Second-Guessing My Plan For The Closet Doorway
I’m literally down to one project that needs to be finished for the closet before it’s done — finishing the doorway. It has been a very long road to get here, and I’m at the end of the road. One project left.
I headed to Home Depot this past Sunday to get everything I needed for this project — a 2×4 to frame out the top of the doorway, all of the trim boards to trim out the doorway like I trim out all of our other doors and windows, drywall mud to patch the drywall that would need to be added above the top trim on the door, etc.
And then I set out yesterday to get the job done. I cut the 2×4 to create the top jamb of the doorway, and started attaching it, and then started second-guessing the whole plan.
Right now, the doorway to the closet is so tall and open. If you’ve forgotten, here’s how it looks right now with the very rough opening…
I had wanted the ceiling between the foyer and the closet to be level and smooth with no separation at all, but that couldn’t be done because those 2x4s at the top can’t be removed. They are definitely bearing a load because there’s a ceiling joist that ends right on top of those 2x4s. So those had to stay, which kind of ruined my vision for it.
That turned out to be okay since I ended up color drenching the closet in blue and painted the ceiling the same blue as the cabinets. I wouldn’t want to have to use that same blue on the ceiling throughout the whole bedroom suite, so those 2x4s created a natural stopping point. So in the end, I was glad they were there.
But then my plan was to frame out this doorway just like the other doors and windows in the house, which look like this with the large top trim and simple 1x4s on the sides.
I figured it would be fine because that’s how the other two doorways in the bedroom foyer will be trimmed out once they’re finished. Right now, the door to the bedroom suite looks like this, but once the side pieces are reinstalled, it will look like the rest of the doorways in the house.
And then, of course, the doorway to the current hallway bathroom (which will eventually be a storage room for the bedroom suite) will be trimmed out the same way. (Excuse the mess. When I say I didn’t do any work during my break, I mean that I didn’t do a single bit of actual, unpleaseant work, and that includes cleaning up all of the leftover closet project mess. 😀 )
So adding that same trim to the doorway to the closet/laundry area seemed like an appropriate decision. But I just couldn’t bring myself to do it, at least not yet. I wanted to think this through a bit more before I commit to that plan. Again, I’ve gotten so used to seeing this doorway so wide open and tall, and the idea of adding drywall to the top to bring the doorway down low enough to frame out that way just doesn’t feel right to me. Not only am I not thrilled with the idea of bringing that top part down lower, but then this will be the only one of the three doorways in the bedroom suite foyer that doesn’t have a door on it. I don’t feel like that lends to a cohesive look.
I did a very quick (and not very pretty) mockup of what it would look like once the drywall above the doorway is in place if I stick with this plan.
And then you’ll have to use your imagination to envision it with the same trim as the other doors, the teal grasscloth on the upper part of the walls on either side, and the creamy white wainscoting on the lower part of the walls on either side.
I just can’t help but think that it will look busy. And again, since there won’t be an actual door on the closet/laundry area, I don’t think it will actually look cohesive with the other doorways.
So after second-guessing this plan yesterday, I tried to envision something else. And what I finally landed on is this potential plan. What if, instead of framing out this doorway like the other two that actually have doors, I leave it open like it is now, and simply use those 2x4s at the top as a base to attach crown molding at the top? I would make sure to line it up exactly so that the bottom of the crown molding hits right at the bottom of those 2x4s that drop down.
That means that instead of covering over the exposed 2×4 framing on the sides and top of the doorway with trim, I would simply cover them with drywall, just like the other outside corners are covered with drywall.
And then, once I add the wainscoting and grasscloth to the foyer and bedroom walls, that same treatment would just wrap around those corners just like they’ll wrap around the other corners in the foyer and bedroom.
To create an endpoint for the grasscloth and wainscoting where it meets the closet walls, I could just add a little bit of vertical trim, but it wouldn’t be the big trim that I generally use on doors and windows.
So this is the direction I’m leaning because I really like the openness of the closet doorway, and I don’t want to create more visual barriers or any visual clutter in this area. And as much as I love the way I trim out doors and windows, I do think it will create some visual clutter if I add it to this doorway.
What do you think about that idea? Can you envision it? I know that means that I’ll have to actually do some drywall work, and I hate doing drywall. But I think I’ll be happier with the result, so I’m willing to do the extra drywall work if it’ll give me a better finished result.
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Addicted 2 Decorating is where I share my DIY and decorating journey as I remodel and decorate the 1948 fixer upper that my husband, Matt, and I bought in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do physical work, so I do the majority of the work on the house by myself. You can learn more about me here.
I feel your dilemma, but have you considered perhaps a transom window above the doorway, that way you’ve got the light, and you’ve got this little bit of inspired whimsy if you like to call it that over the doorway that is not going to have a door.
I know you’ll figure it out beautifully.
Cheers to you, Matt, and the fur babies!
Omg i hadn’t considered a transom and I love them!! What a perfect opportunity to put one in. I’d be half tempted to make it with a design but no color, just clear or frosted glass or combo of both. Perfect idea Lori Ann!
What if left that last closet project till get the foyer wainscoting and wallpaper up—-that way have all the visuals right there to decide what looks best for you.
I agree with this, what I was going to recommend.
Agree!
I would trim out the entry to the closet just as you have all the other doorways in your house. I don’t think it will look odd without a door, although I would definitely have a door on the closet if it were my house. I think the crown moulding across the top of the doorway would look odd.
What about making the whole opening trim including the side of the cabinets? So it looks like a grand opening into the closet. I tried to find an example but I’m terrible at finding photos on houzz!
I also think a transom-maybe an architectural salvage piece?-would be awesome there. I know everyone wants things to be “done and checked off the list” but making a home takes time and what seems perfect today may not be in the long term. You’ve done such an amazing job in this room, maybe a little distance from it would be the best thing?
As a wife caring for a husband with advancing Parkinson’s, I would suggest you reconsider a sliding door to shut off the noise of the washer and dryer if your husband is trying to sleep/rest in the new Master Bedroom. It might not seem important now but might be a bigger deal in the future. (My father had MS while I was growing up in the early 60’s BTW.)
Ooh! A pocket door… It could go away 90% of the time, but it’s there when wanted. It’s probably that should have been built in earlier though. They can be tricky to install.
What about a transom window?
Maybe it would work but in my humble opinion; a closet is personal space. Without a door it doesn’t allow it to be a personal space for when you have guests. It’s a beautiful closet, but it’s intended for you 🙂
I wholeheartedly agree! I believe the closet should have a door and the trim all the other doors have, especially on the foyer side. To me, it would look inconsistent otherwise. But that’s totally just my opinion.
It’s off the foyer. No guests will be in that part of bedroom/foyer/closet anyway. No one can see it except Kristi and Matt. It’s mainly for Kristi’ s comfort and symmetry, I believe.
The doorways to my kitchen from the living room and from the foyer are done the way you are suggesting, minus the trim at the ceiling. We don’t have crown molding anywhere except at the fire place bump out. We have a chair rail that ends at each side of the door with an angled cut. I like the way it looks. I agree, trim can get to be overpowering in a small space.
I too, like Lori Ann thought transom…..but why????? bedrooms etc… call for privacy…… That closet is a true “Stand Out”….. give it all the exposure it truly deserves…i say…K.I.S.S. “Keep It Simple Sweety”
Kristi, I love your idea, keep it simple and uncluttered.
How about a small transom window?
I want to second the idea of a transom window. That opening is begging for special treatment. I found this image that’s a nod to your cabinets. It might be the perfect way to finish your entryway!
https://www.digsdigs.com/transom-windows-pros-cons/pictures/186787/
Yes yes yes! Perfect idea!
Yes! I love your idea and clearly understand your reasoning. Many have suggested a transom window, which is not all appealing to me. I do agree with K.I.S.S.!! And, I like how you ponder things to get to where you want to be. Glad you took some time off to relax and rejuvenate but, soooo looked forward to your return. Thanks for including all us wannabes in your journey.
Well, that is a stumper! Personally, I don’t think you would notice it after a while if it was just drywalled on the top, but adding the crown molding will perhaps draw attention to that. We have a similar situation in our home and brought the opening down a bit more with drywall and then added the trim which in our case was molding around the entire opening with wood on the insides of the doorway. So it just looks like a taller doorway without a door, and no drywall to get dinged going in and out. It looks good even in an area with two regular height doors. Yours is an entry to a room after all, not a hallway, so perhaps that idea might work for you.
I feel like this is a good idea. The bedroom area won’t have a door, so leaving the closet without one actually helps to tie in the bedroom with the closet. That being said, I also think that if you decide to add a door, I would do a split glass door (similar to what is on the guest bath now) on spring hinges. My reason for this is so the beautiful closet is visible but contained, and hinges so that if carrying a laundry basket in/out, you don’t need to turn a knob. But I like the open idea best.
I love this idea. I was thinking of the split bathroom doors and how the closet doors could look like shutters when opened.
I think it should be a cased opening with similar trim as the other doors and winwos. I feel like it will make a defined transition between the foyer and the closet and make each space feel special in it’s own way but still cohesive.
As you’ve been down this road before I’d caution you to do your best to consider every downside, thing that can go wrong, and every other thing you hadn’t even thought of. Is your ceiling/wall level so the crown doesn’t go downhill? Other than not likening to drywall, is there a downside to doing it? Bear in mind I’m a Monday morning quarterback but I thought I’d toss my 2¢ in. ( maybe get Mom’s opining because she has a knack for keeping the wheels on your bus!)
In my mind, I think it would look better trimmed out, and I’d definitely want a door due to the possible noise of the laundry, or light if I was in there doing laundry, etc. while Matt was asleep. The high opening along with the high opening into the bedroom feel off balance somehow with the trimmed out doors on the other side of the master bedroom “foyer”.
I think you should consider a pocket door. Because of the washer and dryer and the noise that goes with doing laundry, I think you’ll want a door. This way you could leave it open the majority of the time.
It’s pretty much too late to consider a pocket door. They require that system to be built into the wall that they recess into. She now has cabinets built onto that wall, most likely with fasteners penetrating that space into studs that would be in rhe way of the pocket door. It’s not a simple thing to do.
I think your idea is great! The crown will just be a continuous line and the opening will be tall and wonderful. I like it a lot! (A transom window would just add more busy-ness, which you are trying to avoid and I agree.)
I’d trim it with the corner pieces and crown moulding like you used inside the closet cabinets so it looks like an opening into a built-in. It would mirror the shapes you can see through the opening and the height would make sense visually.
I really, really like this idea.
The view with the open shelves and the corner pieces made my mind go here too.
Drywall the top opening down a few inches for a clean look. I agree with others that the crown moulding looks out of place and draws attention to the opening.
I like the previously planned doorway best. I like the transom for light but to use similar trim, you’ll use most of the height for trim vs clear glass.
I don’t see the problem you see in your mock up, maybe try to re-train your eye while cleaning up the foyer? Tape some paper up to close the top part of the doorway to have it be visually shorter?
How does the grasscloth color work right next to the closet cabinet color (without the separation of trim)?
Could you do a photoshop mockup of that combo?
I think your idea to just add drywall and treat it like the opposite corner is a good one if you are not adding a door. Think of it as the world shortest hallway, if you will, since hallways don’t typically have trim at their entrances/exits. Then the trim you add for the grasscloth will help the moment be about the wall treatment, rather than about the door. Just my thoughts. Whatever you end up doing will obviously be fantastic! You never fail to inspire and create something beautiful and magical!!
Sounds like a great solution 👌! I like the openess so leave it be. The bedroom balances it out nicely. As for doors, if the laundry is disturbing to Matt when he has to be in the bedroom, wouldn’t you just leave it for another time or share your noise cancelling headphones with your hubbie?! Have fun.
I don’t think the transom window idea sounds like you or your house, unless you plan on adding them in other places. I think you have worked out the sound and light issues with the open door, too. I like your idea assuming the crown molding goes around the whole foyer not just that wall. It seems like some comments think its just that wall from your mock up. Maybe you could give some clarity.
I agree with comments about wanting to get your project list complete, but if you are still struggling with this decision, maybe the waiting comments are a good suggestion. Maybe once you start the foyer it will work itself out. I looked back at other door less openings in your house and understood the dilemma of the bedroom door opening dilemma.
Honestly, I think your solution answered all your concerns. I say go for it!
Honestly, are you super neat? I think having your closet/laundry room open to view ALL THE TIME sounds very stressful. No unfolded laundry on the dryer EVER? No shoes on the floor EVER?
I would match the doors to the master suite and give yourself some grace to not be perfectly tidy all the time.
Agree leave it – keep the height and openness. The bedroom door right next to it will not be able to have the usual framing treatment either by the looks of it from the angle of the last photo? So keeping them both open and clear will let the grasscloth and other details sing.
Looks so amazing! Well done!
Even leaving it until the hallway is done is a great idea.
I think the grass cloth and wood wrapped around the edges of the opening would look nice. Just because you have 3 holes doesn’t mean they all need to look a like with doors and trim. That would leave your open space large and open.
You wouldn’t have much drywall work to do. Nothing like sanding your brown floors to natural finish.
I’m not 100% bought into the idea, but trimming it out as you laid it would be relatively quick, easy, and inexpensive. Go for it! And if you end up disliking it, it’s really not much effort to continue on with the original plan.