Our new home had more bi-fold doors than we expected. One pair separates the future dining room from the main hallway (see the floor plan to orient yourself):
Another set closes off the hallway leading to most of the bedrooms (we removed one leaf to get the daybed through on moving day):
In our bedroom there’s a large set that hides the bathroom sink area…
…and a single bi-fold next to it that closes the walk-in closet.
That doesn’t even count the bi-folds on the other bedroom closets. In short, there were a lot of them, and most conflicted with the open, airy feeling we want, so we started removing a bunch. Already the hallway feels much more spacious without doors.
Removing the remaining door to the back bedrooms made a noticeable difference as well. We still need to patch and paint where the hinges were, but the openness is worth the touch-up work.
Our master bedroom already feels lighter without its bi-fold.
We left most bedroom closet bi-folds in place for now, but removed the one from our closet because we kept bumping into it. We’re considering replacing it with a heavy, floor-length curtain to keep the look soft but functional.
One bi-fold we kept is between the kitchen and the laundry/mudroom.
We’re not in love with how that door looks, but it serves a useful purpose: without it there’s a direct line from the carport into the kitchen. Here I am peeking through to illustrate the view.
It turns out the side door to the carport is the path most neighbors use when dropping by (apparently, if someone uses the front door, they’re probably selling something). Since my wife nurses in many spots around the house, including the kitchen table, we want some privacy. For now the bi-fold stays, and we plan to frost the glass so light still comes through but the view is obscured. Once that’s done, that door will likely be removed as well.
We’re donating the removed bi-folds to Habitat for Humanity ReStore so they can be reused rather than sent to a landfill. ReStores are full of salvaged windows, doors, fixtures, and other useful items — a great place to find something unique for a project.
Psst — this week’s BabyCenter post covers how we helped Clara adjust to the new house so she wouldn’t feel upset or disoriented. It shares what worked for us to keep her calm and comfortable during the move.