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Last updated on March 15th, 2024 at 01:11 pm
Alternatives To Closet Door Ideas
Wondering how you can disguise an open closet without doors? Well, look no further because I have your answer!
Creative ways to cover an open closet without doors include using sliding panel tracks, vertical blinds, built-in shelves, furniture in the closet, window or shower curtains, accordion room dividers, sliding barn doors, bifold doors, pocket doors, and more.
Now that we’ve got the basics out of the way, let’s break into the details further so you can creatively cover your closet without doors.
Plus, I’ll explain what I chose from these options to cover our open closets as well!
Let’s dive in!
Quick Navigation: Closet Door Alternatives
- Sliding Panel Tracks
- Vertical Blinds
- Shelves/Built-Ins/Furniture In Closet
- Window Curtains Or Shower Curtains
- Accordion Room Divider
- Sliding Barn Doors
- Bifold Doors
- Pocket Doors
- Hanging Beads, Macrame, Or Other Dangling Items
- Leaving It Open
- Final Thoughts
- Related Door Articles
Idea One: Sliding Panel Tracks
The first creative idea to cover an open closet without doors is to install sliding panel tracks.
Sliding panel tracks are large pieces of fabric set on a solid metal track that can be attached to the wall or ceiling to add privacy to a room. They can be used as doors, room dividers, or window treatments.
This idea is probably my favorite way to cover an open closet because sliding panel tracks are elegant and modern-looking, allow a small amount of light to filter through and also provide full privacy, are easy to open and close, and can easily be cut to size for a custom fit in your room.
They can be run from floor to ceiling to make your room appear tall, and they are thin so they won’t take up much space in your room.
Sliding panel tracks are on the pricier end of ways to cover an open closet. So if you are budget conscious, then one of the other ideas listed below might be a better fit.
| Category | Sliding Panel Tracks |
|---|---|
| Design/Style Points | Variety of colors available, looks pretty and modern, makes a room appear taller, slim profile |
| Convenience Of Use | Easy to use – slides left to right on a solid metal track that can be mounted to the wall or ceiling |
| Best For Room Size | Any size room – 96 inches tall max so only rooms with 8 ft ceilings can have the floor-to-ceiling look |
| Cost | High – around $200 for one track that extends from 45 inches to 89 inches, to extend farther, you can add a second track |
| Can It Be DIY’d | DIY-friendly – the panels are cut to the custom length and the cut part is covered with a thin metal cover, easily install the track with standard power/hand tools and attach the panels onto it |
| Where To Find It | Sliding Panel Track At Amazon |
Our master bedroom closet has no doors because the room is too tiny for bifold doors to stick out and basic sliding doors are annoying to use. There also isn’t enough room for barn doors to sit off the side of the closet opening.
So these sliding panel tracks are going to be a perfect option for our small bedroom! They’ll be able to slide into the corner on the left and allow easy access to the majority of the closet when in use. Then I can shut it easily and hide away our clothes while adding a pretty accent feature to the room!
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Idea Two: Vertical Blinds
The next creative idea to cover an open closet without doors is to install vertical blinds.
Vertical blinds are commonly found as the window treatment of choice in older homes. They mount to the wall and slide side to side, provide privacy, are easy to use, and are cheaper in price.
They also could be an affordable and simple way to cover an open closet, especially if you don’t have much space for closet doors that stick out into the room.
Though, vertical blinds are not that pretty to look at. They also can break off easily if they aren’t used gently. But if you are looking for an affordable way to cover your closet opening that’s easy to use, then this could be a good option for you.
| Category | Vertical Blinds |
|---|---|
| Design/Style Points | Variety of colors available, slim profile, can make a room look dated |
| Convenience Of Use | Easy to use, but can be kind of clunky after a while – slides left to right on a metal track that can be mounted to the wall or ceiling, but the blinds can get stuck while sliding and can fall off if not used gently |
| Best For Room Size | Any size room |
| Cost | Low – around $80 for one track that can extend up to 84 inches wide |
| Can It Be DIY’d | DIY-friendly – you can get vertical blinds in a variety of lengths and widths to fit your closet opening perfectly, plus standard power tools are used to install |
| Where To Find It | Fabric-Covered Vertical Blinds At Amazon |
Idea Three: Shelves/Built-Ins/Furniture In Closet
The next creative idea to cover an open closet without doors is to add shelves, built-ins, or furniture.
Instead of covering the closet with doors, you can make your closet a decorative piece in your room. Custom shelves and closet rods are pretty cheap to install, you can stain or paint them any color you’d like, and they are easy to DIY.
They also can make your room look like a store’s clothes rack, which can be a fun way to show off your clothes and shoes if you have a set wardrobe color scheme and regularly keep your clothes looking neat and tidy.
In our closets, we added shelves and closet rods to maximize our closet space and make the closet match the rest of our room. Check out my tutorial here on how to install custom shelves in a closet.
Or you can simply move some pieces of furniture into the closet to make the space look more “built-in”. A giant dresser or armoire slid into the closet can add functional drawer space and give your bedroom some much-needed space.
The dresser or armoire can also help hide some of the items in your closet much like closet doors would. And if you thrift the furniture, then you can do this idea at a very affordable price.
| Category | Shelves/Built-Ins |
|---|---|
| Design/Style Points | Can be as fancy or as simple as you want, can be painted or stained to match any room color scheme, and can make the room appear “custom-made” |
| Convenience Of Use | Easy to use – no closet doors to deal with at all, just drawers and doors in the furniture |
| Best For Room Size | Any size room |
| Cost | Low – around $60 for stained or painted shelves and a couple of closet rods or $50-$100 for thrifted and refinished furniture |
| Can It Be DIY’d | DIY-friendly – you can paint/stain and install custom shelves and closet rods or repaint thrifted furniture with minimal DIY skills |
| Where To Find It | Wood & Closet Rods From Local Hardware Stores & Thrifted Furniture From Facebook Marketplace or Local Thrift Stores |
This idea has suited our master bedroom closet for 2 years. It makes it so easy to find the clothes we want to wear and encourages us to keep the stuff we store in our closet to a minimum since you can always see what’s inside.
Idea Four: Window Curtains Or Shower Curtains
The next creative idea to cover an open closet without doors is to install window curtains or shower curtains.
Window curtains and shower curtains come in a variety of colors, patterns, and sizes, are super easy to install and use, and are another affordable option to cover up an open closet.
This is another closet door idea that doesn’t protrude into the room as some other closet doors do. So it’s a great way to cover a closet in a small room.
You can go with sheer curtains that distort the inside of your closet, or blackout curtains that fully hide the inside of your closet.
| Category | Window/Shower Curtains |
|---|---|
| Design/Style Points | Variety of colors, patterns, and sizes available, looks pretty and modern, makes a room appear taller, slim profile |
| Convenience Of Use | Easy to use – slides left to right on a solid metal rod that can be mounted to the wall or ceiling |
| Best For Room Size | Any size room |
| Cost | Low – around $80 for two curtain panels and a curtain rod |
| Can It Be DIY’d | DIY-friendly – you can get curtains in a variety of lengths and widths to fit your closet opening perfectly, plus standard power tools are used to install or you can install with a tension rod |
| Where To Find It | Curtains and Curtain Rod At Amazon Room Divider Curtains and Tension Rod At Amazon |
Pro Tip: If you hang the curtains 2 feet above or almost touching the ceiling and let them hang all the way to the floor, you will make your room appear extra tall and elegant.
Idea Five: Accordion Room Divider
The next creative idea to cover an open closet without doors is to use an accordion room divider.
Accordion room dividers are an awesome way to cover a closet because they just stand in front of the closet. You don’t have to permanently attach anything to the walls.
They do require you to have room in front of the closet though because you set them 3 feet in front of the closet and walk around them to access your clothes. Or you can fold it up every time you want to get into your closet and re-open it once you are done.
Accordion room dividers can be on the pricier end of ways to cover an open closet, especially if you are covering a closet over 4 feet wide. But they are a simple and modern way to hide items in a closet.
| Category | Accordion Room Divider |
|---|---|
| Design/Style Points | Variety of colors, patterns, and sizes available, looks pretty and modern, adds a decorative element to a room |
| Convenience Of Use | Easy to use – stands in one spot in front of the closet and you walk behind it when you want to access the closet |
| Best For Room Size | Medium-to-large size room because it has to stand 3-4 feet in front of the closet for easy access behind it |
| Cost | Medium – around $180 for one 6-panel room divider that spans 118 inches wide fully extended |
| Can It Be DIY’d | DIY-friendly – there is no assembly required, just stand the room divider up and it covers the closet |
| Where To Find It | Accordion Room Divider At Amazon |
Our bedrooms are too small for this closet covering idea, but if you have a longer, more narrow room with the closet at the other end or an extra large room, then this could be a great option for you!
Idea Six: Sliding Barn Doors
The next creative idea to cover an open closet without doors is a sliding barn door.
Sliding barn doors are mounted to the outside of the door opening. They slide left to right on a single metal track and rest on the open wall beside the door opening when not in use.
The nice thing about sliding barn doors is that they look decorative opened and closed. Since they stay fully extended (i.e. don’t collapse or hide within the wall) while opened, they can look like a piece of large-scale wall art.
They also are much more convenient to use than regular sliding closet doors because since they are mounted outside of the opening, they can fully slide past the door opening to allow full access to your closet.
Sliding barn doors typically give off a rustic vibe, but they also can come in many styles besides rustic. They also are easy to install and use.
The biggest problem with using a sliding barn door as a closet door is the amount of sliding distance the door requires. If you want to have the barn door rest fully off to the side of the closet when it’s open, then you’ll need to have plenty of wall space to the side of the door to slide it to the side.
Also, if you have a large closet (over 4 ft), then you might want to install two sliding barn doors so one can slide to the left and one can slide to the right.
| Category | Sliding Barn Doors |
|---|---|
| Design/Style Points | Variety of colors and styles available, looks pretty and modern, makes a room appear taller, slim profile, can be custom built to your room |
| Convenience Of Use | Easy to use – slides left to right on a solid metal track that can be mounted to the wall |
| Best For Room Size | Medium-to-large size room that has plenty of wall space on at least one side of the closet |
| Cost | Medium-to-high – around $33 for the sliding barn door hardware kit then another $100 or so in wood if you build the door yourself or $300 total for a pre-finished barn door and hardware. Alternatively, you can thrift an old closet door and turn it into a sliding barn door for much cheaper |
| Can It Be DIY’d | DIY-friendly – you purchase the sliding hardware kit and build the door yourself or convert an old closet door into a sliding barn door |
| Where To Find It | Sliding Barn Door Hardware Kit At Amazon Sliding Barn Door With Hardware At Lowes |
I would love to put a sliding barn door in our master bedroom because it wouldn’t take up much space in the room and would give plenty of access to the entire closet. But we don’t have enough wall space left-to-right for the doors to rest while open.
This is where the sliding panel track might come in handy more because it condenses down to a smaller size as you slide it open.
Idea Seven: Bifold Doors
The next creative idea to cover an open closet without doors is to use bifold doors.
Bifold doors are closet doors that collapse as you open them so you can get full access to the closet all at once, then fully extend to cover the closet opening when they are closed.
Bifold doors are a simple, modern, and convenient way to cover a closet door opening. Two bifold doors are often used in tandem to cover a large closet opening.
Bifold doors stick out into the room when fully open, which is the only reason they might not work for all room sizes. If you have at least 4 ft between the closet opening and a piece of furniture, then this option can work for you.
Bifold doors can be on the pricier end of closet door options, especially if two doors are needed for a larger closet. But they last decades and are easy to install, so the cost is often worth it.
| Category | Bifold Doors |
|---|---|
| Design/Style Points | Variety of colors and styles available, looks pretty and modern |
| Convenience Of Use | Easy to use – folds in on itself as it’s pulled open |
| Best For Room Size | Medium-to-large size room – sticks out when fully opened by about a foot |
| Cost | Medium-to-high – around $120 for one 36-inch wide bifold door |
| Can It Be DIY’d | DIY-friendly – you can easily install bifold doors with standard power tools |
| Where To Find It | Bifold Closet Door At Lowes |
We chose to install bifold closet doors on all of our closets (besides the master bedroom) because they are much friendlier to use than regular sliding closet doors and they look more modern.
All of the other closets had enough space in front of them so the doors sticking out didn’t impact the walkway.
Idea Eight: Pocket Doors
The next creative idea to cover an open closet without doors is using pocket doors.
Pocket doors are the ultimate space-saving door because they slide into the wall (or the “pocket”) when opened and fully cover the door opening when closed.
The biggest problem with pocket doors is that they require more demolition to install. The existing door frame has to be removed and the wall to the side of the door has to be opened up and refinished to insert the pocket door frame into the wall.
This additional demolition and finishing work makes this one of the more expensive ways to cover up an open closet.
| Category | Pocket Doors |
|---|---|
| Design/Style Points | Variety of colors and styles available, looks pretty and modern, slim profile – takes up no space in a room |
| Convenience Of Use | Easy to use – slides left to right on a frame that goes into the wall |
| Best For Room Size | Any size room |
| Cost | High – around $250 for one pocket door frame and another $100 for a slab door to be used with the frame |
| Can It Be DIY’d | DIY-friendly – you can install these yourself, but they require more work than other types of closet doors |
| Where To Find It | Pocket Door Frame At Lowes |
Here’s a great video that demonstrates how to install a pocket door, so you can see the extra work involved.
Idea Nine: Hanging Beads, Macrame, Or Other Dangling Items
The next creative idea to cover an open closet without doors is to use dangling items such as doorway string curtains.
Doorway string curtains mount within the door frame using a tension rod and can be tied together, slid left to right, or just walked through to get access to the closet.
Doorway string or bead curtains are the cheapest way to cover a closet opening. If you have a low budget and just need something to mask the items in the closet temporarily, then this is an excellent way to cover an open closet.
The main problem with doorway string curtains is that they don’t fully hide the items in the closet. You can see through the strings or beads. But they do mask the items and make the closet look a little more decorative, so they are a great alternative to traditional closet doors.
| Category | Hanging Beads, Macrame, Or Other Dangling Items |
|---|---|
| Design/Style Points | Variety of colors and textures available, slim profile, can appear tacky depending upon the style of your room (fits a boho style well) |
| Convenience Of Use | Easy to use – slides left to right on a tension rod that is mounted inside the door frame |
| Best For Room Size | Any size room |
| Cost | Low – around $15 for one set of strings that is 39 inches wide. To extend further, you can add a second set of strings |
| Can It Be DIY’d | DIY-friendly – install these with a tension rod |
| Where To Find It | Doorway String Curtains At Amazon Tension Rod At Amazon |
Idea Ten: Leaving It Open
The final creative idea to cover an open closet without doors is to just leave it open.
Who says a closet has to have a door? Sometimes it’s just more functional to leave the closet open (which is what we’ve chosen to do in our master bedroom for the time being).
Leaving the closet open saves money because you don’t have to purchase doors, and it saves time because you don’t have to constantly open and close the doors to get access to the items in the closet.
I will say if you have a ton of items in the closet, then leaving it open might give you a sense of overwhelm. Seeing clutter constantly adds stress to our brains (whether we realize it or not).
This could be a great opportunity to go through your belongings and get rid of anything that no longer serves a purpose in your life while saving money by leaving the closet doors off.
| Category | Leaving The Closet Open |
|---|---|
| Design/Style Points | Can be overwhelming if too many items are in the closet or it can look clean and organized if the items are managed and stored properly |
| Convenience Of Use | Easy to use – nothing to open or close |
| Best For Room Size | Any size room |
| Cost | Free – don’t have to do or buy anything to leave the closet open |
| Can It Be DIY’d | Nothing to DIY |
| Where To Find It | You already have it! |
Sometimes the best option is to do nothing at all.
Final Thoughts On Covering Closets Without Doors
There you have it!
Hopefully, these closet door ideas gave you some inspiration on what you want to do in your home.
As we renovated our own home, we went over each one of these options carefully before settling on the option we chose. I recommend you do the same!
Catch you in my next post!
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