Today I’m sharing fantastic closet door ideas that will transform any room in your home. I’ve been researching affordable, stylish closet doors because we need to add doors to three bedroom closets in our Denver house before we sell it. Believe it or not, we removed the old doors before we moved in and just never got around to hanging new ones. It’s time!
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Closet Door Styles Overview
If you have a closet with a regular door, it’s fairly straightforward to replace it with a new pre-hung door. For those of us looking to replace doors on wide closet openings, the options start to expand. These are the most common, traditional closet door styles, aside from a single door:
Bifold Doors
Bifold doors are ubiquitous for a reason; they maximize your use of space inside a closet. Plus, there are a gazillion ideas online to customize basic bifolds, and I’ve included a few DIYs farther down in the post. Jump there now, if you’re curious.
A Quick Tour of Our First Denver House
Bypass Sliding Doors
Also common are bypass sliding doors, which fit in your closet opening. You can bump up the style (and cost) by choosing frosted glass or wood doors in a style to match your home.
Barn Doors
Barn doors have a lot of flexibility because they hang outside the closet opening, or any doorway, really. You can design a single sliding barn door, double doors, or even bypass sliding barn doors. The best part of DIY barn doors, in my opinion, is the endless style options, since you’ll buy slab doors and hardware separately to create the design. Jump to our DIY barn door plan here!
Here’s a lovely glass barn door example:
French or Double Doors
So classy! Double doors are a beautiful closet option and will probably bump you into the next price tier of door styles. Here is a timeless example from Jean Stoffer Design.
French doors are basically double doors with panes of glass, like this example below, from a historic house in Denver.
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Pocket Doors
Ah, pocket doors. They offer such a boutique feel. Though potentially finicky and tricky to fix, pocket doors add immediate character to a room.
Fabric Panels
Sliding fabric panels are a modern and affordable option for closet doors. If you’re worried about children pinching their fingers in bifolds, look for options like these at Amazon or Wayfair or Home Depot, to start.
Curtains
On the fabric front, you might consider hanging curtains to cover your closet opening. This is the most flexible option, and you can use a tension rod to hang them, avoiding any hardware installation. In a pinch, I’ve also used a shower curtain rod!
Clever DIY Door Makeovers
So you’re not ready to swap out your current closet doors? You can still get creative with paint and hardware to give them a stylish update. Check out these inspiring closet door ideas:
Subtle Color
If you’re a fan of neutral white interiors, you might consider painting closet doors in a light beige or mushroom color for a classy contrast. Here’s a great example from Home Made Lovely. Update the door hardware with black or brass handles for a modern look.
Build Panels with Trim
OK, hold on to your hats, because here’s a $3 DIY to give your plain doors a paneled look! Rachelle at Originally Worn used lattice boards to add dimension to her hollow core doors. See her tutorial here.
Read More About Our DIY House Updates
Favorite Behr White Paint Colors
Is Brushed Nickel Out of Style?
How to Apply Gold Leaf to Glass Decor
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Glam Hardware
Check out this tutorial to layer faux-plaster ceiling medallions behind door hardware for a luxe bifold door makeover. The aqua paint (Benjamin Moore Spruce Green) adds a modern vibe to a vintage look.
Sunburst Style
Here’s a fun sunburst creation on bifold doors. Find the tutorial here at Studio DIY.
Texture Transformation
How about a bifold door update using cane panels? Such a great idea to keep the airflow but update the look of louvered doors. Cut out one or more door panels and use a staple gun to attach the cane. Here’s a tutorial and here’s a beautiful inspiration photo from Blau Interiors.
Another option is to use raffia (or cane) to replace the center panels of sliding bypass doors. Here is Martha’s quick how-to.
Hardware Updates That Boost Style
You could simply swap out hardware for a new look. Here are some possibilities.
Plus tons more here -> 60+ Modern Door Hardware Ideas
Our Closet Door Ideas – in the Works
After doing all this research to get the creative juices flowing, here’s our plan. We’re going to try making bypass barn doors in the two smaller bedrooms and splurge on a nice, glass sliding door in the master. Check out this flashback to our master bedroom when we bought the house, with a mirrored slider on the closet:
Eventually, I threw a curtain over that closet, but it’s time for a real door before we sell.
Quick Tour of Our Denver House
Updated Sliding Closet Door
For the master, we plan to install a glass door similar to this style:
Sliding Bypass Barn Doors
Initially, I wanted to try a sliding bypass barn door in the master, but the bedroom door would hit barn doors behind it, due to the room layout. You can see that in the first bedroom photo, above. Wyatt suggested moving this door idea to the other bedrooms, where there is enough clearance.
I found this tutorial and I plan to use two shaker-style slab doors. Here’s what we want to build:
I ordered these doors, this bypass door hardware, and these cast iron square pulls. Our closet openings are 48″ wide, so I bought 28″ doors to account for overlap on the width.
Should I paint them? Maybe a light mushroom taupe? Or the same gray that matches the kitchen cabinets?? TBD. Feel free to weigh in with a comment below! I’m starting to hit decision fatigue and would love some help. Thanks!
Stay Tuned for a Progress Update!
Are you feeling inspired to update your closet doors? What will you choose? Do you have any other clever closet door makeovers to share? Let me know!
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4 – How to Save Money on a DIY Kitchen Remodel
Hi. Love your diy ideas. Have ’80s honey oak cabinets. I’m a “clean line” gal but friends are doing cabinet hardware after they had their cabinets painted. Well cabinet Reno or painting is not our plan. Hope to select a complimentary wall paint to add pop for cabinets. So hardware or none. Some said “goldtone/brass” hardware will be attractive. Btw, I have “black pearl” appliances. Your thoughts sure appreciated.
Hi Donna! First, pick what you like! If you’re keeping honey oak cabs and have black appliances (with silver accents?) I would probably pick black or silver hardware. Hard to say without seeing the space. What color do you plan to paint the walls? Do you have backsplash? What color is your sink hardware? The pulls don’t have to match but if you like the metal tone of your faucet, you might like the same on the cabinets.
My only reservation about no hardware is that the constant touching can be hard on the finish over time. If you keep a clean kitchen it’s prob fine, but just a thought to consider.
Good luck with your project and thanks for writing!