Seems to work only when the curtains frame a view, as in #1, #2 (Vermeer!) and #3.

I was thinking about doing this in my home. This just gave me another push. We live in a small house with only two very small closets. The door is taking up more room than that closet is worth.

Not to be picky, but #5 and 8 are curtains as walls, not curtains as doors. :)

I don't think this is a "SMALL" space solution. I think this is a "I have a giant open space and don't know how to divide it visually" solution.

I plan to take down my bedroom door and put up a decorative curtain. When "open", one will only see the fireplace mantel opposite from my bed.

But I will have to wait until next year when my roommate moves out. For now I need a door to block out any possible nighttime noise coming from her room.

in my 1920s apartment, i convinced the landlord to refinish the original french doors leading from the living room to the bedroom.

they're gorgeous, but have become a huge source of stress as far as space is concerned.
they open inward, into the bedroom, which means you have to step somewhat over the bed to get to the only bathroom in our place.

on top of that, my husband doesnt want to destroy the glass by frosting it and i've been struggling to find little cafe rods that will work (without destroying the original wood) to cover up the windows so there's more privacy when i'm sleeping and he has friends over.

though the noise may be a little louder, i think hanging some curtains, and taking down the doors (*single tear*), that could really work for us.

and if we didnt have cats, i would take the closet doors off, but i would go nuts with all the cat hair on my clothes.

I've been toying with the idea of taking off the door that leads down to my basement, since when open it just blocks the flow of traffic, and hanging up fabric. Plus the door is really cheap and crappy.

Also - I'm partial to #5, but that might have more to do with the cat than the curtain.

Oh my, we are So on trend...We have a divided room (used to be a bedroom, they added on another bedroom, so our "Bedroom" is 2 rooms) and we're dividing it into an office/bedroom with curtains. I love the way they make a room feel so intimate, but still a little mysterious...

I like the idea of replacing bi-fold double doors on a bedroom closet with curtains because one of those doors is directly behind the bedroom door. The bedroom and closet doors can't be open at the same time. I also like the idea of replacing both hall closets doors with curtains. The hall is so narrow that an open closet door blocks passage. My guy thinks curtains would look bad. We also discussed pocket doors, sliding flat panels, and pleated accordion doors.

What is the paint color for #1, or what is a good approximation?

I'm thinking of doing this between the kitchen and the laundryroom in the winter. There's a door there now but it is completely in the way and annoying. We don't need it in the summer, but in the winter the laundry room gets really cold and makes the kitchen cold. But curtains in a kitchen? Sounds icky. OTOH, I have had window curtains in kitchens before and they were fine.

We recently replaced the bifold doors on the closet of our office with a curtain -- no regrets! It's much more visually interesting, and works better with the room's flow. Plus, we can keep the catbox in that closet now, visually hidden by the curtain, without having to leave a door wide open.

I removed the bi-fold door between the kitchen and laundry room, leaving the archway empty. It's an improvement.

I use a pair of pretty, airy curtains and a tension rod to divide my bathroom/dressing area from my living room/bedroom in my small studio apartment.

It's been especially nice when I've had company over, as it allows both parties to pretend they can't hear the other peeing. Amazing what a visual divide can do!

I did this in my previous apartment. My daughter and I were sharing a studio and her "bedroom" was the dining room, adjacent to my "bedroom", which was the main room. A curtain hung on a tension rod was just enough to block the light so that I could watch TV and have the lamp on after she went to bed, but still let enough sound through that she didn't feel scared by the separation.

Now I'm considering putting a curtain between my kitchen and my hallway, because I'm constantly setting off my foyer smoke detector...and I'm not even BURNING anything! Just cooking up burgers on a cast iron pan will do it. Aggravating.

Urban girl- I wouldn't put a curtain at the top of your stairs to the basement (unless there's a huge landing behind the door before the stairs start), as you might confuse a guest, who, not realizing there were stairs just behind the curtain, might lean too far and go tumbling down the stairs. Bifold doors would help you out best there.

Citygirlsf- a curtain might keep smoke from hitting your smoke alarm, but be sure you use something very washable, as it will be soaking up smoke and grease. Shrink the material first, as you'll want to be washing it in hot water most likely. And don't use a flimsy, very flammable fabric, as it will soak up grease. Heavier cotton, or cotton blend, sounds best.

I love curtains instead of closet doors, especially if you use great fabric, not just turn it into a soft wall. Plus, it makes it easier to get at the whole closet.

Miami's Elaine, I removed the bifold doors for my closet with fabric and hilariously, when the house sold, the buyers specifically asked to keep that fabric, and the matching curtains. Give it a try, you may find you're much happier without the bifolds.

yeah, well, Vern Yip says your curtains look cheap and you took the lazy way out. NO MATTER HOW MUCH YOU PAID FOR THEM.

;)

Vern Yip has a very particular style. It's very stripped down and, overall, tends much more toward straight lines, clean curves, and minimalism than towards gathered curtains.
À chacun son goût.

Except for the closets, I like - but let's get the terminology correct:

Curtains and Draperies cover windows.
Portieres cover doorways.

The other issue is, this can be a far more expensive look to pull off than keeping the door: Rather than an unlined curtain or draperies that are lined in inexpensive white or ivory fabric, Portieres need to have the facing fabric both front AND back.

There was an AT post where a person had made a door from felt for their bathroom.

I am thinking of placing a wall between two odd areas of my bedroom, forming a closet...one thing I do not want to give up is the air flow, there is a window there as well as two others in the remaining area that will be the bedroom...on to my point, curtains for the opening to the closet, makes so much sense
now! Thanks

@bepsf, Since you write that you don't like curtains for closets, I'm curious and want to pick your professional brain for free. What you would recommend for closets whose doors are in the way? Thanks.

Oops, would you, not you would.

@bepsf: I'm curious about why you don't like curtains for closets, too.

I took the cheap sliding doors off my closet because they blocked access to the middle of the closet - I was always reaching in from one side or the other. And I like being able to toss the curtains into the wash every once in awhile (they're cotton).

Also, I have a noren - Japanese-style curtain on my kitchen door, which I really like because it separates the kitchen from my hallway/desk area but it's still easy to pass through.

er, "a while"

I was talking to my mom about doing this yesterday (removing my bedroom door and using a curtain). She said curtains are for when you dont have a door, not when you have one and dont want it. I think shes wrong, it would save space...I cant even open my door ALL the way right now. Im doing it!

@Megan303, I was thinking of doing as you did and for the same reason. I was leaning towards a heavier 2 sided curtain, I guess the correct term would be Portieres, thanks bepsf. Does anyone know how pricey the portieres are?

knock,knock... I mean you will have to say it.

The cost of a portiere, if you make it yourself, equals the cost of the fabric. If you double-face the portiere, that means you'll need twice the fabric. Depending on how much you gather the portiere, you'll need 1.5 to 2 times the width of the door. If you use 60" wide fabric, that's often wide enough. The length of your fabric is the length of the door plus enough to hem both top and bottom, adding a little more if you're going to make a channel at the top to run a pole through.
If you want to use decorating fabric, it's fairly easy to find great fabric remnant that are large enough at a reduced price. I got 6 yards of amazing fabric for my portiere at F&S Fabrics Outlet (on Pico Blvd -- the OUTLET, not the Home Dec F&S) for $5 per yard.
Good luck!

@rapunzel: I was really just making a joke. I happened to catch 'bang for you buck' and he was on there, really criticizing a lady for having covered her in-bathroom closet with curtains rather than doors. I just felt so bad for her that he called her $80k reno "cheap and lazy" just because of the curtains (which were of very nice slubby silk fabric, custom made). She'd even thought it through enough that the shower and bath were enclosed in glass in the middle of the room (which even he thought was cool), so no worries about water spray or vapor causing mold.
Anyway, I like Yip in general and I know others do, this post just made me immediately think of that show.

So, if you're going to do this, don't ask Vern Yip over to give his stamp of approval y'all.