The Closet Door Alternative That Gives Total '70s Vibes (And How To DIY It)

Looking for a fun alternative to conventional closet doors? Beaded curtains can be a great way to instill a stylish boho look into your room and easily hide your clutter. With its heyday during the 1960s/1970s, this popular curtain style emerged again as a décor element in the 1990s and into the new millennia, where it was often associated with retro and bohemian spaces. These stunning curtains look great and take up considerably less space than builder-grade closet doors. While there are many designs available from retailers today for beaded curtains in your home, you can make a completely custom-designed curtain that fits your space and aesthetics far more easily and for less expense than you may think.

Beaded curtains come in all manner of materials, including glass and plastic beads in a lush array of colors, shapes, and textures. Today's beaded curtains, however, owe a bit more to natural materials like wood and other organic materials like stones, sea glass, and shells. The right beaded curtain can also be a beautiful statement or art piece in addition to its functionality to cover a closet without doors.                  

To make a customized beaded curtain to cover your closet opening, you will need top support. You can use a simple wooden dowel for a curtain that allows your beads to slide along the top for easier opening when needed, or a larger 1x2 inch board that runs the bead strand cord through the wood for more even spacing. While you will simply tie the top of the cords over the dowel so they can slide, you will string them through holes in the larger board, which gives a more finished look to the top of the curtain. Just drill evenly spaced holes through the board and attach two eye hooks along the top to hang the curtain above the door. 

You can use several different materials for your strands, including fishing line for a more invisible look or twine for a more organic one. Bead materials are many, ranging from glass and shells to trendy wooden beads, like these from Dollar Tree, that make a satisfying clacking as you move through them. String the beads along the wire in your desired configuration, either uniformly or in alternating sizes and shapes for a more varied look. Knot the ends, leaving some extra at the top to string through the wood support, then tie them off at the top. You can also create imagery and designs by carefully orchestrating shading on your beads as you string them. For a more advanced project, lay out the design on paper and measure your beads and how they fall along the line vertically to get it exactly right.