I replaced a regular door with a French door to the master ensuite in our old home because the bathroom had a huge window and I wanted that aspect of light in the bedroom. We had the panes replaced with opaque glass or you could have someone etch your door glass for the same effect.

I've used Rabbitgoo window frosting. Applies with water....not sticky.

Link

These are kind of cool and would be in keeping with the upscaleness of your home. ETA: These are not window film, but rather actual glass that you can order to size and install.

Plus a bunch more

I, too, would use window film instead of a curtain panel.

No curtain!

Hmm. The glass is actually imported from Germany. It mimics antique glass, so it has a slight wave and very minor imperfections to make it look old; we did the same for the french doors to our DR and also the glass in all our K cabs. I'm a little leery of touching the glass...

uhoh eld just yelled at me

The question is, are you taking this door when you move?! 😠

Can it be hung on the front side?

I’m having trouble picturing it. Could you mount a panel on the front of the door? (You mentioned not having room to mount it on the back — I’m wondering if it could be hung on the front?)

Can you show us a pic?

Click on the photo to see the top of the door.

You couldn't really hang something on the front because of the way the hardware comes down on the door. I mean maybe you could but I think it would look weird. Not to mention that I think usually these things are hung “inside the door,”,which in this case would be the part that’s against the wall.

Jinx, No. Though i would like to take all the antique door knobs and locks we installed.

Velcro comes with adhesive backing and given the motion of this door, I could see a pretty linen flat panel with a neat sewn strip of velcro sewn on the top and bottom hems, and the adhesive strips on the door. It would have to nice and neat to look good when the door is closed, but that could work. Also there are nice low profile cable systems that would allow for a gathered panel, but not sure there's room.

Is there room for a sash curtain rod, such as the one below? They tend to be very low profile. A thin sheer could be gathered on it. I would want a rod at top and bottom to keep the panel from getting caught when sliding the door.

sash rod

Could you hang a rod over the doorway on the inside of the room with a sheer but obscuring curtain that could be drawn, whether you actually do it or not?

Teeda, thanks for that link. They just might work. I might just order them and see.

Pal, that's an interesting idea. Thx

Rust-oleum has a product you spray on that looks frosted. If the new owners don't like it ...they can scrape it off with a razor blade. It goes on pretty easy....it looks evenly coated when your passes overlap. It covers like paint...you'll need 2 cans...cost = under $10!

I have used these solid brass sash rods

https://www.rejuvenation.com/catalog/products/outside-mount-set?cm_ven=PLA&cm_cat=Google&cm_pla=default&cm_ite=C0890_14334326304&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI3PfR38W59gIVhovICh1QFgMXEAQYBCABEgI9pfD_BwE

I ordered mine from here, which has only the outside mount left, as shown above.

https://www.meltonworkroom.com/brass-hardware-38/

Pretty!

Looks like any hanging panel might need to be on the front side of the door anyway, or it could get caught when opening/closing.

A very simple technique is spraying the glass with water and adhering thin paper (like rice or tissue) to it like wallpaper, but without the glue.

Liquid starch or thinned out wallpaper paste can be used too - it's obviously not permanent and would be easy to remove.

You can get pretty creative with paper too - making cut collage designs, rather than a single sheet.

I hung blackout curtains on the French doors leading to my bedroom at the cottage using very small specialty rods. Could hang on the front of the door. I left the bottoms of the curtains loose (instead of using another rod at the bottom) and tied them with a ribbon when blackout was not needed.

Window film would not compromise the quality of the glass and is removable (with a razor).

Is this to appeal to potential buyers who may do extensive renovation anyway? Do you think this one door will be a dealbreaker if they are going to spend $500K on new interior design?

I am thinking any kind of curtain/panel is likely to get messy, either because the fabric gets caught somehow in the ”machinery” or just because you’re going to have a lot of different rods and stuff in that corner — window curtain rods/rings, plus the metal parts of the barn door, plus the door-curtain rod/hardware. My vote would be to leave it alone, or frost the glass somehow. But it doesn’t sound like you want to tamper with the glass.

I was going to suggest the same as Pal.... and to take that a step further, are the dividers between the panes present on the bath side of this door? If not, you may be able to use a tension rod at the top and bottom of the glass area. I did this on the window lights on either side of our front door. They are just small rods that fit through pockets at the top and bottom of the panel. No installation or hardware is necessary, they just hold in place through tension.

Honestly? It is gorgeous. And if you have an enclosed WC and a walk in closet…I really dont see how this could possibly be a deal breaker of any sort. I mean, if someone prefers more privacy…let THEM rig up a curtain! I wouldn’t worry about it at all. If your realtor ends up saying buyers run from your house screaming bc of this…then reassess.

I love it as is - to heck with the next buyer! It fits beautifully and lets light in.

I'm with eld !!

P.S. I used the Rabbitgoo window film - it's easy, applies with water, works and is completely removable.

And I am swooning over both your glorious tub AND your bathroom wood floors! Gah…i wish i gad the cajones (sp?) to do that!

beautiful room! do you need to be able to open the curtain? what if you stretched and tacked linen to the back side? nobody could see the edges since it's a sliding door.

I like your door and room as is. However, if you want to hang a panel, I have experience hanging in a tight place. I had a cupboard with glass doors in my old house for which I finagled something.

I used little, cup hooks, and a spring like the one pictured. I threaded spring through a rod pocket I had sewn in the lace panel.

I am with Sue, Eld, Localeater-- i like it as is and i don't think it's worth fussing with for a new/potential buyer... let them whisper about how confident and free you are!

Thanks everyone. I have ordered the sash rod linked above just to see if it will work.

And I am swooning over both your glorious tub AND your bathroom wood floors! Gah…i wish i gad the cajones (sp?) to do that!

Nini, thanks. I have enjoyed them. I would not hesitate to use wood floors in a bathroom (even in the W/C). 10+ years and no problem.

Is this to appeal to potential buyers who may do extensive renovation anyway? Do you think this one door will be a dealbreaker if they are going to spend $500K on new interior design?

What to do --or not do-- for staging/resale is totally a judgment call. One thing I learned from all the open houses we have been to, in exploring where we might want to move next, was that, even when I knew better, I totally responded to decor and details that do not really matter. I don't imagine my home has many/any dealbreakers but that is not the standard I'm aspiring to. I look at it as maybe honing its features.

I feel like putting in a glass door and then putting a curtain over it, may make it look like you think the glass door was a mistake, or it may call more attention to itself, then, not necessarily in a positive way.

But as an ensuite bathroom off the master, I am not sure that if I were taking a bath that that door would ever be closed anyway. It's not like this glass door is on a hall bath.

I totally responded to decor and details that do not really matter.

I do this too! sometimes certain details can give people ideas that maybe they wouldn't have come up with on their own, and it's helpful. when somebody buys your house one day, they might choose to keep that door because you already did the difficult work of figuring out how to make it private. it won't be a deal breaker, but they might appreciate it.

You aren't saying it's for sale...so this is all just in case? You love the door and the glass and the view...I would let the buyers who don't exist and may never, figure it out. My guess is they will get new door.

totally responded to decor and details that do not really matter.

Interesting, because I look at real estate by screening out distractions, which is what I think many things that people have, are. And too much staging makes me wonder what they are trying to distract me from seeing. But we are not really looking at the same population of houses with the same motive.

I don't want to do anything to the glass, it's very pretty and hand blown.

I chose it, and I see no issue with it, obv. I have privacy in my shower, W/C and sink. I don't have privacy in my tub from the MBR (heck, i don't have privacy from the gardeners' when I'm in my tub!).

But some people do see an issue with it, to wit "you already did the difficult work of figuring out how to make it private."

I will mull it over and see if there is any easy solution. Thanks all!

I totally responded to decor and details that do not really matter.

Do nothing to it. In the listing, state the owner's sleeping quarters and en suite are separated by a custom door with glass imported from Germany...

I think it’s just fine the way it is showing the pretty view of your tub and window, and it would be a shame to cover up the glass. If it’s going to gnaw at you, you could always hang a rod inside the bathroom across the top of the door molding with a relaxed Roman shade pulled all the way up using a diaphanous fabric. These shades are lined linen but you could do a much less expensive version. It’s just the thought that counts. This is basically what Pal said but you’d be using a shade.

https://loganovashades.com/products/relaxed-sheer-roman-shade-utopia-100-linen-plain-ivory-colour

I think the door is charming and just lovely, as is. No need to mess with perfection!

I had to laugh. DH and I were watching Househunters International and they were relocating to Lucerne. The place they chose had a tub, right in the MBR! (WC etc were elsewhere).

I say throw a willing poolboy in the bathtub to stage.

I put two Nate Burkus gauze drapes behind the French door leading to my studio. They look great!

I think the Coco Chanel principle applies here. Less is more. I would leave it as is.

Don't know how you feel about this, but I pulled from IG for my sister's shower window after she mentioned she could see the roofers next door when she walked through her bathroom.

Lyfia,

As far as the barn door hardware, a few things. First, even while i live here, I don't want a door swing in my way or anything blocking views and light. Second, a door hung in this way is not the same size as a standard inset door, so I'd have to ditch this custom door with hand blown imported glass and get a new one. All of my doors are custom and pretty pricey so even if I didn't do glass, that'd be pretty wasterful. Lastly, I asked a realtor friend about barn doors because our front door is a set of barn doors! They open into a vestibule and double french doors into the foyer, but still. Her view was that a barn door in a McMansion is out. A barn door in a 1904 Connecticut farmhouse is not. So they stay.

As far as resale: "What to do --or not do-- for staging/resale is totally a judgment call. One thing I learned from all the open houses we have been to, in exploring where we might want to move next, was that, even when I knew better, I totally responded to decor and details that do not really matter. I don't imagine my home has many/any dealbreakers but that is not the standard I'm aspiring to. I look at it as maybe honing its features.

Allison, that is very clever! I think I will do nothing unless I come across a way to affix something that I think would enhance the look.

Agree, just thought I would put it out there as an option for anyone down the road, running across this thread. It's an inexpensive and fast option when quick is needed.

@mtnrdredux_gw - I totally get why you're keeping it. Just noted that is what I would change if I was the buyer except I would cut the door to re-use it as I like the door, just not the hardware. I did also say as a seller I wouldn't change anything. I never have liked barn door hardware in a house, but that is my thing and not something that I would change if I had it as a seller.