Ready to ditch your ugly bi-fold closet doors? I replaced mine with curtains & LOVE my closet’s new look! In this post I’m sharing our glam closet makeover how-to!
Hands down the most asked questions about my recent master bedroom reveal have to do with the closet makeover that involved replacing our bi-fold closet doors with curtains. Apparently I’m not the only one with a mad hatred of those clumsy bi-fold doors! I was pretty leary about how this little project would turn out but having curtains instead of doors on our closet has been a total game changer. It’s not only way better looking than before but also every inch of our closet is now easily accessible which is huge when you’re living in an older house that’s majorly lacking in storage space!
So for those of you have been thinking about tackling this project in your own home, I’m sharing the how-to and all of my sources (includes some affiliate links – see my full disclosure statement {here})) for getting the job done starting from the beginning with the pretty horrendous ‘before’:
Most closets with bi-fold doors simply have two doors that connect in the middle, in which case you can simply remove both doors and the track they attach to, do a little patch work with wood putty, and be done with it. Our closet had a center support between the two closet doors that needed to be removed so I called in my contractor to tear that out (after making sure it wasn’t a necessary support), add a new header, and patch the hardwood floors:
As you can see, there was a weird raised portion of hardwoods in the center of our closet that I ended up having them remove and patch too. Once that was done, I removed all of the previous closet hardware and painted all of that yellowed wood a new crisp white (“All White” c/o Farrow & Ball):
Next came the wallpaper (I used {this} paisley paper c/o Farrow & Ball) and new closet rods and hardware. For the closet rods, I used 1 1/4″ cell cast acrylic rods from Nationwide Plastics, which is the same source that I used for the acrylic rods in our home office. I price shopped several places before placing my order and didn’t find anywhere with cheaper prices that also offered the convenience of cutting the rods into the exact length pieces that I needed prior to shipping.
Most of the rod hardware that I used was my old closet hardware that I simply spray painted:
I wanted a finish that would last so I lightly sanded the hardware and sprayed it with primer first, followed by several light coats of spray paint. Be sure to use a respirator while spraying (I use {this one}) and read the application instructions on the spray can because they’re a little different than for most painting jobs in that you need to apply a second coat within 1 hour or after 24 hours. The specific paints I used are {this spray primer} and {this metallic brass spray paint} (not to be confused with their metallic gold finish that is in an identical can).
I sprayed everything this way – the rod brackets & flanges, the curtain rod and rings, the curtain rod brackets, and even the screws. My trick for painting the screws is to just stick them in some styrofoam before spraying:
The end caps that is used for the two rod pieces that are held up with brackets were {these 1 1/2″ brass end caps} but they were actually too small to fit on the rods (the 1 1/2″ measurement refers to the outside diameter – the inside diameter unfortunately is smaller than the 1 1/4″ diameter of my rods) so I hot glue gunned them to the ends. It’s worked fine but I’d try to find something that was a better fit if I do a similar closet in the future.
For the curtain rod I initially tried a cafe curtain rod but it was too flimsy so I ended up buying a copper plumbing pipe from Lowe’s and spray painting it. It works well for my 70″ closet opening with very lightweight drapes but you might need to go with a solid rod like one of {these} if your opening is wider or your drapes any heavier. The hardest thing to find was supports for such a small curtain rod but I eventually found {these brackets} and they worked beautifully.
The drapes I used are inexpensive, lightweight AINA linen drapes from IKEA (you can buy them online {here}). I actually had a pair of these in my hoard closet that I bought for another project and never used and I was all excited about not having to buy new curtains until I realized that they looked quite yellowy against my crisp white walls. I didn’t think that bleaching linen was the best idea so I gave {this Rit laundry treatment} a try and it worked awesomely! You can see the before and after change in color here:
I simply filled up our large basement sink with hot water, added my drapes and the Rit treatment and stirred and soaked them for about ten minutes, after which I threw them in the washer. Super easy and I got the exact shade of white that I wanted. The final step was to simply hem them to the length that I needed (which I did using {this no-sew option}) and then fold little pleats at the top (you can see them in more detail two pics above) and clip the drapes to the cafe rings.
My pair of curtains is wide enough to cover my entire closet opening when I pull them closed:
but my curtains have actually stayed open since the day I installed them because who minds looking at all of this prettiness?!
And I’ve found that having the wallpaper in the back of the closet has been great motivation for keeping my wardrobe pared down so I can still see enough of that pretty pattern 🙂
I hope I answered all of your questions but if I missed any, just leave me a comment and I’ll get back to you!
Hope you all have a great week!
Kasia says
June 14, 2016 at 2:52 amWow! Amazing makeover and these beauty gold accents:-)
Kris Jarrett says
June 15, 2016 at 10:02 pmThank you so much Kasia!
Val says
June 14, 2016 at 7:42 amKris, I can see your point about the access, which is so much easier now but don’t you have problems with dust on the clothes? We used to have a built-in wardrobe without any doors or drapes or anything else, and fighting the dust was a never ending task.
Kris Jarrett says
June 15, 2016 at 10:10 pmI haven’t noticed that being an issue yet Val – I always left the bifold doors of our old closet open so I’m thinking there won’t be much of a difference. But if it ends up being an issue I can always start keeping the drapes closed 🙂
Lois Black says
June 14, 2016 at 8:02 amLove your idea! Great soluiton. You did a beautiful job!!!
Kris Jarrett says
June 15, 2016 at 10:10 pmThanks Lois!
Dianne says
June 14, 2016 at 8:36 amVery lovely! I would agree with having less clothes so you can see the pretty wallpaper!
Kris Jarrett says
June 15, 2016 at 10:11 pmYes, it’s a good motivator to keep my clothes under control!
Becky says
June 14, 2016 at 9:26 amClassy remodel!
Kris Jarrett says
June 15, 2016 at 10:12 pmThank you Becky!
lisa | Shine Your Light says
June 14, 2016 at 10:37 amThat is amazing that all that gold goodness in there is actually the original hardware! I LOVE the pop of gold, it totally glams it up and is such a fun detail! And the rods…..swoony. Love them. Dying the curtains was such a fabulous idea, that is definitely the only prob with the Ainas, that they lean more cream than white. Such a great closet makeover!!!!! You are a design genius!!
Kris Jarrett says
June 15, 2016 at 10:13 pmThanks Lisa! It’s so funny with those AINA drapes because I’ve used them in other settings where they looked much more white. Not sure if that’s because there’s some variation and some pairs are whiter than others or if it’s solely a difference in how they look depending upon the color wall they are hung on.
Garden, Home and Party says
June 14, 2016 at 10:57 amKris,
This tutorial is great and I like the creativity you used to make things work without having to buy every item brand new. I’m happy to know about the Rit laundry stuff…I have had issue with fabrics that yellow over time and it’s nice to know of a product that is easy to use and provides great results.
xo,
Karen
Kris Jarrett says
June 15, 2016 at 10:14 pmThanks Karen! This is only my second time using Rit but both times it’s done an great job with whitening without harming my fabric!
Hailey says
June 15, 2016 at 3:54 pmAmazing! I love the results! Nice DIY.
Kris Jarrett says
June 15, 2016 at 10:15 pmThanks Hailey!
Ashley Karpf says
June 17, 2016 at 1:32 pmReally creative! I love the idea.
Kris Jarrett says
June 21, 2016 at 10:20 pmThank you Ashley!
Amanda says
June 18, 2016 at 1:38 pmLove the closet!! Did you install that closet organizer prior to changing the bifold doors?
Kris Jarrett says
June 21, 2016 at 10:22 pmHi Amanda! Yes, were lucky enough to have that closet organizer in there from the beginning. We didn’t use it much before because it was so hard to get to with the bifold doors there but now I love having it!
Dana Moss says
July 21, 2016 at 9:26 pmAwesome, awesome, awesome! This is the most perfect closet I’ve ever seen!
Kris Jarrett says
July 31, 2016 at 10:28 pmYou’re so kind – thank you Dana!
Temika says
July 30, 2016 at 1:17 amThis looks AMAZING! What size were the curtain rings that you used?
Kris Jarrett says
July 31, 2016 at 10:10 pmThank you so much! They’re cafe curtain rings from Lowe’s that I spray painted – I think they’re 1″ in diameter.
Ela says
May 15, 2019 at 6:54 pmHi,
Will 2” be too big? Which is more aesthetically looking, 1” or 2”? I can’t really envision when you buy stuff from amazon. Lol!
Cath says
November 19, 2016 at 6:22 pmVery beautiful! I’m having a big head with my wardrobe now. The space available is too narrow for sliding doors.
I do hope my husband is agreeable to this unconventional method (it is where I’m living)!
Denise says
February 23, 2017 at 9:05 amAmazing job. Just moved into a 30 year old dates home. Our master ensuite has a walk in closet with ugly flimsy bi fold doors. They are going bye bye!! Thanks for the inspiration ☺
Kris Jarrett says
February 26, 2017 at 3:13 pmGood luck! I wasn’t sure if I’d like having the curtains but I LOVE it!
Danica Stannard says
June 20, 2017 at 7:54 pmThank you for the inspiration. Our home was built in the early 80’s and has horrible bi-fold his and her closets in our master bedroom. I’m excited to try curtains, and possibly the wall paper too! Your closet looks amazing!
Lisandra says
April 2, 2017 at 2:50 pmReally great DIY project. We moved into a house where all the closet doors are missing so I’ve been stuck with a long closet that’s just open in our bedroom. I’m going to try to duplicate what you’ve done here but I’m nervous about purchasing the copper pipe and brackets. Can you share where you purchased the cafe rings and clips? Also, how did you measure or decide how to fold the curtains when clipping/hanging up?
Kris Jarrett says
April 15, 2017 at 7:41 pmHi Lisandra! I bought the cafe rings and clips at Lowe’s but they sell similar ones on Amazon too. And I didn’t do any measuring when folding and clipping the drapes – I just played around with it for 5-10 minutes and figured out the look I liked best and then clipped them all the same way. Good luck with your closet project!
Nancy says
June 27, 2017 at 11:05 amHi. I recently bought 2 pairs of AINA drapes and had the same thought- they need to be lightened. A quick search on the internet brought me right to your page! Can you provide a few more details on the actual lightening process? You used RIT White Wash, but they also make a RIT Color Remover- how did you choose between those two products? Do you remember how many packages of White Wash you used for how many panels? Only one panel in the sink at a time or two or more together? How much water in the sink? Were you able to observe the lightening process as it was happening so that at 10 minutes you were happy with the result and knew to remove them? Or say, you saw the result at 5 minutes and left them an extra 5 minutes but saw no further lightening- or if you had left them in for 20 or 30 minutes what might you have expected? Any extra details that you can provide would be so helpful- thanks!!
Kris Jarrett says
July 21, 2017 at 4:41 pmHi Nancy,
My store only had the White Wash so I went with it and am not sure what the difference is between it and Color Remover. I did both panels in the sink at the same time with one pack of RIT. I wasn’t able to tell very well how much they were lightening while soaking so just tried ten minutes and do a round two of soaking if it didn’t get them light enought but that ended up being just the right amount of time!
Noelle Miller says
July 6, 2017 at 10:14 amThis is absolutely beautiful! I just bought a house and one of the bedrooms has a giant oversized closet with no doors… I have been at a loss of what to do. If you don’t mind, would you be able to provide a total cost for a make-over like this? If not, I completely understand. Beautiful job!
Kris Jarrett says
July 21, 2017 at 4:43 pmHi Noelle! Unfortunately with this being about a year ago now that I did the makeover and the fact that it was done at the same time that I remodeled the rest of the room (so all of the expenses were intermingled), I honestly don’t have a great idea about total cost – if I did I’d be happy to share it!
Jerica Marie Drago says
September 26, 2017 at 11:40 amHello!
Could you tell me about the organization inside the closet? Did you have the shelves built, or did you buy all of that somewhere? We are also starting on the ground level with the original closet in our new, but old, home. We don’t have any system for organizing in place yet, but this looks like it will do!
Thanks!
Kris Jarrett says
September 30, 2017 at 10:04 pmThe organization on the left end of our closet was already there when we moved in – I’m pretty sure it was custom made (it’s painted wood). It really helps a lot to have that extra organized space given how small our closet is!
Nataliya says
September 29, 2017 at 2:52 pmKris,
How is your painted curtain rod holding up? Don’t the rings scratch it when you open/close it? I tried to spray paint IKEA rod. Even after light sanding and priming, the paint is easy to scratch off with my finger nail :(…. Also, do you think brass colored curtain rods are timeless or they are going to be dated soon?
Thank you!
Kris Jarrett says
September 29, 2017 at 4:00 pmHi Nataliya,
It’s been a year and a half since I did my closet and there are no visible scratches on my rod or rings (it’s possible that there are some at the very top of the rod but that’s not visible so I wouldn’t care). It might have to do with the type of rod you’re painting? As far as the brass, it might be dated at some point but I don’t think it will any time in the near future. Hope that helps!
Abi says
October 13, 2017 at 10:49 pmI’ve discovered what I’m doing to my own closet! So beautifully simple! Thanks!
Kris Jarrett says
October 21, 2017 at 9:28 pmThank you! Good luck with your project!
Pam says
October 17, 2017 at 6:16 pmI love your closet!!! I am currently remodeling my bedroom, including my closet. What is the measurements of your whole closet? I am wondering if this design will work for us. The side shelves look like they would be very useful. Thanks!!!
Kris Jarrett says
December 5, 2017 at 2:33 pmThank you! The total width of the inside of the closet is about 8 1/2 feet and the opening itself is about 6′. Hope that helps!
Kay Thomas says
December 8, 2017 at 10:53 amHi – I am thinking of replacing current black high gloss wardrobe doors (not my choice, furniture left by previous owner) with curtains by running a curtain pole along the top. I have a double and a single wardrobe side by side.
I am concerned that with the doors removed, dust will get into the wardrobes easily and I will be creating another problem.
Do you find this a problem?
I love what you’ve done – stunning.
Kris Jarrett says
December 12, 2017 at 10:16 pmKay I honestly haven’t found dust to be an issue at all. The reality is that even when we had the bifold doors, we left them open 95% of the time so having the open closet with drapes really isn’t hasn’t been any different.
Traci says
January 21, 2018 at 10:53 amI have a similar problem with my husband’s closet but wonder if you matched the drapes on your windows? This question doesn’t seem to be covered or if it is, I’m having a hard time finding the answer! Thanks in advance!
Kris Jarrett says
January 21, 2018 at 4:41 pmHi Traci! I didn’t match the drapes – I have gray drapes on the windows and used white for the closet. You can see the rest of my room, including the drapes on my window in this post: https://www.drivenbydecor.com/one-room-challenge-master-bedroom-reveal/
Multeataskr says
January 23, 2018 at 9:22 pmThanks for sharing all your how-tos. I am definitely inspired!
Debbie says
February 7, 2018 at 8:12 pmI love your closet and those acrylic rods are beautiful. Our master closet and all the closets in our home have those thin cheap wire rods and shelves which I hate. The one in our master collapsed with all clothes ending up in the floor. So my question is do you think these will hold lots of clothing without breaking?
Thanks
Kris Jarrett says
February 23, 2018 at 10:23 amI don’t think that they would ever break if properly supported but if you had longer rods than mine (you’ll notice that mine are divided up so each rod is fairly short) and a lot of heavy clothes, they could definitely bow a bit.
wayne says
February 10, 2018 at 4:08 pmthe door height in those photos are 80″. where do you find curtains to fit that size? normal curtain sizes are 63″, 84″, etc THANX
Kris Jarrett says
February 19, 2018 at 1:32 pmThe IKEA curtains I used come with hemming tape so you can make them the exact size you need!
Amy Hickman says
February 12, 2018 at 10:40 pmLooks beautiful! We are just starting a bedroom/bath remodel and I can’t wait to replace our bi-fold doors!! I was wondering where your closet system is from? I especially love your shelves tucked in the corner.
Kris Jarrett says
February 15, 2018 at 11:19 pmThey were actually custom made for the closet by a carpenter/contractor I believe – they were there when we moved in but they don’t look to be anything that you can get through a store. They are really nice to have!
Lily says
February 24, 2018 at 4:03 pmWould love to get your link on how you did the inside closet renovation
Kris Jarrett says
March 9, 2018 at 12:36 pmHi Lily! The inside cubbies in the closet were actually there when we moved in so unfortunately I don’t have the details on them. I’m sure they were custom made though rather than being put together with store bought items because they’re all wood construction.
Laura says
February 24, 2018 at 10:03 pmLove! Thinking of doing something similar to hide my son’s toys in our family room nook. Did you have the copper pipe cut to size?
Kris Jarrett says
March 9, 2018 at 12:37 pmI cut it myself with a pipe cutter – it’s a little hand held tool you can get at Home Depot, Lowes, etc. Super simple to use!
Layla Digby says
March 8, 2018 at 9:50 amWe have a a double door opening to our closet (doors are 24″x66″).. I am having trouble trying to figure out which size curtain panels I need to buy in order to be able to have them cover the entire opening and also tie back to either side to keep it open… most I see are sold as one panel 50″xlength… our entire opening is about 50″, so would i still buy two of them to have the bunched up look?
Kris Jarrett says
March 9, 2018 at 11:28 amLayla I think you could either do that (use two 50″ and bunch them up) if you have thin curtains that wouldn’t take up too much space when pushed back or you could take the 50″ size and hem them on one side to be not so wide. If you don’t like to sew (like me), Stitch Witchery is great to do hemming with just an iron!
Diana says
March 21, 2018 at 10:14 amBeautiful! Thank you so much for the tip on whitening the Aina curtains using Rit! Like you, I was hesitant to bleach them and I can’t wait to try the Rit.
Kris Jarrett says
March 29, 2018 at 6:21 pmGood luck – hope it works out well for you!
Ann says
April 2, 2018 at 5:10 pmCurious if you would post a picture of the acrylic rods now. I called Nationwide Plastics to order cell cast rod for my closet & they said it would scratch and look terrible in about 3 months of constant use. I am pretty sad. I so dislike my wooden rod. Thoughts? Photos?
Thanks Ann
Kris Jarrett says
May 2, 2018 at 12:10 pmI can’t guarantee yours wouldn’t scratch because it might depend on the hangers, how much you slide things back and forth, etc. but mine aren’t scratched up at all!
Steph says
October 13, 2018 at 12:39 pmI am hoping to do this in my living area with a closet. When these curtains are closed can you see through them at all? Thanks.
Kris Jarrett says
November 4, 2018 at 9:25 pmHi Steph – no, you can’t see through the curtains when they’re closed!
Alyssa says
March 10, 2019 at 7:09 pmI realize this is an old post but am hoping you’re still monitoring comments. Does the curtain rod on the right side go all the way to the wall or do you have some other sort of storage on that end? We have a 7′ closet that I think this layout would work for but I’m not sure how to best use the less accessible end space
Thank you!
Kris Jarrett says
March 24, 2019 at 11:45 pmYes, on the other end of the closet, the interior rods go all of the way to the wall. The storage areas are only at the one end!
Anne Davis says
March 18, 2019 at 3:18 pmI don’t see a center support bracket. Are you now noticing any sag in the rod?
Kris Jarrett says
March 24, 2019 at 11:44 pmNo, the rod I used is very rigid and the drapes are super lightweight so there’s been no sagging at all!
CS says
May 19, 2019 at 11:58 pmWe have cheap, crappy bi-fold doors in our hallway. The hardware is always breaking and the doors keep coming loose. Do you think curtains would look all right in our hall closet and laundry room?
Kris Jarrett says
May 28, 2019 at 5:19 pmI wouldn’t hesitate to use curtains in the hall or laundry room but it’s definitely just dependent on your own personal taste!
Anonymous says
June 6, 2019 at 10:44 pmLoved this article and the transformation! Thank you for sharing your tips 🙂
Miyah says
June 29, 2019 at 7:04 pmhello ‘ how long are your curtains for your closet ?
Helena says
August 10, 2019 at 9:26 amHi! This is just what I have been looking for!!!! What did you use for the shelving?
Kris Jarrett says
August 13, 2019 at 10:38 amHi Helena,
The shelving was actually in the closet when we bought the house. It looks to be simple wood shelving that was custom built for the space.
wendi says
September 2, 2019 at 11:51 amLove the makeover! How deep are the shelves?
thank you!
Wendi
Eliana says
September 9, 2019 at 12:17 amI saw a closet like this in an AirBNB I stayed in recently and was wondering how I might be able to do it in my bedroom. Many thanks for the inspiration- yours looks amazing! I especially love the patterned wallpaper, it’s so stylish!
Harper says
October 9, 2019 at 10:15 pmWhat should I do if my closet is about 10 feet wide with a post in the center?
I bought the aina (2 curtains) and the same color rod.
Help! I love your design taste
D. wille says
February 6, 2020 at 7:46 pmI love it, I did the same thing with a hallway closet and access is so much easier! Living in a very small house every nook and cranny has always been considered prime real estate for me. The back wall in my closet is white but I do like the pattern you chose, something to think about?
Jennifer says
March 11, 2020 at 3:16 pmI’d just skip the curtains entirely. My closet is si,liar to yours and I have IKEA closet systems inside and have it just open