Closet with a curtain instead of a door?

[sarahsthreads]

Has anyone done this? We took down the sliding doors on DD2's closet, because the entire opening is only 45" wide, so with the sliding doors there was really only about a 20" opening when the doors were slid open fully - which made it hard to even reach in there, let alone actually put in a useful closet organizer.

So I thought we could get some 22" doors and have them open from the center like French doors - no luck, because "standard" doors don't come that small, and we'd have to special order something with framing already attached and do some major reconstruction on the closet opening. DD2 is due in 3 or so weeks, so that's not going to happen!

Now I'm thinking a curtain rod with curtains hung on it. Will this work? Do I need one or two panels? Is there a special type of curtain rod or curtains that will make it work better? I want them to hang nicely but also be really easy to move aside - should I look at shower curtains with the plastic (or metal) ring hangers, or will those just rip when either DD tries to move them? (I'm being realistic here and assuming if we do this DH is not going to be motivated to redo the doors for many, many years...basically when DD2 starts complaining about not having closet doors.)

Also...I know this is pathetic, but...will they harbor spiders? I really, really, really hate spiders...and we don't have any heavy (opaque) fabric curtains in the house right now, just sheers or valances over shades or cordless blinds, so I just don't know...

Ack! Need some advice!

Thanks,
Sarah :)

[lowrioh]

We used curtains instead of a door at one of the houses we rented a few years back and it worked well.
We used 2 panels but it would depend on the width of the curtain that you get. I would recommend making sure that they are machine washable because they will probably get dirty quickly. I think that curtains with grommets might hold up better and be easier to move aside than shower curtain type hooks. I saw these at IKEA and I thought that they were pretty cool.
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/00120979

We never had any problems with spiders. I would think that if you throw them in the wash every now and then, spiders wouldn't be a problem.

[hez]

I intended to do it with DS's room, but I got lazy. That's now DD's room, and I'm still debating (the whole closet needs a makeover).

That said, when I first wanted to do it, my interior designer friend helped me find some fabrics that would go with his decor. I figure if she thinks it's a good idea, I'm not too far off. I had visions of hooks on the walls so I could tie the curtains back if necessary.

I'd go with the grommets, too. Both PBK and Target also carry curtains like that, also. You may have to get creative on the length you buy, but I bet you'll be able to make something work.

[tnrnchick74]

My Mom's house has the same issue and we made curtains and hung them with a strong tension rod.

To figure out how much curtain or material you need - take a measurement of the opening. For a more "curtain" like look - double that measurement. I usually do 1.5 times the opening for a slightly more tailored look. Tab top curtains work pretty well, but gromets might work better in a kids room.

You will probably have to hem them to length, if you buy ready-made curtains.

If you make your own - use sheets. They are good quality fabric and hang nicely.

[CiderLogan]

I think it's a cute look! I wouldn't worry about spiders in curtains any more than any other place (although I am deathly afraid of bugs too, so I feel your pain!).

My only concern would be whether I ended up needing to store lots of stuff in there and wouldn't want to look at the not-so-organized space through open curtains (DD2's closet is filled with many diaper boxes filled with outgrown/soon-to-grow-into clothes that are waiting for my attention, ugh). But as long as they pull closed all the way it's probably fine.

[WatchingThemGrow]

Due to nasty doors when I first bought the house in grad school, we had curtains on 2 closets. They were a modified tab/slot top from Target, and there were 2 panels. DD was locked out of the room that became DS's room because she kept pulling on the curtains. I couldn't stop her despite my best attempts. We had to put up a real door, and I actually prefer the normal look better in that room. Can you just get a 24" solid core door and have someone cut/install it? We used the closetmaid kits from Lowe's and divided one large set between 2 smaller closets. You would be amazed at how much junk I have stored in there!

[jvs195]

I removed the bifold doors in DS's baby room and big boy room. I hung the curtains in the baby room outside the door on a decorative rod to match the window curtains and installed holdbacks and left them open most of the time so pulling on them wasn't an issue. For his other room it looks better to have the curtains inside the closet on a tension rod.

I think Spider's prefer damp places and need open space to spin their webs to catch their food.

[sarahsthreads]

Thanks for all the advice! I couldn't find any grommet curtains in colors that would work with the nursery, but I did find a pair of relatively inexpensive (and washable) tab-top curtains at Target. So I'll put those up with a tension rod for now and see how it goes. (Total expenditure: $30 - even if it doesn't work out it's not too much of an investment, and will at least hide the standard closet mess for now!)

Sarah :)