The Clever Closet Door Alternative That'll Add Storage And Style To Your Room

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While you can never have too much closet space, sometimes those closets can be awkward to design around, especially if they have no doors, leaving all your stored clothing and bins open to the world — and your guests. Even if the closet has doors, the average builder-grade solid or bifold door doesn't do much for your home's aesthetic. There are quite a few stylish alternatives to upgrade your closet doors, but one in particular adds an unbeatable cool factor. If you've ever wished you could put a bookshelf where your bedroom closet door is, or if you're excited by the idea of a "secret" room, consider transforming your boring closet door into a bookcase doorway.

The easiest way to achieve this look is by going directly to the source — Murphy Door, a company that specializes in hiding home features by disguising them as something else. You may have heard of a Murphy bed, which folds up when you're not sleeping in it, increasing the room's usable floor space during the day, but the company also offers hidden doors that can be disguised as bookcases, mirrors, and even a seamless part of the wall. If you're more into DIY, you can take inspiration from Murphy Door and purchase the brand's Hidden Hinge Hardware, which will enable you to create your own bedroom closet bookcase.

As with any DIY project, the first step is measuring. Determine the interior size of your doorframe, including the frame's depth. Your bookshelf will be at least as deep as the doorframe, but you can make it deeper if you have the extra room inside the closet. Take these measurements to the hardware store and purchase some wood for the job, keeping in mind the door's total weight even though the Murphy Door hidden hinges can hold up to 300 pounds. Using your wood, build a bookshelf and a frame that will connect the bookshelf and the doorframe. Attach the frame to the face of the bookshelf, then flip it over and nail wood backing to the bookshelf. This would be the best point in the fabrication process to take a break to prime and paint the bookshelf so that it matches your baseboards and trim.

To allow your bookshelf door to glide over the floor, screw wheels into the bottom. These wheels will not be visible from the outside. Secure the bookshelf frame to the door frame using your hidden hinges and add a latch the other side for more security. This build works for both single and double doors, though double the doors means double the work. Once you've finished making your secret door, decorate the shelves with this easy formula for success.

Decorating your bookshelf and filling it with books is an important part of the secret door illusion, but you might be worried about your things falling off the shelves when you're hurriedly tearing open your closet to get ready for work in the morning. Instead of changing your lifestyle, take inspiration from ship bookcases to secure your books.

Since ships are subject to a lot of moving and shaking, sailors keep things from falling off shelves by using a fiddle rail. These rails can be constructed in a variety of styles, including the u-holder, the dowel, and the slot-and-retainer. The slot-and-retainer, which is the most visually unobtrusive of the styles, is easy to install. Just screw two short, L-shaped metal brackets on either side of your shelf, making sure they sit high enough to shop your books from shifting. Then, take a piece of wood cut to a length that equals the width of the shelf and cut a slot into each end that allows it to fit over the bracket, which is your "retainer." The rail can be lifted whenever you'd like, but it will hold your things right where they need to be. Now that you know your books won't fall off when you open the door, organize them using the 11 creative ways to store books that actually enhance your home décor.