Hi jesemy. While I like the idea, I don't think your bathroom is large enough to pull it off. The room will look and feel very small when the doors are closed. Sorry.

Nancy, I love it and personally think it could work quite well in your bathroom. I've seen many bathrooms in older homes that have a large linen closet to one side giving the feel of a hallway of sorts leading into the rest of the bathroom. It's very charming and I believe using byfolds to enclose your tub area will give a warm and old style feel to your room. I can't wait to see it when it's done!
I agree a shower curtain liner would be a good idea too.
~Becky

Wouldn't steam and water and general dampness from the shower be hard on wooden doors?

Cleoa, thanks for your response--actually the dimensions are slightly larger than the inspiration photo.

Auntjen, that very thought has crossed my mind about that as well. I'm thinking if you push the doors all the way back that it probably won't affect them. The door to the bathroom is right by the tub--you can see the knob to the extreme right of the picture and it seems to have "weathered" well.

Argghhh, I hate to be so indecisive! This bathroom has sat for a month like this! I have some pretty blue and beige oriental toile I could use in the bathroom and the adjoining computer room, but I'm afraid of it being too "girly" for my DH. A shower curtain of toile might be too over the top for him and so I thought the doors would give a more tailored look. I've also seen some pretty paisleys that look like old shaws that might work but I don't want a '60s vibe I think he would rather see more golds/earth tones. I'm also planning on swapping the counter out for eithe granite or quartz if my budget permits. I've made so many expensive decorating mistakes that I can't make a move!

Nancy

Here is a link that might be useful: my previous post

I love, love, love that look! I'm still wondering how are you going to open the door from the inside?

Rob333, the whole house in the magazine is very charming and I still like to look at the pictures 8 years after I bought it--it's a older home that is fairly small and owned by a woman who had her previous houses decorated by Charles Faudree. A different designer did this house but incorporated many of the things the owner acquired through Faudree.

I'm thinking that if you are taking a shower, you would leave the doors open (pushed all the way back). If you look at the top corner of my bathtub, you can see a little curved area that has a niche that I can hang a simple white shower curtain liner onexpansion shower curtain rod.

I love the idea and have seen many magazine articles about them. Most have used a louvered door, though.

How often will the shower/tub be used, because those bifold doors could become a nuisance if this is your primary bath.

Sorry, but I don't think it's going to work. I say this from a construction standpoint. You'll need frame work to support the doors and I just don't see where you have the room for the frame. If you look closely at the folded doors along the wall you can see the amount of space they take up. They don't fold flat against the wall because of trim.

It's a beautiful 'look', but I would dread having to deal with them everytime I showered. Plus, your entry is going to shrink even more. If this is DH's main bath, I'd spend the money on a frameless glass door.

I'd pass...not practical, not comfortable. Use your money somewhere else that has a bigger impact - lighting, paint, accessories.

Susan

Hey, Nancy, I think this is a very cool idea. Lemme ask you -- is the vanity new, or will that be replaced?

Is this your primary bathroom, guest bath, or ...?

The more this bath is used for showers/baths, the less practical the bifold doors will be.

It seems to me this would be more practical for a second bath where the shower/tub is not used very often and you want to hide it away turning the room into more of a powder room. Then when you have overnight guests, your powder room becomes the guest bath. Otherwise, opening and closing the doors might become a pain.

Neat idea,though.

If your tub and toilet were swapped, as in the inspiration photo, I would do it. It seems to me that having the tub close to the door would cause congestion, what with all the doors in the same place.

Having the bathroom door as a pocket door might solve that problem.

I do like the look.

Oooh, not liking the look at all. Your bathroom seems too small, and the doors would close it in even more. A nice curved curtain rod with a spa shower curtain would do the trick. I like the waffle pattern, you can find them online anywhere.

I just think that with the steam and water you will be sorry you did the doors in a year or so.

Jesemy, I think you might be inviting a maintenance nightmare with the introduction of bi-fold or even louvered doors in a wet area of the bathroom, not to mention their necessary tracks. Since you're going for a European look and feel I think I might have another way to go. Many European bathrooms have tubs that are surrounded with mill work, framed and detailed like fine cabinetry. Woodwork, complete with moulding rises from floor to tub ledge level and the sides of the enclosure are framed in casement moulding like you would find on a beautiful doorway or window. If you framed your shower/tub enclosure in this way you could then choose a decorative fabric that could be hung on a double hung curtain rod with your waterproof liner to be hung on the inside rod as sheers might be hung on the inside rod of a double rod drapery treatment. It could be pulled behind the curtain and in this way hidden when not in use. Choose a decorative double curtain rod and rings that compliment your theme as you would in a living room. Essentially, the split floor to ceiling panels would gracefully flank the sides of the framed tub enclosure and stack like curtains at a window,taking not much space for the loads of style they'll give you. You could duplicate this moulding on the vanity and possibly on some built in wall shelving to hold period vanity cosmetic storage containers that are both functional and in keeping with your European theme. You could surround a mirror with a moulding frame to match for a totally custom look, floor to ceiling, from stock mouldings from a big box home improvement store. Budget permitting you could even apply a wainscot around the lower level of the room. Your lovely window could be treated with 2 inch louvered shutters, or with empty framed shutters where a shirred fabric could be inserted into the open interior of the frames. I don't think I'd add more outside drapery here. The fabric in the shutters could match the "tub draperies" or could be a companion fabric. You can order most fabrics now and have them pretreated with a teflon finish that makes them virtually waterproof. I do mean virtually and not completely. They look, feel and hang just like regular drapery fabric. In any case they'd be much less vulnerable to water damage and steam warping than bi-fold doors. When it comes to color, I'd keep it very light, soft and airy. painted woodwork and walls in a very light or white color gives the room texture and richness. Choose a soft color from your fabric for towels, but don't go overboard with too much color or pattern in addition to your tub drapery fabric. Let them be the dramatic gesture in the room. This room will require some restraint to keep it from going over the top and becoming too themey. Consider adding shaded sconces on opposite sides of your mirror, or even mounting them onto the mirror itself. Look at Restoration Hdw. for inspiration. You might want to add a magnifying mirror at the vanity, and a dimmer on all of the lighting. I think you have a lovely bathroom, and I think this could give you the graceful European look you're hoping for.

So sorry, in all of my long explanation I should have mentioned that the decorative fabric panels do not have to be full width or double width of the shower opening like regular window drapery. I'm suggesting what decorators call dummy panels and they remain stacked at the sides of the enclosure. You could have one width of fabric (54") pinch, goblet or even button pleated for a very neat and tailored look floor to ceiling, and your white or ivory shower curtain liners, ((buy them in any home store) pulls from behind the panels on both sides to the center (and tucks into the tub while showering)-just as you'd pull sheers to the center of a window. By the way, when they're pulled tightly together you won't have a water problem outside the tub. You could have someone trim what's called the leading edge of the liners with a coordinating look to the panels. I should have mentioned too that a great fabric choice would be one of the many indoor/outdoor fabrics available now that are perfect with damp areas. They can be dressed up with interior curtain trimmings and look great! Check out a Calico Corners if you have one locally and ask for some curtain design advice. The advantage of choosing this drapery treatment over doors is that it gives you a lot of bang for the buck and you can change your look from a Spring /Summer look to a Fall/ Winter look with a simple change of fabric and some coordinating towels. Your mainstay here is your beautiful neutrally painted moulding that looks custom made or reclaimed from an older home and very expensive. It's really easily done by a good contractor or carpenter with plywood and stock moulding and trim pieces! There is a company called House Parts that sells reproduction antique architectural decorative trim too and you might want to look there online as well. If you keep the fabric treatment tailored and the lines clean and classic in this bathroom, there should be no problem in pleasing men or women with the design in your new bathroom.

Thanks everyone for your responses. I have alot of opinions to consider so I'm not sure what I'll do now!

We have 3.5 bathrooms and this one is rarely used--it's off of a downstairs room currently used as a study but could eventually be used as a bedroom.

You might think about matching the colors and fabrics in the study and bath for a seamless en-suite look between the two rooms.

Now I've really screwed up. I bought several yards of a fabric today to make a shower curtain and valence. Got it home and I hate it.

This bathroom has become a disaster...

You poor thing. :( Can you take the fabric back?

Does the back of the fabric work any better?

What is it about the new fabric that you liked in the store but don't like now that you've got it in the room? If it seems too busy for the smaller space, you might consider facing this fabric with a solid fabric in one of the colors you like best in the pattern. Then turn the edge back so you glimpse the pattern on the reverse side. Really hate it, take it back and ask if they'll apply the price to something else. Doesn't always work, but sometimes when you least expect it it does. If that fails, there's always CL. Next time you can ask to take a bolt home on approval if you can carry it, or buy 1/4 yard. I'm so sorry. We've all been there with you!