if you have ugly builder-grade closet doors around your house but don’t have the budget to replace them, this DIY method is so inexpensive, painless and in my opinion, looks really nice! maybe even nicer than your standard closet doors!?

when we got our house, both kids rooms had super wide sliding mirrored closet doors. i knew i didn’t want to keep them ultimately and when i was setting up arlos nursery i got quotes to replace with accordion doors or something less massive and more attractive. the closets in both kids rooms are extremely wide, so the quotes were extremely bonkers and we decided to abandon that idea.

why i ditched traditional closet doors

our first solution was removing the mirrored panels from arlo’s closet, while keeping the large sliding doors for a few years. but i had two major issues with them:

1. it was super frustrating not being able to access the middle of the closet easily with the sliding doors

2. the bulky doors made the room visually seem much smaller than it was

the easiest solution : hidden curtain rods and linen panels

i decided to remove the closet doors, and replace with a simple curtain rod on the backside of the closet, this would allow the top of the curtains and the rod to be totally hidden and make the look really streamlined.

what i love most about this solution is that you don’t see any hanging brackets—just a clean, simple linen curtain that totally transforms the space.

how to install hidden closet curtains

materials needed :

– adjustable curtain rod

-simple hanging brackets

-wide linen curtain panels

-basic tools (drill, screwdriver, level)

step 1 : how to hang the curtains

i used an adjustable curtain rod with simple hanging brackets, which allowed us to extend the rod to almost the full width inside our closet.

*PRO TIP* make sure your curtains span well past the edges of the visible opening—this makes the installation look way more expensive and professionally done.

step 2 : choosing and hanging the curtains

i originally used standard width curtain panels, but they were way too narrow and just looked cheap. so i then tried switching to super-wide linen panels, which looked immediately way more luxurious and expensive.

the panels i used had grommets at the top (which i think can look cheap), but i mounted the rod at just the right height on the backside of the opening, so the grommets remain totally hidden!

step 3 : preventing curtain overspread

to keep the curtains from opening too wide beyond the sides of the closet opening, we positioned the last grommet on the opposite side of the curtain rod bracket. this totally optional step prevents the curtains from extending past the opening, creating a cleaner look!

the final result

this simple DIY project totally transformed our kids rooms. both rooms now feel larger, the closets are fully accessible, and the linen curtains add a touch of softness that doors couldn’t— all at a fraction of the price of replacement closet doors.

and if you have messy unorganized closets and you’re worried that the curtains wouldn’t hide it well, the linen curtains i used are just sheer enough to look elegant but just opaque enough to disguise the clutter! sometimes my sons closet (and room) will be so chaotic and stressful but as soon as i close those curtains, it’s like a breath of fresh CALM air!