The Unique Closet Door Idea That'll Take Your Home's Aesthetic To The Next Level

Closet doors in many homes can be a mixed bag, with some abodes cursed with unsightly or boring builder grade closet doors you should ditch for stylish alternatives. This can be especially distracting in rooms with more than one closet, such as side-by-sides or closets on adjoining or opposite walls. Essentially, a huge portion of your wall space is given over to these openings and whatever covers them. There is a way to remedy monotonous doors, which involves swapping out one or both doors with a completely different one that adds more character and interest than before. This approach of mixing different door styles can be a great way to give a more eclectic and layered look to your space, as well as mix materials, add new textures, and increase functionality.

The goal is to have the doors be complementary, both to each other and to the overall décor in the space. This can be accomplished through color, materials, design style and other details. There are a multitude of options that go beyond the ubiquitous bifold and sliding doors so often found in newer homes, including stylish pocket doors, barn door panels, French doors, louvered doors, and many others. All can be mixed and matched in your space for a uniquely varied look.

Using different styles of doors can be largely functional, especially if you have some closet doors that, depending on the arrangement of the room, lack the clearance needed to open a traditional swinging door. In this case, using pocket, barn, or other varieties of sliding doors may work best, while the other closet in the space may be fine using a traditional door. Another consideration is what you store in each closet. A clothing closet will have different needs than a closet used to store items requiring greater ventilation, like electronics or cleaning supplies.

This approach can also work great if the closets have different functions: a clothing closet covered by a sliding barn door would stand apart from a second closet repurposed as an office nook featuring a traditional door you can close or open from the inside for privacy and soundproofing. You may want to combine hidden storage and open glass-fronted storage in side-by-side closets to separate clothing versus accessories you want on display. Or add a mirror for checking your reflection on one side only of adjoining closets.

You can also mix and match doors for purely cosmetic reasons, especially if they share a wall and you don't want too much uniformity. This can be accomplished by something as subtle as painting or staining them different colors or finishes echoed elsewhere in the space. You could also liven up a basic closet door with a stunning DIY or transform sliding closet doors to make them more architecturally interesting by adding decorative trim, peel-and-stick paper, millwork decals, or woven materials like jute and caning. 

Mismatched doors can give a space an older and eclectic feel, perfect for more casual aesthetics like rustic, cottage, and boho design schemes. You may also want to transform your doors to achieve certain effects, like softening a space with a fabric or beaded curtain, adding a mirror or transparent glass to make a space look larger, or using vertical paneling on a door to give the door and surrounding area a greater sense of height.