I'd take the doors off completely and put up some kind of cordless blinds. Cellular maybe? IN other words, treat them like they're a window.

You are lucky to have a dog that will hang out in the laundry room. My new pup does not like confined areas. :(

Where is you W/D area and do you have a laundry sink? We keep our puppy's dog bowls underneath our sink, so it's tucked out of the way. When we tried the kennel route, the cage was under the sink.

If you don't have one, I think a curtain will be your best bet. However, why not make it to the floor. Your dog can surely paw through the curtain to get to the bed, can't it?

Make the curtain a flat, split panel and not gathered fullness. Secure on a decorative shower curtain rod. Attach from wall to wall inside the closet. That way, you (and the dog) will not have to fight the curtain to get to the closet items. Just fold back one side of a panel or the other. Doggy can slip in and out of the opening.

My daughter has one to cover her laundry area. It is a striped heavy canvas like panel. I wish I had a photo to show you. :(

This post was edited by newhomebuilder on Mon, Nov 17, 14 at 12:28

I'd use ready-made roller blinds. Check out IKEA. You can cut them to size.

can you remove the bifolds and install a regular door with a doggie door in it?

ML

I'd place a curtain tension-rod inside the existing door frame and hang a simple curtain on it in the length you want. You can just push the curtain aside for human access to the closet, and leave the door in place for those times when the closet should be closed off completely.

Thank you for the responses! They are all great ideas. I'm pretty sure we will be removing the bifold doors. They are in the way on the sides in their permanently open state.

I didn't think of rollers or shades. Hmmmmm. I'm not sure of this idea because of how wide it is. The doorway is about 6' wide.

I like the idea of a door with a doggy cut-out. That could be cute.

I also like the idea of curtains to the floor, but he's a delicate snowflake :-) and I don't think he would nose past them to get inside.

I work at home so 90% of the time he is right here in my office with me on his dog couch. It's just the times when we leave the house for extended periods that we keep him in the back area.

This post was edited by geokid on Mon, Nov 17, 14 at 13:11

Maybe a set of French door curtain rods -- the ones that swing out -- might work here? Then you would have access to items ....

LOVE the dog -- what a sweetie pie face! :)

Here is a link that might be useful: French door curtain roads that swing out

Dutch door or curtains w/tie backs.

Can you get something more like saloon doors that would be open on the bottom anyway and open up top but long enough to obscure most of the closet?

What about full length curtains, with one panel hanging down and a second panel pulled aside to a low tie-back - just high enough for access, but covering the upper portion?

Otherwise I like the doggy door option. But if he won't go through the curtain, will he go through the door?

If it's just you that is walking through and seeing this area, I would just let it go. Remove the doors for convenience and don't give it another thought!

Btw, it looks like you've already got open cabinetry with coats and shoes, etc., so it seems like the easiest thing would be to just take the doors orr and, as ellendi said, don't give it another thought. It's a mudroom. Make it easy on yourself!

If you really want blinds, you can attach them to the upper inside of the door (behind the frame) or the ceiling of the closet.

Easy! Curtains/drapes that are sheered on a rod, top and bottom. Two tension rods(shower curtain)would make the application a piece of cake! Place the bottom rod high enough so puppy can get out easily.

"he's a delicate snowflake :-) and I don't think he would nose past them to get inside. "

Aheem,I don't believe that is melted snow on the hall carpet.

Since you have open shelving already in this area, I agree with Tibbrix to just take off the doors. We are in the process of building a 'mud 'nook' just inside our garage door. We've built a crate for our dog on the bottom and will have hooks and cubbies above. It sounds like your dog doesn't need to be crated when you are away, so perhaps just a bench that is open underneath.

This is our area in progress.

That's a great idea, nhbaskets. It would be nice to have another shelf in the closet.

Lol, klem1. We can't keep his toys in a basket because he's too afraid to get them out. He's also afraid of the vacuum and gets upset if his water dish is to the left of his food dish instead of to the right. So, yes, a curtain would be an impassible barrier to him. :-)

What a crack-up doggie!

I love the idea of a bench/dog-crate combo, but am not sure how easy it would be to clean (in case of an illness or accident).

I'm in the "take the doors off and having nothing" group -- especially since there are open shelves/etc across the way already. What about just getting the closet organized for open storage that is similar to what's on the other sides (although it already looks pretty well-organized).

The shelves on the left will have baskets to hide most of the stuff. Like I said, we just rearranged. Each of my kids has a cabinet and the open shelves work well for them for now. I'd love it if I could have doors on everything.

That said, I don't think leaving the door off the closet will work for me, even though I know it's the easiest option! I think I will go with second easiest and just get a tension rod for curtains. I'll play with tie backs and curtain lengths and post a picture when I figure out what I like.

Thanks for all the feedback!!