by Adina Gewirtz
While some closet doors are beautiful additions to a room, occasionally you get stuck with one of the other two varieties: plain and just plain ugly. But just because your room comes with a “nothing special” closet door doesn’t mean you have to leave it that way. Of all the decorating surfaces in a house, closet doors are some of the most versatile.
Contrast Colors
If you want to make a closet door disappear, paint it the exact shade of the walls. But if you’d prefer to make it a focal point, paint your closet door a different color. Draw the eye with a deeper hue of the wall color. Or choose a complementary color from the opposite side of the color wheel — try a sunny yellow door to brighten a pale blue room, for example.
Closet doors with panels let you play with more than one color. You have many options: make the body of the door a lighter version of the wall and the panels a darker version of it, or choose colors 1/3 or 2/3 away on the color wheel. This kind of decoration can be sophisticated, with panels painted light gray and trimmed in white to complement a darker gray wall. Or it can be fun — imagine a child’s room with a closet done in primary colors.
Create Texture
Add depth to flat doors by attaching trim molding. Use squares or rectangles to simulate panels, or create interesting geometric patterns such diamonds or triangles.
Fabric and ribbon offer another way to add both color and texture to a closet door. Here are just a few possibilities:
- Crisscross two different colors of ribbons in a lattice pattern. • Use wide ribbon to frame the door panels.
- Mount light-weight curtain rods to the top and bottom of a closet door and string fabric or ribbon between them.
- Attach a row of ready-made fabric roses — you can buy them at any craft or fabric store — near the top and bottom of the door.
- Cover the door with a thin layer of cotton batting and then a layer of fabric that complements the walls and furniture in the room. Pull the fabric tight and glue or staple it to the back of the door.
Add Pizzazz to Bifold Closet Doors
Bifold doors present a special challenge because they bend in the middle. If the doors not louvered, a bold option is to cover them with textured metallic wallpaper. Bifold doors can also serve as a backdrop for lively appliqués, which come in all styles in home decorating stores. Choose anything — try soft florals, paisley or stripes — to tie your closet doors to the room’s decor.
Mirrors
Covering closet doors with full length mirrors brightens a room and ensures that you leave the house looking pulled together. Add a twist by creating mock windows — use silicone caulk to attach trim molding to the mirror, creating the look of window panes.
Reinventing the Space
If your closet doors simply won’t do, you can always remove them and instantly create an alcove, which you can paint a contrasting color and into which you can set a recessed dresser or desk. If you want the closet to stay a closet but hate the doors, replace them with a curtain of fabric or even beads.
The decorator’s mantra is that useful can also be beautiful. Apply this mantra to your closet doors and you can change the whole tone of your room.
Adina Gewirtz, a freelance writer based near Washington, D.C., writes frequently on the subjects of home, health and family.
