Her small San Francisco home didn’t have space for a home office, so Sara Menuck converted her living room closet into a chic, streamlined work-station. For $1,000, including materials and labor, her designer removed the closet pole and added an upper covered storage area, a floating middle shelf, and a work surface with an almost-hidden drawer. Says Menuck, “I hardly ever close the doors.”

Design: Paris Renfroe Design (651/233-0063). — Jess Chamberlain