Entry Closet Door Dispute

last year

Please help. I'm am trying to get my husband to understand that it is impractical and astetically unpleasant to take off the door to our entry closet and just leave it open with no kind of replacement. (This closet has extra coats, shoes, and backpacks, along with board games on the top shelf)
It's a old 70s style metal bifold door. I have tried to compromise in the following ways:
Clean the door, paint it, and replace the handle to make it look nicer.
Get a modern bifold door to replace the old one.
Take the door of and add a rod and curtain as a door alternative.
He refuses to be flexible and shoots down any suggestion I have, he thinks im stupid and just wants it to be open. With the contents of the closet and it being right there when you first walk in the door, I find this to be impractical and just an eye sore. None of this matyers to him and I'm at my wits end with his rude comments. I need others to help me get through to him.

Featured Answer

Kendrah

last year

He thinks you are stupid and is rude. I don't think there is anything we can say that will combat an attitude like that. Your suggestions are all reasonable alternatives.

Comments (16)

chispa
last year
last modified: last year
(I have) So much to say that has nothing to do with design and closet doors ...

That aside, I will cast my vote for having a real closet door. Don't just leave it open or put a curtain over it, unless you are young and still living in college housing. (young people might do things we consider "bad" design because they lack, time money & experience to make it look better)

* edit added in brackets, because I think OP misunderstood my comment.
Ammes 42
Original Author
last year
Um thanks....I'm was trying to provide context. This is my first post. Sorry it's not up to your standard. Been in our house for 10 years...I feel young still, not sure what age has to do with it.
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Bma, I'm sorry I didn't mean that you thought my solution was an eyesore. Though I'm sure at times ours was. Especially in winter with snow pants, hats and gloves added to the mix! I wish it were easier to know expressions here without using html. I've tried, but it makes everything italic or bold. Thanks for the pictures Saruna. In the picture of yours I've linked to below I see that you could easily do both of the ideas I did in our home only just down the hall a bit from the door itself. I'm so glad I asked for pictures. I'd move your bencdh across to the opposite wall under the lightswitch and put the shelf above where you have the bench now or even get a narrow hall tree. We now have one at our back entry that I got at Hobby Lobby. I had just bought it and plopped some things on it that happened to be close by. I don't have a current picture of it, but actually you can see it better in this pix. I think you'd have plenty of room to have one like this where your bench is now. You could add your own hooks to the sides low enough for your children to hang their coats and be out of the way of the sitting area. I now have basket in the cubbies where shoes can be tucked and just measured to make a cushion. The cushion will be sixteen inches deep by twenty nine inches wide so that gives you an idea of the size.
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Hi Uesmayor. OK, let's back up, here. Yes, those are interesting doors, but in a room only 42 inches wide, they'll be totally wasted. I know, because in my old apartment, I used to have a 48-inch hallway, and it didn't matter what I had in there--Rococo Revival hall tree, ornamental fragments of demolished buildings, 19th century engravings in period frames--no one saw any of it because the room was nothing more than a glorified tunnel, to be walked through in two seconds. In my new apartment, I have a whole extra foot of width, but it still doesn't matter. Sure, I have stuff on those side walls, but only because I needed the wall space to hang it, not because anybody will ever notice any of it. Unfortunately, in rooms the size & shape of our hallways, all that matters is whatever you see at the far end--not the sides--of your hall. So, if there's a wall there (rather than a another doorway) and you're determined to use this panel--that is, one panel--what I'd do is paint it the buttercream you mention, glaze it with a neutral color, attach it to that end wall & pinspot it from above with a narrow-beam light to throw strong shadows on the carving. Meanwile, while you wait for it to arrive, give your hallway--plain sliding doors & all--a few coats of high-gloss enamel in the darkest value of whatever other color you're using in the rest of your apartment. Maybe black, maybe ultramarine blue, maybe eggplant, maybe espresso brown. All that matters is that it's dark, it's fairly neutral & it's shiny. Won't the dark color make your hall look even smaller than it already is? Maybe, but that doesn't matter, because all that a pale color will do is make obvious how small the room is, anyway. Let's face it, a 42-inch room will never look any bigger than it is, no matter how light you paint it, so you might as well go for drama. That, at least is achievable. Here's the thing: we big-city, small-apartment dwellers have a whole different set of problems to contend with than most of the people on this board, so it's important to keep focused on solutions that will work for us and not get distracted by "solutions" that don't apply to our givens. What looks great in a marble-floored entry in expansive new home in the suburbs or in a cozy, window-seated vestibule in a Victorian farmhouse seldom looks equally good in our typically dark, cramped spaces. That's probably not what you wanted to hear, but trying to force a style that works in one place onto a place of a totally different character is just a waste of time & money. And I don't know about you, but I don't have enough of either one to throw away. Anyway, if the layout of your place means those carved panels won't work in your hallway, why not use them someplace else where they'll be better appreciated? Regards, Magnaverde. Magnaverde Rule No. 16: Decorate for the life you really have, not the life you wish you had.
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Lorraine Leroux
last year
Well, uhm how can I say this. I feel no matter what we say it will not deter him but I prefer a door. I can only think there is some reason he does not want a door. Maybe ask what that reason is? It maybe nonsensical but who knows.
Lyn Nielson
last year
I agree with a closed door closet.

If you can handle it, I'd leave it a complete mess for 30 days, let him see how tacky it looks, he'll change his mind. I feel for you.
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JAN MOYER
last year
last modified: last year
Prime and paint the darn doors you have. Satin finish,. clean them well first. Trim white, if that's what you have elsewhere on window casings. It's a perfectly fine happy medium.

No...........DO NOT replace with..........nothing. Ridiculous.

Nor is it worth divorce. But you can tell him, all homes are ASSUMED to be, whether right or wrong? The domain of the woman. Men" They get credits or scorn for landscaping etc.

Unfair? Well , unfortunately TRUE.

This? This is different.

"and I'm at my wits end with his rude comments. I need others to help me get through to him."

And it's about a lot more than doors on a closet.
kculbers
last year
I totally agree that you need a closet door for all the reasons you mentioned. Show your husband all the posts you revieved on this issue. Women are usually the decorators, he should listen to you! Best of luck.
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JAN MOYER
last year
You could say he knows nothing about making an attractive home..........but let us not make it worse.

Wait until he's gone for a day, and do the paint thing yourself.

Primer /two coats good satin latex. Any paint store will help you.
mick50
last year
I agree that your husband is being unreasonable. What about a sliding barn-type door on the closet? Is there room on one side? That way if the closet is clean and tidy, the door can stand open. If not (90% of the time) keep it closed.
A G
last year
That sounds super frustrating! I definitely agree that something is needed to hide the contents. your ideas are all good. Why does he want it open? Maybe there is something on his mind that can have a different solution than a wide open entry closet…
Emily R.
last year
"He thinks I'm stupid" -- if he really said this, your husband is being emotionally abusive.
shirlpp
last year
I'm at my wits end with his rude comments. I need others to help me get through to him.

Something is wrong here. This is about more than a closet door.
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Patricia Colwell Consulting
last year
last modified: last year
I am not going to go there . BTW when we correct you about posting you should take that as a point to remember not get snippy. I agree sk him why he does not want the door to begin with. As for his treatment of you that is beyond this forum. My hubby years ago had many ideas about design I just did what I thought was good and he learned to trust me about the decor and design in our home. We have been amrried for almost 60 yrs . Choose the battles worth winning. Maybe take the darn door off and let all the stuff in there spill out often that might change hi mind. Maybe a post a couple of pics here in a comment so we can see what you are working with . Do not start another post .
3onthetree
last year
In college I removed closet doors and put the dresser in the closet to make the room bigger. It was fine back then and for that situation. I wouldn't do that now. If that's ok for civilized adults with a mortgage more than a 3rd world country's GDP, why not remove all the kitchen cabinet doors and leave bathroom drawers open?

I have a feeling that the door is a hassle to open. I picture it being hard sliding, ugly with louvers, and creaky. So I understand removing it. But I would replace it with something else. What are all the other doors in the house? Do you have a back door, like to garage? How about moving your daily coats and backpacks to hooks on the wall there (or another area)? So the closet door becomes a non-issue?
HouseofGodsmith
last year
If it's a cosmetic issue, just paint the doors. You don't need your husband for that. Use a primer and a roller like you would for cabinets. If the doors are not functioning, replace it with either a new bifold or or a double door style, whatever works with your house. I personally don't like bifold because they don't open completely, but it's up to you. Don't do the curtain.

Your husband is a different matter. I recommend a full replacement or just going without.
palimpsest
last year
Painting you should be able to do by yourself and not need any of his help if his real objection is that he does not want to do any work.

Many of these doors were and are standard sizes and you could measure it, and then look online and see if one of the big box stores has the same size and you could either replace it yourself with a screwdriver and looking on You Tube. Or you and a friend could do the same if you need some help.

Entry Closet Door Dispute

Kendrah

Comments (16)

chispa

Ammes 42
Original Author

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Lorraine Leroux

Lyn Nielson

JAN MOYER

kculbers

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shirlpp

Patricia Colwell Consulting

3onthetree

HouseofGodsmith

palimpsest

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Entry Closet Door Dispute

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Ammes 42Original Author

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Ammes 42
Original Author