Hi Ido I strongly suggest you take the doors off the closet and refit it as a desk -- you can probably fit your two Macs side by side there. And I think there is room to the right of the closet for the printer. Where the bed is shown, give yourself one or two chairs and a small table for (paper-based) reading and coffee. I wanted to post a picture or two of closet-to-desk conversions, but alas Houzz is not allowing me to post pictures at the moment.

Hi - wanted to give an update. I cut out sheet rock panels and placed them on the door back and then covered those with a product called Noico which is similar to mass loaded vinyl. That along with removing the air return grate and the vent grates has helped a lot. I was able to create a tight seal with the filter higher up inside the rerturn duct but am working on a more permanent solution. But using a noise meter, I have been able to reduce things about 10db. Question, the air handler’s cool is in good shape. The model of the unit is a Rudd ubhc-14j06sfe. My AC person once lowered the speed of the blower and that certainly helped but there are only two speeds. Could I get a new motor that potentially would be a lot quieter and replace the existing one? It seems like motors are relatively inexpensive versus the cost of doing major ductwork / getting a new system. Any thoughts? Thanks!

As a lover of weird little nooks like that, and for a modest budget, I'd suggest getting those shelves covered with as many old books as you can get--fill them in, with a minimum of other stuff. I'd paint the ceiling an interesting color, like a nice green, and use a solid-color Roman shade at the window to coordinate with the ceiling (the ceiling in white is just too much contrast with the paneling, and makes it look tired). A curtain is fine too, especially if you can make that yourself--get some terrific fabric. If you have a single fixture in the middle of the ceiling, try to buy another single fixture with multiple lights hanging out of it on cords--IKEA has had these in the past, and I bought one online (Amazon?) with 10 frosted bulbs hanging out of it on cords, which I've threaded around the twigs of a large branch so there is light throughout the room. You wouldn't need so many, and make sure it's dimmable. Then add an inexpensive adjustable up-light in the corner to bounce some light off of the wall and shelf underside (make sure to use warm bulbs everywhere). Your desk is fine for now, although I love the green suggestions! I think addressing the room envelope will really give you the most impact, though.

Yes an L-shaped desk (5’ x 4’) where the long side runs along the left side of the window wall would fit nicely. If the short side has shelves underneath, better to have it on the right so it can be easily accessed from the other side. All of your books/binders could find a home on those shelves. A configuration with a file cabinet would help with storing all of the materials currently on top of the existing shelving unit. Then your memo boards could go on the wall above the desk with your diploma on the adjacent wall. And I think if you pull your recliner out from the corner just enough so that it clears the walls in the reclining position and place a floor lamp to its left and a small side table on its right, it will fit/look fine. Here’s a rough draft…