A few months ago we spotted a photo on bhg.com showing open shelves with baskets and immediately started thinking about removing the door from our bathroom linen closet. A few stylish baskets would transform our cramped closet into tidy, functional open shelving—because we love open living. Then, after visiting Lesley & Jeff’s home and seeing their doorless bathroom closet, we were convinced it was the right move.
First, some photographic evidence of why our old closet door didn’t work. The linen closet door and the bathroom door kept colliding—daily. It was a constant annoyance and clearly a design flaw.
One day, while John was at work, I grabbed a screwdriver, a hammer and a crowbar and removed the door. I also took off the door jamb so the opening read more like a built-in shelving niche than a former closet.
To hide any trace of the old door, I caulked the hinge holes and removed the latch. I extended the bathroom’s calming tan color—Glidden’s Sand White—into the niche and painted the trim and shelves a crisp glossy white for a clean, integrated look.
I reused the baskets that had held our sheets and towels, and added a few clever storage pieces we already had—two inexpensive white Ikea planters now hold nail polish and toothbrushes. Even the toilet paper looks neat in its new spot.
We did buy two larger baskets to stack on the closet floor for extra towels. Fortunately they were half off at Michael’s, so we scored two large woven trunks for about $25 total—an economical addition to the project.
Could you live with an open linen closet, or do you prefer things hidden behind doors? We know we’re more enthusiastic about open storage than most people—and also more obsessively tidy—so this solution fits our lifestyle perfectly. The important thing is to choose what works for you.