Does A Walk-In Closet Need A Door?
My contractor’s household has been plagued with flu this week, so literally nothing has gotten done on our bedroom-turned-closet and laundry room yet. Ugh. It’s just that time of year, I suppose. But I guess that’s good in a way because it’s given me a bit of extra time to think through some details.
There’s one detail in particular that I’d love to implement, and while it looks amazing in my mind, I’m feeling a bit insecure about moving forward on it. In particular, I want to remove the door to the future closet completely. So that begs the question…does a walk-in closet really need a door?
Let me explain my thought process. As you know, I’m in the process of turning everything past the music room cased opening into our bedroom suite. The hallway will now be a sort of anteroom that is open to the bedroom, and the former guest bedroom will be our closet and laundry room combo. The doors to the hallway bathroom will eventually be relocated so that the bathroom is accessible via a more public area of the house and not through our bedroom suite.
Before all of the demolition/construction started on the bedroom doorway, there were two very separate bedrooms, each with its own pocket door complete with door casings.
And then I decided that I wanted the doorway that separated the bedroom from the hallway completely gone (mostly for Matt’s benefit because that allowed an additional 12 inches of width for him to maneuver his wheelchair into the bedroom with ease). So after that doorway was completely removed, it looked like this…
Until a few days ago, my plan was to keep the current pocket door on the closet/laundry area. As I shared a few days ago, I do plan to add a bit of a visual separation between the hallway and the bedroom by using trim on the walls and ceiling in that little narrow area leading to the actual bedroom. That way, the two areas can be distinct while also being wide open to each other.
I’m planning to do something like this, only without the arched top, and with the trim going all the way to the ceiling.
But I’ve been thinking that I’d love to create some continuity between the two rooms by having a similar entrance into the closet. And the way that I’d do that would be to remove the door completely and take that opening all the way up to the ceiling as well, just like we did on the bedroom.
Now obviously, the closet doesn’t have a little hallway-type area leading into that room, but I could certainly create that look with the cabinets that I build to create the closet. I’ve seen this a thousand times, and yet, when I tried looking for an example to show y’all, I couldn’t find exactly what I was talking about. So I tried to create a mock-up to show you. It’s not very good, but it’ll have to do. Hopefully you can use your creative eye to see what I’m talking about.
But basically, I’d build the cabinets right at the edge of the opening between the closet and the hallway, and then the sides of those cabinets, which would go all the way up to the ceiling, would create the entrance that I would trim out exactly like I’d trim out the entrance to the bedroom. And just like the bedroom doesn’t have a separate door on it, neither would the closet have a separate door on it.
Now obviously, this is a terrible mock-up, but I hope it at least conveys my idea. I don’t plan on having cabinets that deep. Mine will only be 14 inches deep. And I don’t plan on having doors on mine, although I will have quite a few drawers.
So you can hopefully imagine the sides of those cabinets creating the entrance into the closet, and the sides of the cabinets would be trimmed out exactly like the entrance to the bedroom. The difference is that the entrance to the bedroom is longer, so it will have a grander look to it. And since it’s visible directly from the new bedroom suite doors (i.e., the doors I installed on the cased opening between the music room and hallway), the bedroom (specifically the headboard wall) will be the feature once a person enters the bedroom suite. But I think having similar entrances to each area will add continuity to the separate areas of the bedroom suite.
I have no idea if any of that makes sense, and I have no idea if that picture even conveys what’s in my mind. It makes perfect sense to me, but that may be because I can see clearly what’s in my mind. 😀
Also, while the closet wouldn’t have a door on it, I would add a door (a 15-lite pocket door) between the closet and the laundry area, and the laundry area will have an exhaust fan. Just as a reminder, the laundry area will be the end of the room where the window is.
And here’s the general layout of the planned closet and laundry area.
So those two areas would be separated from each other with a pocket door while the closet from the hallway would not have a door. Instead, the opening into the closet would go all the way up to the ceiling, and the sides of the closets that form the entrance would be trimmed out the same way that the narrow entrance into the bedroom is trimmed out.
Hopefully that makes sense. But even if it doesn’t, the main issue here is…
Is it crazy to have a walk-in closet that doesn’t have a door on it?
I honestly never close my closet door, and my closet isn’t nearly as pretty as yours is going to be.
Our very small walk-in closet in our bathroom does not have a door. It just got in the way and we never closed it so we removed it. Eventually we will tear the whole thing out and install Pax wardrobes (with doors) and the closet will just be part of our bathroom – all open. Anyways, I think your idea is perfect and will be beautiful!
I thought you were crazy until you said you’d put a door between the closet and laundry room, which I consider necessary for sound dampening. I don’t think it’s crazy to have a closet with no door, especially when it’s a pretty closet! I think it would make you happy to walk by and see all of the color in the room and your wardrobe. And you can always add a door back if it’s driving you nuts for some reason.
Also, we never close our closet door either and now I’m considering removing it, lol. My parents’ walk in closet has never had a door. And my aunt had huge double walk in closets – neither with a door.
My thoughts exactly. We never close our closet door. It’s off the master bathroom so no one but us ever sees it. I’m also now considering removing it. Go for it Kristi, it will be beautiful. And for those who talk about keeping it tidy, it is in your bedroom suite, no-one will see it but you. You won’t be able to see anything but the sides of cabinets from the entry into the master suite.
I don’t have a door to my walk-in closet. It makes the room look much bigger but you do have to keep it tidy.
Dear Kristi,
the whole time while reading today’s entry I thought: NONONO. Then you added that you plan for a door between closet and laundry and I didn’t feel so frantic anymore 🙂 The noise (and humidity) from the laundry would drive me potty if I had my bedroom without any means of closing a door on it next to it. So that issue would be resolved by the door in between. I nevertheless would not consider the no-door-option on the closet because of dust. You plan not to have doors on the wardrobes inside the closet (which would annoy me if it were mine because of dust) but not having a door to shut on the whole thing would feel wrong to me. I do have a dust allergy, though, so avoiding dust as best I can is an issue, esp in the bedroom area. But even without the allergy, I would want to be able to shut the door on the closet on days when it isn’t very tidy 🙂
Is getting into the closet a thing for Matt at all? Because then the entryway should def be wider than you pictured in your mock-up, right? I am curious how this process will turn out – you will find your perfect solution, I’m sure!
Matt won’t need to be able to get into the closet or laundry area. The closet will mostly be mine, and I’m the only one who does laundry.
Our walk-in closet does not have a door, and it feels perfectly natural. The door just got in our way.
I like this idea for separation of closet and laundry. Have you considered using a full glass door with translucent vinyl or an oriental type paper so light comes through the doors and the closet isn’t so dark? Solid doors would make the closet very dark without windows unless you did something like a Solar Tube into the closet.
On the other hand, a Solar Tube might cause fading of your clothing. Maybe have a motion detector for your light switch and use LED bulbs? Lots of options to avoid walking into a pitch black room unless of course you take up photography and need a darkroom to work in! LOL
Forgot to mention that you might want to consider a method to control humidity in the laundry. Either a small dehumidifier or a vent fan in the laundry area. I had a major problem when my clothes closet was next to the master bath and it was all paneling, not Sheetrock. Had mildew issues. When I remodeled, I separated everything and had a louvered door installed. Then sheetrocked the wall between them. Set up so that I could access closet from bathroom without going into the bedroom but allowed air circulation with the louvered door from the bedroom.
It’s funny – a lot of posters have mentioned humidity in the laundry area. My laundry area is in my side entryway (the one I use all the time) and I have never had the slightest issue with any humidity. My dryer is vented to the outside and water is contained in the washer and drains.
I do have a window in that area – but the fact it is over the counter between the washer and dryer means it is primarily for light rather than ventilation, it is hard to reach to open and close it.
She said in her post that the laundry room would have an exhaust fan.
I’ll be using the 15-lite door that is currently in the doorway between the breakfast room and pantry.
Kristi…where is a good surface for folding clothes, towels, etc in the laundry area?
I’ll have a countertop over the washer and dryer.
I live in a new build. No closet door. I did put a semi sheer curtain for privacy when needed. You amaze me with your talent your dad instilled in you. I’m sure he would be so proud.
I’m with Karen on this. On the days it’s not really tidy, you can close the door. Since it’s a pocket door anyway, it’s not in the way. Could you make the pocket door floor to ceiling to allow for the open look you want?
Some of my thoughts also. I hate clutter so seeing my closet not at its best (which would be all the time for me!) would not make me happy. I’d need the option of closing it, although I would imagine that it would stay open most of the time.
I understand your thoughts on creating symmetry but there’s also something nice about the doorway into the bedroom being special all on its own.
Hi, Have you thought about changing the sliding door for a sliding door with a 15 lite door?
Do you mean between the closet and laundry area? I do plan to use a 15-lite door there. I’ll be removing the door that’s currently between the studio and breakfast room and using it to separate the closet and laundry area.
Hi, Have you thought about changing the sliding door for a sliding door with a 15 lite door? That way you can close the door and still see in.
I need doors because… “Bob”. If it was just me, I wouldn’t bother with them at all.
I think a pocket door at the closet opening repeating the design element of the the laundry room opening would be consistent and offer additional sound dampening.
I would never have a walk-in closet without a door unless it’s kept extremely neat and clean. That 3 x 3 island could quickly turn into a ‘dumping’ area which would drive me nuts. I would have a pocket door or bifold door to save space.
Another thought thrown into the pot–instead of making closet/laundry 2 separate rooms, could build same cabinetry throughout, enclose the washer and dryer to look like doors or even drawers. That way you don’t lose the natural light from your single window.
Not crazy at all. It might be if the laundry area wouldn’t have its own door (for noise reduction), or if you didn’t have the French doors from the music room (for privacy), but it sounds like you’ve already solved for those things. I love continuity between related spaces, and think it’s much more important than having a closet door just because that’s what we’re used to seeing. I don’t think it’s necessary to have a door on the closet at all, especially since it will be pretty inside. It makes sense for a utilitarian closet, but yours will be anything but that. 🙂
No door on walk-in closet is not uncommon and would be really attractive trimmed out to match your bedroom entry.
But, unrestricted access to a closet with all those cuddly clothes is like, well catnip, to a cat.
I realize your mockup is not to scale but don’t forget the possibility that a washer and/or dryer may have to go through that doorway at some point in time.
Good point about getting a washer/dryer in and out. I agree with some others that the doorway should be as wide as possible for wheelchair access and to scale with the new opening to the actual bedroom.
We have doors on our walk-in closet, and I am ever so thankful for that. Our master bedroom is right off the family room, NO PRIVACY, and I am grateful for those doors on more days than I want to think about. Our laundry room is 45 feet away on the same floor and we have no thresholds to worry about with the floor, and my husband made me a cart for pushing the laundry to and from the laundry room…this thing rocks. Our laundry room is also our “mudroom” since it is the door from the garage and how we enter the house, not guests though, and it has a pocket door on the other side of it that enters into the hallway that I consider “private” space, or just not the public areas of the house. Again, ever grateful for the pocket door. I am manic about removing the lint from the dryer, and still my laundry room looks like a dust bunny haven. On Tuesdays, which the day after Monday Laundry Day, I take a Swiffer and go nuts with it and I make a fur baby with it. We don’t have any animals. Here in Tennessee moisture is an issue, we have two whole house dehumidifiers, and they do a great job, but still when I run the dryer, it is a bit like a spa in the laundry room. I love pocket doors, never in the way, there when you need them. So, there is my take on it. You will find a glamorous way to do this, and I will take copious notes since we are just beginning the process of remodeling the master suite. You’ve got this, just take what is inside that creative head of yours and do it…it always works out in the end, and if it isn’t working out, it isn’t the end yet.
Cheers!
Personally I would want a door but I’ve never heard a rule that requires a door.
If you decide to do away with the door, you should consider widening the doorway to at least 36 inches. I don’t expect Matt to be using the closet often, but a little wider opening would make that a little easier.
I would have a door only if anyone could ever catch a glimpse of you in your state of undressing or dressing from the hallway doors…if not go for what you want. I rarely close my walk-in closet door…however, my closet is not visible from anywhere but my bedroom. My bath is right next to my closet, and I’ve never had a problem with humidity. I rarely shut the bathroom door unless guests are in the house.
No that is no crazy at all. I wouldn’t even put a door between the closet and the laundry room. Your idea of entry ways to each area sounds grand. Your colors are so pretty.
Now, how is the floor installation coming?
It’s not. The guy I hired to remove the old flooring and subfloor, and to install new subfloor, hasn’t been here all week. I’m so frustrated.
It’s not crazy, at all! It actually makes sense to not have a door. I wouldn’t have a door into the laundry area, either. Unless you plan on getting dressed in your closet. I guess that would make sense to have a door since there’s a window in the laundry area. Where will you put dirty clothes? I’m the lady who suggested the commercial laundry baskets on wheels. 😊. I would have those baskets instead of the dresser under the window. It seems that there is plenty of storage. Although some type of counter surface would be nice. I love your “voice” and enjoy your blog so much!
I am rethinking the dresser. When I began planning the closet, I didn’t think I had room for an island in the closet area, so I put the dresser under the window. But now that I’ve made room for the island, I don’t think I need a dresser. I love the idea of putting clothes baskets there.
My son moved into a house that has no door between the bedroom and bathroom. His plan is to o put a barn door on. My parents also moved into a house with no door between the bathroom and bedroom. She put curtains up to separate them. So there are houses without doors separating the bedroom and bathroom. These were newly built houses, by the way.
In my estimation….
You just installed lovely 10 lite double french doors in the cased opening to your soon to be “Master suite” !
So other than doors needed in the WC for obvious privacy reasons, and as you stated you wish to have a door for separation between the laundry and closet areas. I think at this point, it’s all about preference and comfort. You know exactly how your home functions best on the daily, so work with those perameters and improve from there. I am in awe with your closet layout! I truly cannot wait to see that come together ….Yeeeee! Mine is such a step in turn around and step out, seriously! LOL
If you have a pocket door now , does it matter? I would not keep my closet tidy enough. My closet only opens to the bathroom not a hallway and although the whole area is your master suite you will still have people in the area from time to time
Just read comments… i ditto making the closet door slightly wider to 36” it wont feel so pinched especially if you are going to do the same treatment as the bedroom. I happen to have essentially the same thing going from a bedroom to a bath at standard and it feels “tight” walking through. If you ever need a new washer/dryer you might need the extra inches.
This is my thought as well. Make sure the opening is wide enough. And I love the idea!! So grand and unique. Nobody else will ever have a space like that!
Our walk in closet, long and narrow has a closet door and we rarely close it. There’s only two of us and if we have company, I close it. We don’t even keep our closet very neat!
We have a large suite much like the one you’re creating. We have a private hallway in our primary suite with his-and-hers walk in closets. The hallway is also lined with built in cabinetry for linens and whatnot. The walk in closets have doors and I’ve wanted to take them off since we moved in. What’s stopping me, I don’t know. But they are doors that serve no purpose, offer no “privacy” or practical concealment for clutter (since they’re deep into our primary suite), not near our bathroom to protect our clothes from humidity, and we’ve literally never closed them. They just kind of hangout open in the hallway. So as long as you’re doing solid or frosted doors between your primary suite and the rest of the house, doors are not necessary IMO.
I do think having the laundry pocket door is practical for noise alone. I also think it will be a practical barrier for lint, humidity, odors, etc. that come from a laundry room.
I love this idea and I can see it in my mind’s eye. I think having the bedroom and closet entrances match or similar is perfect.
We have a pocket door to our walk-in closet off our bathroom and we never shut the closet door.
Can’t wait to see it come together!
I found some similar options so you can visualize!
https://pin.it/6Yjoc7zEd
https://pin.it/7ueLOqTn9
https://pin.it/6eBvxndoK
Will you use the closet as a dressing room or just to store your clothing in there? I get dressed/change my clothing twice per day most days (once in the bathroom after a shower and then once in my closet when I get ready for bed). So, I guess my advice is…if you ever anticipate being naked in the closet, then I suggest a closet door for the sole purpose of privacy. I really only close the closet door when we have guests (which is pretty often since we still have a teenager at home), but I still prefer to option since the closet door is much closer than remembering to close the door each time I enter the suite.
I don’t think a closet needs a door, BUT will it always be neat and tidy? and if not will this bother you?
Our walk in closet off of the primary bathroom has no door BUT we are a very organized couple so there is no clutter and its not off of a hallway. Although you always have good intentions, you’ve admitted to not being overly organized and I think you would want a way to close off any chaos from your view or anyone else’s who might wander back there or view it from the music room. since the pocket door exists maybe try leaving it open most of the time and then you’ll have the option to close it when you need to!
They build a lot of houses now where the larger walk-ins don’t have doors. Precisely to give it that suite feel.
The door to our closet is always open, and our closet is usually a mess. Doesn’t bother us a bit! Why put a door in when you will have such beautiful entrance?
Not crazy at all! Some homes do not have closed in closets. Our closet is between our master bath and the laundry room. Both doors to the other rooms stay open. I wish I had planned ahead enough to at least put a pocket door between the bathroom and closet. We have had to close the closet – laundry room door when we had company. But that would not be an issue for you. I like the idea of the cabinets framing the doorway.
For the laundry room,As loud as today’s washing machines are, you might consider using a door that is more soundproof than one with glass in it. I am so glad that we have a solid door between our laundry room and the room next to it… It makes a huge difference when it’s closed
Your idea sounds interesting and I’m sure will look awesome when everything is in its place. I’d want some way to hide the mess, that’s all. So, even if I don’t shut my closet doors much of the time(I like air flow), I do shut them when I have company or when I’ve created a mess I can’t clean up at the moment and can’t stand to see at the moment. Just a thought.
We remodeled our bathroom and closet area and do not have a door. We just have a cased opening and I love it.
My current walk-in closet doesn’t have a door, nor did the flat I lived in years ago. It looks cleaner without a door. I love your plans.
I have pocket doors on our walk-in closets. I am a neat freak so it’s OK whenever someone wants a tour of our home. I still like the idea of being able to close the door if I want to. Your decision though for your closet.
I actually think the whole master suite makes more sense without a door to the closet.
Our walk-in closet doesn’t have a door; you enter through our master bathroom. 100% recommend, have never missed the door.
We have a door to our closet area (closet is only accessible through the bathroom—I could rant about that—if a builder does that they should put in a private toilet area) but I want the closet door closed. Even if the area is kept neat, I don’t want to see the hanging clothes and shoes. For me, a door creates visual neatness when I walk by and I like that. Although, my house isn’t always visually neat 😂
If your floor to ceiling closets will have doors on them, that will be closed when not in use, an entrance door into that area would not be necessary.
If no doors or if the doors would be left open, an entrance door would be nice.
Our walk in closet has a door, and also has a switch that turns the closet light on and off when the door is opened and closed. My husband is a messy closet person, so I enjoy being able to shut the door and not see the mess! And I like the auto on/off switch for the light, because I would always open the door to the old closet to see that the light was on all day/night! I think having a door depends on how tidy you are!
Our walk-in closet doesn’t have a door and that makes it much easier to maneuver (my husband is in a power wheelchair). Since our small master bedroom, bath and closet are adjoining, like yours, we mounted a slab door with obscuring glass on a barn door mechanism to close off the area (where you have your french doors). Leave the door off.
My thoughts exactly. We never close our closet door. It’s off the master bathroom so no one but us ever sees it. I’m also now considering removing it. Go for it Kristi, it will be beautiful. And for those who talk about keeping it tidy, it is in your bedroom suite, no-one will see it but you. You won’t be able to see anything but the sides of cabinets from the entry into the master suite.
I don’t have a door on my closet! I removed it because when opened it blocked off too much of my closet.
I can’t contribute to the discussion except to say that you must keep a much neater closet than I! All my closets are stuffed to the gills. A door is necessary to prolong the assumption that all is neat and tidy! I’m excited to see what you decide and watch it take shape. You are amazing!
We have to go through our bathroom to get to the closet. When we moved in, there weren’t any doors separating them. I liked it like that. Then we decided we needed to put doors up. I really detest them. They get in the way.
So, TLDR, it is not crazy to have an open doorway into a walk-in closet.
I would recommend installing sliding glass pocket doors (is that the right term if it is incased between two walls) – that way you can have it open or closed when doing laundry and the door wont be in your way. Best of both worlds. When closed you will still be able to see in side the beautiful interior I know you are working towards.
We have two homes. Neither of them have doors on their walk-in closets. However, one closet is directly across from glass blocks in the concrete (this is on Guam) through which sun pours each morning. I had to hang a blackout curtain their to protect our clothes.
I hate, loathe and despise DOOR ANGER. Many doors of all types were removed because of this.
I am all for that idea. I removed the door from my master closet and I put wallpaper on the wall in the closet you can see from the bedroom. It makes me smile everytime I walk into my bedroom and closet. Go for it.
I love how you describe your thoughts and details!
Your closet doorway looks amazing but it’s something that would make me want to explore further. I’d have difficulty keeping it tidy.
I can’t wait to see the final product!
I think it’s perfect! I have a large master bath with a walking closet. The door to the closet is always open. I’m in and out of it often, to change pj’s to house or yard cloths. Then to change to clothes to go to town. Then back to house or yard clothes then back to pj’s. I get over the door open or closed pretty fast. No one comes to my bedroom suite so is purely at my
Choice. It’s your house. Make yourself happy! Oh, l took the door off the laundry room also.
We have a separate laundry room and walk-in closet, both of which have doors and both of which we leave open 99% of the time. Because both of these rooms open into either private or less used areas of our home, even if they are messy, I don’t feel like they need to be closed in order to feel “company ready”.
You haven’t said, will this opening be wider also to accommodate the wheelchair? If so then I think the continuity of the 2 opening with the matching millwork will look really nice.
No, you don’t need a door, but there are good reasons to have one. First, if you’re planning on a mostly glass door between the laundry and closet, an additional door may help dampen laundry noise.
When I had a walk-in closet (which I miss terribly) I considered it a dressing room so I would have felt more comfortable with a door. More importantly, I had a full length mirror on the back of the door and a smaller mirror above a dresser that was opposite the door. This gave me the ability to check my outfits from head to toe before heading out. That’s the walk-in luxury I miss the most and I’d encourage you to consider mirror placement in your plans. There are many options that don’t involve doors and maybe it’s not even important for you at all but I sure miss it!
I’m a little late reading this post but… we have a door to our master closet which is in our bathroom “area” and we keep the door CLOSED at all times. There is one word why we do this: CATS. They love to go in and snuggle in any clothes they can find and their fur ends up on all of our clothes. Even if they just brush something hanging on a hanger, it’s covered in fur. The other issue is dust. Even though we have a door and the room is completely closed off with no window or ducts, there is always dust so I can only imagine what it would be like if there was no door. Our laundry room is separate and very dusty due to lint even though I am meticulous about clearning the lint as well as actually cleaning the lint filter (We have friends who had a house fire due to a clogged lint duct so I am pretty paranoid about them). We do a lot of laundry and create a lot of dust. Just my $0.02 of course!
The closet will be lovely without a door. Go for it!
Built new home, took his and her closet doors off and stored them. Bath had large double door entrance as does the master bedroom off a wide hall. In our cabin, my dressing area/closet off the bath has no door. I love the no doors in master wing.
It’s not crazy to remove the closet door…. But, a major benefit that I see is that you will be able to move the entry over a bit to center it on the window and make the cabinetry on the hallway wall be symmetrical. The reframing of the closet entry needs to be done before you lay the hardwood flooring for the hall and guest bedroom/new closet. So, perhaps the contracting delay was providence!?!