Hello! Today, I share a design dilemma I recently encountered at our renovated cottage. We expanded the main bedroom in the cottage by three feet (yay), and I was so excited! Once all the walls were in as we were space planning, I was determined to get a king-size bed into the room. The problem was that we would not have room for closet doors to open if I did that. I was not about to let a little thing like a lack of closet doors squash my plans, so I set out to find open closet ideas for a small bedroom.

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What is an Open Closet?

An open closet is a closet that has no doors. This could be because you don’t have room for a door, as in my case, or simply a design decision to optimize space or traffic flow. There is a trend of taking closet doors off to make a small home office or “cloffice,” but that is a post for another day. 🙂

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Making an Open Closet Feel Intentional.

Once I had decided to sacrifice the closet doors for a king-size bed, I knew I had to concentrate on making it both pretty and functional.

Peel and Stick Wall Paper

I was all set to paint the closet’s interior a pretty blue (to match the door), but then I stumbled across this peel-and-stick wallpaper from Tempaper, and the pattern and color palette was perfect! This is the first time I have wallpapered the inside of a closet, but wow! I highly recommend it.

As a bonus, Peel-and-stick wallpaper is a relatively easy DIY (even for a beginner) and only takes a few hours. This small space is perfect for taking a design risk that might feel overwhelming in an entire room. Another plus is that you truly get a bold statement for not having a huge investment.

Pay Attention to the Finishing Details

Because the closet space will be open to the room, I made sure we added trim along the flooring. I also trimmed out the breaker box (and painted it blue). This helps the closet feel like it has a cohesive look. Following the same thought, we trimmed the outside of the closet doors in case a future buyer would like to add doors later.

Functional Storage

My closet space is small, but I need it to store a lot. The cottage is also used as a vacation rental, and as the cottage itself does not have much in the way of storage, I need this closet to function well. So, I looked for baskets for storing smaller items and a tower storage option that would not take up all the floor space (similar here). Any decorative storage bins I added needed to look good and hold all the stuff.

Add a Rod for Hanging Storage

I debated for a hot minute, but we did add a hanging rod (not shown here) under the closet shelving for longer clothing items and some pretty hangers for hanging storage for guests. We had enough room to add a couple of luggage racks for our guests.

Hang a Curtain Panel

As much as I love the open closet concept, there will be times when the closet is messy or not as organized as I may want. Knowing this going in, I did add a curtain panel hung from a brass tension rod. If I chose to, it would be a nice option for closing the closet off from full view.

Other items for an Open Closet

I kept this closet pretty simple, but I had several ideas that were floating around. I had actually picked a pretty light fixture that I am still mulling over.

• Add a pretty light fixture! I opted for functional lighting for my guest’s comfort, but a cottage-style chandelier would be lovely here, also. Side note: Proper lighting is essential in any closet.
• The back wall is the perfect place for a full-length mirror! We actually have one in this room already. Think dressing room style.
• Hooks! I am a fan of hooks, and a closet is an ideal place for sneaking in some extras (it helps keep clothes off the bench or chair). Here are some of my very favorite decorative hooks.
• Add a small dresser for some closed storage.
• Shoe racks to tackle all the shoes!
• A Small stool
• Closet Organizers

While an Open Closet Design may not be for everyone, for this small bedroom, it allows easy access, and it was a great way to allow me enough room to fit the king-size bed in!

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Until Next time,

-Libbie

You may also enjoy the following:

A quick and easy closet door update

How to refresh a bedroom