turning a closet into a computer area

PaulD

sounds like it would give you something similar to those cubicles found in school and public libraries... with an LCD monitor (as suggested by others) could be doable... the LCD gives off less heat which is good too, since there won't be much air circulation and toasty computers are unhappy computers ;)
if you leave the computer on all the time, heat may be an issue with a fully closed solid door esp. if you don't have AC in the room

personally if it's a solid door I'd go with two outlets, one always powered for things like the cable/dsl modem, and one switched from just outside the closet (you can get a switch that has a pilot lamp indicating power is on to remind you that stuff is heating up inside the closet - halogen desk lamps get hot in small spaces) -for the ultimate in peace of mind you can go all out and even get a jamb switch that kills the power when you close the door, can get those at Home Depot, not super expensive, installation takes a while

the keyboard pullout tray is a really good space saver, you can get ones with a mouse side-panel, and there are tons of models with various adjustments depending on taste, particular comfort/ergonomy requirements and budget - remember really cheap trays will annoy you very fast as you're resting your hands on it

one thing to consider is all the "other stuff", and how you use your computer - if you just surf the net/email/pay a few bills etc... probably fine, if you tend to use it for creative crafty stuff or for work that needs lots of paper spread out, or books, consider if you will have enough space to work

also consider the accessories you have - printer definitely, but do you for example also have a scanner that needs accessible space? don't forget all the other little things so you plan where cords need to go (palmpilot cradle cable? digital camera or memory card reader cable? small desk lamp?)

you could do a countertop-type desk (small size so check out reno stores for larger damaged items on special that you could have cut down to size)
above the desk surface (above eye level) you could do adjustable shelves for the printer and various supplies
the extra space on sides (door is narrower than inside closet) is not much but you could do shallow shelving units deep enough for CD/DVD and other discs and supplies, could double as the supports for the countertop - put the "tower" on the other side - unless you're using a notebook computer
the extra space on sides above desk can be left as it, or you can put a small corkboard, or some pictures/decorative items, or some wall-hanging pockets for filing (i.e. incoming bills, stuff to be filed, often-used reference material)

consider a phone or cable outlet for your internet connection - you can mount a power bar under the desk to keep things neat, check out IKEA for some cool wire organizer systems too

for the various cables (i.e. monitor cable) drill holes in countertop and use cable grommets (cheap at any big reno store) for a clean look

allow for shallower desk if you want to be able to leave the chair inside and close the door
you can also get a small filing cabinet/pedestal on wheels, that could roll inside for storage but pull out and go beside the door in the room when you're using the computer, gives an additional small surface for papers while filing

all sorts of options available, depends on how much you want to put into it (time, materials, labour, etc) , how often and how you actually use the computer, etc...

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