is 1.6m wide and 2.6m long—half of the balcony became a separate study.