Whether you're looking to completely renovate your home, update a few rooms, or simply give your house a facelift, there is one thing you can do to give your entire place a brand-new look. By updating and styling the bedroom doors in your home, you could end up feeling like you live in an entirely new house. There are seemingly endless ways to refresh your bedroom door, including:
18 Ways to Update and Style Your Bedroom Door
- Single Door
- Sliding Barn Door
- Dutch Door
- Custom Door
- Bedroom Door Locks
- Bedroom Door Knobs
- Bedroom Door Pulls
- Bedroom Door Hardware
- Repaint
- Chalkboard Paint
- Wreaths
- Wainscoting and Molding
- Trim
- Go Natural
- Artwork
- Stencil
- Distress
- Decor
Without having to remove walls, completely redo the floor plan, or gut your living room and master bedroom, you can achieve an updated look that is at once inviting, refreshing, and rejuvenating. You might just be surprised by how much an updated door or two can transform the total look of your home.
18 Ways to Update and Style Your Bedroom Door
New Single Door
If you're looking for a completely new look, or you're changing the décor scheme in your house, a new bedroom door might be just what you need. While there are numerous ways to update your doors, if you're changing from one décor style to another, such as farmhouse to modern, the update in style and décor might be so significant that you'd want to go with a
modern door, instead. There are as many door styles as there are home décor concepts, so if a new door is what you need, it shouldn't be hard to find one that matches the update in your home's style.
Depending on your budget and remodeling goals, consider switching from a single door to double doors, or a traditional door to a panel or dutch door, instead. These changes not only give you an updated look, but can contribute to improving the traffic flow in your home, as well.
New Sliding Barn Door
Many home styles are being redone in the modern farmhouse or rustic look. This unique style makes use of rustic, antique, and heirloom items, and is beloved by homeowners and guests alike. You can make it as "rustic" or "modern" as desired to fit in with your family, personality, and location.
Homes decorated in the
farmhouse style immensely benefit from switching out the builder-grade bedroom doors that came with the house to a bedroom barn door. Not only will this match the overall feel and look of your home, but your bedroom door will also pair well with barn door bedroom furniture, such as dressers, cabinets, storage caddies, and matching closet doors.
If you already have a bedroom barn door style and you're looking to upgrade your current option, consider adding new
barn door hinges. New hinges can give your entire door an updated appearance by changing the hinge material, color, texture, or shape.
New Dutch Door
Dutch doors are whimsical and useful options that fit a variety of situations. If you're getting ready to transform a room into a guest bedroom or a nursery, consider a
prehung door in the Dutch style. These doors are "split" in the middle, allowing the top half to stand open while the bottom half remains closed. Not only are they a point of interest for many guests, but they create an open and inviting environment.
Dutch doors for guest rooms allow you to display the beauty of a newly made-up room for a guest's arrival. These are popular for many bed and breakfasts or Airbnb type setups. Your guest is instantly welcomed into their room while given a sense of being part of the whole house. They have complete privacy when desired and also have the option to open the top half during their stay. This interior door is ideal if you're planning to host friends, relatives, and guests in your home.
New Custom Door
If you have a special interior door in mind for a unique home that doesn't fit any "style," or you simply want a one-of-a-kind door that no one else has, then you'll want to look into a custom door.
Custom doors can come in any size or style, so you can have your take on French doors or install a large western style bedroom door, instead. For enterprising individuals who want to customize every last bit, you can purchase a
slab door instead of a prehung door and craft your own doorknob cutouts, hinge placements, and trim. When it comes to custom doors, the sky is the limit. To complete the look of a room, consider matching your closet doors with your bedroom doors, as well.
Bedroom Door Locks
Perhaps you have a lovely enough interior door and you're simply looking to change up the hardware. If so, now is the time to consider adding bedroom door locks. Whether your children are teens, you host guests, or you'd like some measure of increased privacy for your master bedroom, door locks are essential. Sometimes bedroom doors don’t include locks, but they can be essential for keeping the peace and privacy of the family.
If you do add locks to your doors, be sure you know how to unlock a bedroom door from the outside. Many bedroom door locks have "fail-safe" options so you can easily unlock it from the outside in case of a house fire (for example, if your smoke detector goes off and the person inside is sleeping). Check with the lock manufacturer to understand how to unlock a locked bedroom door when their the door lock is installed.
Bedroom Door Knobs
If you love your door but want it to "pop" a little bit more, then consider redoing your bedroom doorknobs. Bedroom door knobs (with locks or without) can go a long way toward making your door look brand new. Choose knobs that match your home décor and go well with the stylistic features of your home.
For modern homes, choose streamlined and slim knobs that feature shiny or dark metal. Rustic and farmhouse styled homes can go with doorknobs in several metal finishes such as oiled bronze and burnished copper. If you have a home accented with shabby chic décor, ornate doorknobs that combine crystal and gold accents will fit perfectly.
Be sure to match knob styles with the room the knob faces into. Colors, styles, and metals should match or complement the overall theme of décor in your home.
Bedroom Door Pulls
If you have a
pocket door, a sliding door, or a
bifold door, you won't necessarily need traditional doorknobs. Instead, you'll want to change out your bedroom door handles with new ones to give your door an updated, freshened look that matches the rest of your house or a newly decorated room.
Door handles come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, colors, textures, and metals. No matter what style you have, you'll be able to find an interior door pull or handle to match. Bronze, gold, and crystal handles with ornate surrounds or pulls match well with numerous interior designs, from
modern rustic to
shabby chic.
Sleek stainless steel pulls match modern element designs. Dark metal or distressed painted handles fit in well with a farmhouse feel. No matter what style you seek, you'll be able to find a handle that provides an extra layer of pop and matches the décor to complete a look of style.
Bedroom Door Hardware
When you change your bedroom door handle or doorknob, then you won't want to stop there. Once you've done that, you'll want to change your door hardware as well. There's nothing that makes a door seem more disjointed than a rustic, elegant doorknob with shiny stainless steel hinges. Believe it or not, the hardware will clash considerably with your handles, so it's important to match the two things together.
Many times, you can purchase a knob and the hardware together. If you didn't, do your best to match them as closely as possible. If your handle is crystal and gold, then you'll want your hinges to be in a gold-tone. If you have an oiled bronze handle, but you can only find dark metal hinges, that option will be better than your current stainless steel hinges. Always go with hinges that match as close as possible to the rest of your door's hardware, look, and feel.
Repaint
Most homes come, by default, with white interior doors. White can be a lovely color if you're shooting for the timeless feel of luxury, class, and elegance. However, most hollow core doors are painted white simply because it will match with almost any home design.
If you're ready to dress up your old door to match the color scheme or feel of your home, get out the painter's tape, a tarp to cover your floor, and your overalls. Paint can dramatically change the feel of your home and it could be just the change you need to go from drab to fab.
When painting your interior door, you have the option to match the predominant colors in your home or create an accent wall. Painting your doors with a contrasting color to the rest of your home or room will create a pop of color that is unique and inviting. Make sure the color fits your home’s color palette so that it will be pleasing. If uncertain, test the color out on a piece of your door to get an idea of the color and how it makes you feel. For a uniform look from the outside to the inside of your bedroom, match the paint color of bedroom doors with closet doors.
Chalkboard Paint
Chalkboard paint on a bedroom door is perfect for children's rooms, guest rooms, and rooms leading to and from central parts of the house. While children can enjoy the chalkboard paint to draw and play, you can also use it to post a message to welcome guests and leave important info such as the weather, Wi-Fi password, other things you want guests to have handy. You can use a chalkboard paint background on an interior door to post favorite quotes or doodles of your own that fit in with the feel and décor of rustic and farmhouse homes.
For an extra fun pop when chalkboard painting interior doors, create a "framed" area where you apply the chalkboard paint rather than painting a large area of the door. You can paint a frame or add an actual frame onto your door to make the chalkboard paint area particularly pop.
Wreaths
If you want some a quick DIY or inexpensive bedroom door décor, look no further than seasonal or all-season wreaths. All-season wreaths create a fun pop of creativity on any door. Consider adding a twine monogram of your last name for a master bedroom or first initial for children's rooms. If you have a garden theme or your home is in a rustic or shabby chic style, consider a simple wreath of lavender sprays, eucalyptus leaves, and lambs ear branches.
All-season wreaths match décor and blend in seamlessly with your style to contribute to the overall feel of your home. They work particularly well in homes that boast a rustic, farmhouse, vintage, or garden feel.
Seasonal wreaths can be changed out regularly, as occasions and holidays occur. For traditional farmhouse wreaths, consider changing out your all-season wreaths with those for holidays like the Fourth of July and Christmas, as well as seasons such as spring and fall.
Wainscoting and Molding
Many people want to dress up the hollow core door that came with their house. If you find yourself needing to change the style of your interior door, but aren't in the position to replace your door, add molding or wainscoting to the front of your door.
Wainscoting can take your door from looking plain and boring to unique and classy. It is often used on walls to dress up central rooms or hallways. Panels of wainscoting can be attached to your door and, when painted the same color as the door, will give the effect of having an entirely new door.
If you don't want an entire panel and would prefer to refresh your door with minimal effort, choose molding instead. Molding is inexpensive and can be cut to any dimension desired. This is an easy DIY project, as the pieces can be installed using only wood glue and finishing nails. Just like wainscoting, once you've installed your trim and repainted your door, no one will be the wiser. Instead, you'll look like you just upgraded your doors with something luxurious and expensive.
Trim
In addition to wainscoting or molding, you can change and update the trim around your door frame to give it a fresh appearance. Most door frames naturally come with trim, though some do not. If your doorway has no trim at all, consider installing some. Trim on a door provides your doorway with a completed look that few other updates can provide.
If your door already has basic trim, but you still want to dress it up, consider adding header trim to the top of your door. A header will give the appearance of a taller, more elegant doorway. Be sure to paint all new trim the same color as the rest of your trim for a uniform appearance. The door itself can be a different color, but all the trim should match.
Go Natural
Sometimes the best upgrade you can give yourself is to reveal the natural look of a
wood door.
If you have a solid wood door that's been painted over, consider stripping the paint down then sanding, staining, and sealing the natural beauty of the wood.
Solid wood doors can make an incredible statement and provide an extra pop of natural beauty, charm, and elegance. Natural wood doors work exceptionally well in farm and ranch houses, rustic and shabby chic styled homes, Italian villa-style abodes, and any setup where abundant natural lighting, the surrounding landscape, and a rustic feel is predominantly featured.
Artwork
Are you a DIYer who is particularly handy with a paintbrush and palette? Don't discount the ability you have to dress up your door with a unique, one-of-a-kind piece of artwork.
Take your whole home into account and come up with a design that ties into the overall look and feel of the home. Then, go to town. Create a scene, a design, or pattern that makes you smile when you look at your door. No one said you have to paint your door one color if you have the artistic eye and ability to do more than that. This might only work in an artist's house, but hey, if you're that artist, use the talent you've got and dress up your door.
Consider carrying the design you create on the door to the walls on either side. Door designs that spill over onto the walls create a sense of continuity, interest, and engagement. This idea works exceptionally well on the inside of children's rooms.
Stencil
If you like the idea of painting, but aren't confident in your own artistic ability, choose a stencil to use instead. Pick a pattern that goes well with your home and colors that effortlessly match your palette.
Stenciling can provide a unique design and pop of color for your bathroom door, pantry door, or other smaller interior door that is usually ignored.
Paint the stenciled pattern in a color that contrasts with your door but goes well with the palette of your home. This will create a unified and cohesive appearance from one room to the next.
Distress
For homes that need a little extra rustic or farmhouse quality, you don't need to look any further than your already painted doors. To change up your door without repainting it, distress the door instead. This plays right into the rustic, farmhouse, and shabby chic styles of interior design, and is a relatively simple DIY project that can be done in a day or two, depending on the number of doors you have to makeover.
If you want a more shabby chic feel, then you'll want to redo your door with the chippy paint look. This takes considerably more time and effort, but the end product will be a "brand new" antique door that looks like it came straight out of an old-timey garden cottage.
Décor
For those who don't have much time or are working with a smaller budget, one quick and easy way to dress up any bedroom door in your home is by hanging thoughtfully chosen décor. This can be all-season décor, such as a monogram of a last or first name, a fun bedroom sign for a guest room when hosting a new person, a canvas print with artwork, a quote, or a family-favorite verse. Décor can be found in all sorts of places, from crafting stores to antique stores or yard sales.
The most important thing when hanging décor on your door is to make sure it matches the rest of your home. You also want to make sure it fits, doesn't "stick out" awkwardly, and stays securely fixed to your interior door.
Door décor shouldn't ever bang, swing around, or tilt when opening or closing a door. You'll also want to make sure your chosen piece of décor isn't too heavy. Hollow-core doors can only hold a few pounds unassisted. For heavier pieces, such as mirrors and framed artwork up to twenty pounds, consider using a hollow core door anchor to hold your item in place.
9 Reasons to Use Barn Doors in the Bedroom
- Statement Bedroom Door
- Separate Your En-Suite
- Create a Sitting Area
- Transform Your Closet
- Hide Bunk Beds
- Design a Focal Point
- Conceal Bookshelves
- Stylish Access to Storage
- Unique Shutters
Barn doors come in many different styles and materials, making it easy to incorporate them into your decor. Choose a classic stained wooden barn door made from reclaimed wood, a mirrored barn door, or glass barn doors to transform your space into a dreamy oasis.
1. Statement Bedroom Door
If you want the look of a barn door in other parts of your home, as well as your bedroom, consider using a sliding barn door as a statement bedroom door. A barn-style bedroom door can be the perfect cross between having the door in your bedroom and the main part of your home, without having to install them in numerous places. Choose a barn door style that works with the main decor of your home and your bedroom and you won’t have to compromise.
What side of the wall is best for a barn door in a bedroom? When it comes to choosing a wall, the choice is up to you. You may find the barn door with a large handle looks better in the main area of your home. In this case, you’ll want the door on the outside of the wall. On the other hand, if a simple wood panel would go with your main home decor, then placing the barn door inside your bedroom may work better.
The main point is to consider how you will get the door open from the other side. Most sliding barn doors are designed to only be opened from one side (since the wall would get in the way of the handle). However, it is possible to install a flat door handle, a flush handle (similar to what is used on pocket doors), or a lock to close the door from the inside. Depending on the design of the door you may also be able to use the cross beams to close the door. In the end, it simply comes down to personal preference and your home’s floor plan.
Can barn doors be soundproof?
Because barn doors are not flush against the frame, sound can leak through the gap. But despite what many people think,
sliding barn doors can be soundproof. The material and structure of the door will determine how much
soundproofing is possible.
With a sliding barn door in your bedroom, it’s important to make an extra effort to ensure it is soundproof. Start by selecting a solid wood door. Doors that are glass, metal, or hollow will allow sound to travel through them. Also, install weatherstripping or a door sweep. This will help prevent sound from traveling through the gap.
The most important step to soundproofing a sliding barn door in your bedroom is to have it properly installed to minimize the gap.
2. Separate Your En-Suite
Many homeowners use a barn door in their master bedroom to separate the en-suite from the main bedroom area. Using interior barn doors in your master bedroom is a smart idea. It allows you to maximize the available square footage in the space since you don’t have to worry about door swing. If your master suite is on the smaller size, an interior barn door is a practical solution that provides more style than a pocket door or other alternatives with minimal
door swing.
Do barn doors offer privacy?
One of the biggest concerns with using a barn door on the master bath is whether it will provide the needed privacy. Sliding barn doors, when fitted correctly, cover the entire door opening with a bit of overlap. This overlap helps give the necessary privacy needed for a bathroom. Even if there is a slight gap, nothing would be seen by anyone else in your master bedroom. However, unless you take the efforts to soundproof the door, there will be some sound traveling through the gap between the door and the wall. This being said, the most privacy comes from installing a lock on the sliding barn door.
Can you lock the barn doors?
Yes, you can lock barn doors. When you use a barn door in your bedroom to separate your en-suite, you want to make sure it can give you the privacy you need. This can be achieved by installing a lock on the barn door. When you install a lock on your barn door, you want to be mindful of the space available between the wall and the door. There are several different types of locks that can be used, including a surface mounted privacy lock, a bolt lock, a tear drop latch, or a hook and eye latch.
3. Create a Sitting Area
Your master suite is used for more than sleeping—it’s a place for private relaxation and comfort. Using sliding barn doors to create a designated sitting area in your room is one of the more creative bedroom barn door ideas on our list. Dividing your space can make your actual bed area feel more intimate. It also creates another area of your home where you can unwind and relax.
French doors are a particularly suited style of sliding barn doors for dividing a bedroom. If you’re worried about making your room look too small, you can create custom barn doors with glass inserts. This will give you the division of space you want, while still giving an open feel to the space.
4. Transform Your Closet
Many people choose a sliding barn door for the bedroom because they are short on space or simply don’t want to deal with the door swing. This is what makes barn doors such a popular choice for a closet door. There are many options available, including a single panel barn door, double sliding barn doors, or bypass barn doors. With so many different styles to choose from, you can completely transform the look and feel of your bedroom without making any other major design changes.
You may want to consider installing mirrored bedroom barn doors. Mirrored barn doors give you a full-length mirror, visually increase the space in your room, and add a unique style to your space. If you want to take this style further you can opt for a sleek, modern hardware kit or one with more traditional rollers.
Where can I buy mirrored bedroom barn doors?
Mirrored sliding barn doors are becoming an increasingly popular choice for a closet transformation. You can find high-quality
mirrored barn doors from Rustica.
5. Hide Bunk Beds
If you’ve been trying to come up with something creative to do with your kids’ room or guest room, consider a design with built-in bunk beds. Interior barn doors can be incorporated into the design to completely high the bunk beds from sight. This means that the main area of the room could be designed as a sitting area, with the bunk beds only being revealed as needed.
However, you don’t have to rely on a rustic sliding barn door. Modern door styles mean the door can easily blend into your decor, simply adding an extra element to the overall design of your bedroom.
6. Design a Focal Point
The use of modern style barn doors on a bedroom closet or en-suite has been growing in popularity due to the usefulness and style they add to the space. As barn doors in the bedroom grow in popularity,
barn door trends are shifting from the rustic barn door to one that is more modern. With even more options available, a unique barn door can easily be used to design a focal point in your bedroom, whether you want a rustic look or a modern style.
Using a sliding barn door as a focal point in your bedroom looks especially sharp in rooms with a monochromatic design. You can draw extra attention to your barn door with carefully selected bedroom
barn door hardware. Whether you choose a door track and door pull made from oil-rubbed bronze, stainless steel, or some other track color, each gives the door a unique look that can enhance the overall style of your bedroom.
7. Conceal Bookshelves
In kitchens with limited space for door swing, sliding interior barn doors are often used for a pantry, allowing you to simply slide the door open and access its shelves. This same idea can be pulled into the bedroom by using an interior barn door to conceal bookshelves.
These barn doors can be worked into your decor, allowing you to completely hide your bookshelves. Concealing your bookshelves can make it easy to “put away” things you don’t want guests or others to see by sliding the door shut. Likewise, it can also help you easily change up your decor with the simple act of opening the door.
8. Stylish Access to Storage
If your bedroom happens to be a bonus room with attic storage, a barn door can be the perfect addition. Attic storage accessed from a bonus room often leaves homeowners with limited options when it comes to doors. Typically, the access point for the attic storage will have a traditional swinging door. However, this look may clash with your overall interior design. Using a small barn door is a stylish solution because there is no door swing and they come in many different styles to suit any decor.
9. Unique Shutters
Barn door shutters are another way to incorporate sliding barn doors into your bedroom decor. Rustica can customize barn doors to any size, including the size of the windows in your bedroom. Using barn door shutters eliminates the need for heavy curtains or blinds. They can even increase the insulating capacity of your windows compared to drapes, keeping your home cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter.
Another benefit of barn door shutters is that they work as sunburst shutters as well, especially if you get a size that incorporates the sunburst into the size of the window—which is more difficult to achieve with traditional curtains.
How to Measure for a Barn Door
To order the correct size of barn doors, you need to know
how to measure a door. A wrong measurement can create many problems when it comes to interior sliding barn doors, such as doors that are hard to open and difficult to close. A correctly measured sliding barn door should have a little bit of overlap with the door opening.
Measuring for a barn door requires an accurate tape measure of at least 90 inches. Using this tape measure, measure your door opening. If your door opening has no trim, measure from inside of the opening to the inside of the opening. For doors with trim, measure the door opening from outside of the trim to the outside of the trim.
For all doors, with and without trim, add 2-3” on each side as overlap. The width of the door track you need will be three times this width (left, center, and right). The height of the door will vary depending on the door opening, trim, and the header. Make sure to measure from the floor to the top of the door opening to get full closure with your sliding interior barn door.
Bedroom Barn Doors
Using a barn door in the bedroom is a popular design choice, given it can be incorporated into the room in many different ways. One option is to create your sliding barn door using a traditional interior door. If you’re wondering how to make your bedroom door into a sliding barn door, there are hardware kits that can make the process easy.
When you DIY your sliding interior barn door, there is a chance of error in terms of measuring and installation, which in the long run will cause more trouble than it’s worth. This can be resolved by selecting a high-quality door panel and barn door hardware kit from Rustica. With our high-quality barn doors and customization options, you can easily transform your bedroom into a beautiful space that makes a statement and reflects your unique personality.
Upgrade Your Bedroom Doors Today!
No one says you have to completely renovate your entire home, tear down every non-load-bearing wall, and rip out every piece of flooring in order to give your home a facelift. Sometimes the simplest do-overs make the biggest difference, and putting in a new door or decorating the one you have is no different.
Redoing your bedroom door with a new style, color, look, or feel can instantly rejuvenate a room or bring a sense of completion to the overall style you're going for in your home. Doors are often one of the last things that a homeowner thinks of when redecorating, but they should be considered just as essential to your home as the living room walls and your hardwood flooring. Whether you buy or DIY, you can make your home look like a million bucks just by changing your door.