7 Interior Doorway Ideas for a Room Without a Door

Increase your privacy in a room without a door with these stylish interior doorway ideas from Pottery Barn. Whether you’re remodeling or have a home that still needs some upgrades to suit your taste, a missing door is a surprisingly easy thing to live with. Use these suggestions as temporary door ideas when you redecorate, or as part of your home’s permanent decor.

Door Curtains Ideas 

Hanging curtains over an open doorway is an easy way to limit visibility and create a sense of privacy. This method of covering your door opening is nice when you need to be able to hear what’s going on in the next room, such as a baby’s room. For a bit of extra sound dampening, use insulated draperies instead of curtains. Simply install the curtain’s hanging hardware above the door jamb. Then, hang the drapes or curtains the same way you would if you were covering a window. Add the tie-backs at the sides of the door for times when you want to see into the next room. 

So Much More Than Just a Coat Hook

Coat hooks provide another way to hang window treatments over a doorway. Hang coat hooks about 6" apart. Then, drape the hanging tabs or decorative grommets from lace curtains or sheers over the hooks. This approach works best if you use curtains crafted from lightweight fabric for a pretty draping effect. Using lighter material also lets some light filter through to brighten darker interior rooms. 

Not Just for the Bathroom

Put a tension rod, like a shower or closet bar, near the top of the door jamb to hang up a shower curtain or a blanket that you love. The tension holds the bar in place, so you don’t need to make any unnecessary holes in your door trim. Use shower curtain hooks to hold a cloth shower curtain in place. If you’re hanging up a blanket or other tapestry that doesn’t have a channel sewn in for the rod to go through, temporarily use safety pins to secure the folded edge of the blanket over the bar. For a more permanent solution, stitch a tube-like channel in one end of the blanket for the tension bar to slide through.

How to Cover a Doorway Without a Door

Add romantic, bohemian flair to your decor with macramé curtains or strands of beads suspended from curtain hardware or a rope fastened at the top of the doorway. This type of door cover adds an especially delicate touch to a doorway. It also opens up a small space while adding definition between rooms. Add a few strands of sparkly yarn and beads, and hang string lights around the door trim for a playful touch. The delicate glow of the lights and sparkling yarn work together to create soft shine in the doorway. 

Temporary Door Ideas for Extra Privacy

If you want more privacy than a curtain is able to provide, try putting up accordion style doors. These non-traditional doors slide like a curtain but are firmer and provide more sound blocking than drapes. Accordion style doors are made of lighter material than wood, often vinyl for easy cleaning. They come in painted neutral colors and wood grain hues that match your other furniture and rugs. 

Industrial Decor, Folk Art and French Country Styles 

For a home decorated with industrial decor, decorated with folk art or done in French country style, consider installing sliding shutters suspended from barn door-style hardware. The sliding shutters are easy to paint or stain to match the style and colors of your home. For a heavier option, craft the sliding door cover from old barn wood. Or, restyle an older door to hang from the sliding door hardware. 

A Touch of Old West Style

Have fun making a dramatic entrance with a pair of old west tavern-style swinging doors. Swinging doors cover the main part of the doorway, with openings at the top and bottom. The openings make this a style that works especially well when the adjoining rooms are color coordinated. Add design elements like matching drapes, flooring or light fixtures. Install a center latch for those times you want to keep the space more private.