The Chic Alternative To Bifold Closet Doors (And How To Get The Look)

While bifold doors on closets are useful space savers, they're usually more utilitarian than stylish. If you'd like to upgrade the look of your linen or bedroom closet or you have a hallway niche enclosed with bi-fold doors, we have three chic alternatives with suggestions on how to obtain a more decorated look.

The first upgrade that comes to mind is using French doors instead of folding ones. The easiest way to accomplish this is to remove the hinge in the middle of the door and replace it with an immobile bracket. Your doors still meet in the middle but now pivot outward rather than folding.

And don't stop there – you can use various materials to either accent or camouflage your doors, depending on your preference. For a glamorous look use frosted glass or stained-glass panels or mirrors for a dazzling display. You can drape or glue fabric to the panels for a soft look and toss a tassel or two over the hardware for fun. If you want the doors to be less prominent, paint them the same color as the surrounding walls for a seamless look.

Another chic alternative to bifold closet doors is to use a screen. Borrow the sleek, minimalist look of Shoji screens, which are hugely popular in Japan and other Asian countries. These are relatively simple wood lattice screens with paper panels, so they're durable and lightweight. If you have intermediate woodworking skills, you can probably make and hang your own. Or you can invest in room dividers that mimic the look of traditional Shoji screens, but rest on the floor. A screen like this is an easy way to hide an open closet, especially if it's in a corner. In fact, any room divider is a low-cost, innovative way to break up your space.

One more technique to avoid using bifold doors is to go with open shelving. This technique needs a bit more organization, and there are other considerations before you remove your closet door. But a stack of ultra-tidy linens and perfectly aligned baskets just impresses the heck out of us. Plus, with no door, you have complete access to all the closet's contents. These are just a few ways to ditch your builder-grade closet doors, and we have other alternatives as well.