How we created a vintage style, glamorous solution for our bifold French closet doors on our master bedroom's his and her closets.

It's been way too long since we shared a master bedroom update, but when you're trying to complete a room makeover during the Christmas season, it's a lot of, "Ooh! Shiny things! Look, distractions!" I LOVE how our French closet doors turned out!

So okay… quick recap.

Once upon a time there was a master bedroom that needed a little bit of love with some bifold closet doors that really needed jazzing up.

UPDATE: See our final Master Bedroom reveal here!

bedroom before with his and her closets

Paint (and also Christmas decorations back in December 2017) made things better but Robert and I saw even more potential.

bedroom with his and her closets with folding closet doors

So Paint Job #2 happened and it was 1000% worth it…

bedroom before with his and her closets

Because it turns out that even though black paint seems scary in theory, it friggin' rocks. Which brings us to the tale of the closet doors.

We were so done with the simple hollow core closet doors that we originally painted dark charcoal because there was an opportunity there that this room was completely missing.

closet before

And that something was mirrored French closet doors! Ahhhhh! They're so good!

Mirrored French Closet Doors - antique inspired bifold doors

DIY Mirrored French Closet Doors

Supplies

  • Glass front French bifold doors
  • Primer
  • Paint (I used Benjamin Moore Simply White in semigloss)
  • Paint brush
  • Masking Liquid
  • Antique mirror film
  • Spray bottle with water
  • Xacto knife with sharp blades
  • Squeegee or old credit card
  • Glass knobs
  • Antique brass backplates

We used the same glass insert French bifold doors that we installed in our laundry room a couple of years ago. But since we didn't want our clothes visible from the outside, and we wanted these doors to reflect some light into this small-ish bedroom, we used our antique mirror film trick again.

If you're sick of seeing this stuff on our projects, I'm sorry but also not sorry. Because it has been the perfect solution for incorporating a little texture while adding light into dark spaces.

Mirrored French Closet Doors - vintage inspired bifold closet doors

Steps

1. Like we always do when painting interior doors, we brushed the glass (using our French door painting trick) with masking liquid.

2. Once the masking liquid was dry after several hours, I applied Kilz 2 All-Purpose primer.

3. Then, once the primer was dry, I painted on a coat of Benjamin Moore Simply White semigloss on the folding closet doors like the rest of the trim in our house. (1 coat did the trick this time around.)

Even though we have dark charcoal doors almost everywhere else, we felt like a creamy white would add balance to the black walls that we painted with Kilz Complete Coat Rebel in satin.

Once the paint was dry, we scored the edges of the dried masking liquid on the glass and peeled it away. Like we do on all of our French doors:

masking liquid on french doors

4. Then, we added these glass knobs with antique brass backplates as our solution to add a little vintage style.

Mirrored French Closet Doors - antique inspired folding closet doors

5. To hide our clothes in the closet behind the glass, we added the mirror film next. The mirror film isn't all that functional in terms of having a clear reflection, but we didn't want it to be.

It's just enough to bounce light from the two windows in this room so that we have perfectly balanced lighting to make the room feel cozy, but not closed in.

  • I measured the glass panes and cut the mirror film just slightly larger than I needed.
  • Then, I used the spray bottle to spritz a little water on one glass pane and on the sticky back of the mirror film.
  • I pressed the wet mirror film to the wet glass pane and smoothed out any air bubbles with an old credit card.
  • Using a sharp Xacto knife, I trimmed any edges of the mirror film to fit the glass pane.
  • Squeeze out any remaining air bubbles in the film and let dry.

That's it!

Mirrored French Closet Doors | How we created a vintage style, glamorous solution for our bifold doors on our master bedroom's his and her closets for added light and texture. #closetdoor #bifolddoor #vintagedoor

We still have a few finishing touches in this room that I'll share after Christmas, but I'm SO excited at how well it has all come together.

Update: See our final primary bedroom reveal here!

And let me tell ya, with this black paint on the walls, I sleep so much better now. It feels like a cocoon in here at night.

Mirrored French Closet Doors - French antique inspired bifold closet doors

What do you think? Love? They're way more glamorous and vintage-y than the bifold closet doors that were here before, that's for sure.

The inside of the closets haven't improved much yet, but we'll get there. Add that one to the list of projects for the year.

signoff

Frequently Asked Questions

What can I use instead of bifold closet doors?

You can try hanging a curtain in a fabric that compliments the room, use folding screens or a room divider. If you're willing to invest more, try installing French doors, a sliding barn door or pocket door, if you have enough wall space beside the doorway for one. If you want to completely disguise your closet, you can even install a bookcase door.

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