Remember those 1970s folding doors made of woven wood that you would pull sideways to open and close accordian-style? Well, Beauti-Vue can use their New Old Stock woven wood roman shade materials to make custom-sized accordian folding doors, too! 47 outrageously retro yarny woven wood designs to choose from!
On my recent visit to the company, I was able to see a real-life door installed and in operation — it’s shown in the photo above. The door was being used as a closet door in one of the company’s offices, and I’m guessing that it has been there since shortly after the building was constructed in the mid 1970s. The door was gorgeous — and it still looked brand new.
Above: The vintage catalog that we profiled in a previous Beauti-Vue story has a little more information about the folding doors and some of the ways they can be used throughout the home.
The graphic above suggests using these woven wood folding doors to screen a Pullman kitchenette in a studio apartment… and to use them as easy-to-open-and-close room dividers.
Here’s another page from their vintage catalog depicting of one of these doors being uses as a room divider to separate a living and dining area.
And here’s another example of a pair of the doors being used to cover a closet in a child’s room — that’s Joy Grumbeck’s room from when she was a teenager — and she says she loved it! What a fun way to add more color and interest to a bedroom.
These woven wood accordion doors could be used in a multitude of ways throughout the home — to conceal otherwise unsightly are as such as a busy home office tucked into a common area living space … to hide laundry or built-in shelving units … or to simply add more color, texture and pattern to a room by replacing a closet door or adding a room divider.
You can also be matchy-matchy — and order Roman Shades and a closet door in the same material. Oh my — can you just imagine!
These retro woven wood folding doors are infinitely more interesting than a typical closet door, plus they add a certain amount of textural interest and softness to any space. Warning: You may find yourself petting your closet doors!
How to order:
- All of the retro woven shade materials are in Beauti-Vue’s product gallery here.
- Before ordering, we recommend you consider getting a sample of the material first, to make sure the colors are what you expect — see our story about making shades from this material and you will see how the sample in real life may vary from what you see on-screen.
- Each 9″ x 12″ samples is $10 plus shipping — the $10 is refundable if and when you place an order. Call Beauti-Vue [their phone number is on their website here] for instructions on how to get samples.
- Prices for the doors are shown in Beauti-Vue’s Woven Woods Price list … and there’s a separate Order Form — see both of these on their homepage here –> Beauti-Vue Products Corp.
- Considering these can get pricey, it’s probably best to go over the order with Beautie-Vue before they start cutting.
Read all of our stories about Beauti-Vue’s NOS products
Tom says
Love this series! Love all of your articles but this one has made me pull out my wallet.
It’s very easy ordering from this company everyone is very nice and helpful.
I have ordered over 7 items in the last couple of days.
I can’t wait to see these new old stock beauties.
Thank you Pam & Kate I appreciate all of your hard work bringing vintage items back to life.
pam kueber says
Wow! Send us photos when you have all the beauteous Beauti-Vues installed. Thank you for the nice comment! It means a lot!
Brooke says
I too would be interested in seeing how the door turn out. I’m interested in ordering some but I’ve been waffling on whether they’re *too* retro or not. I’m not a purist so I’m trying to find a balance between MCM/Retro and modern/updated.
Kelsie says
I am digging all of these BeautiVue posts! I am definitely an aficionado for those seventies homes! Keep it going!
-Kelsie
pam kueber says
Thank you, Kelsie, about 5 more stories left!
J Kraus says
These doors date back to at least the ’50s; our 1957 home had one dividing the living and dining areas.
Sam R says
They were made in wood for quite a long time, and are still available from the major home improvement stores in “woodgrain” vinyl. My house was built in 1954, and all of the closet doors were originally wooden accordions. They were all missing when I bought the house, but I got very lucky and found a bunch of wooden Pellas with the hardware at my local Habitat Re-store when I was working on the house. Pella quit making them in the mid-1960s, I think these must have come from a dorm or apartment building.
Lisa says
I have these doors on every closet in my home plus a bonus accordion door that divides the living room from a smaller den (complete with green shag and tree mural wallpaper). Admittedly I was not a fan at first – made me think church basement – but I’ve totally fallen in love. SO convenient, SO nice for hiding clutter or turning our tiny ranch into a three bedroom house for guests (even if just for a night).
pam kueber says
Yes, I really really really love the idea of using these to cordon off a “guest room” tuck away a home office!
Mr Kim says
In spite of the heavy petting by the proud owner, those rich velvety surfaces tend to gather dust. What about cleaning? I guess vacuuming once in a while and a damp cloth, perhaps?
pam kueber says
Yes, I think vacuuming — or a feather duster — is in order. Also, I really tend to think that dust does not settle onto vertical spaces the way it does on horizontal spaces…. I would clean these every 10 or 20 years, whether they need it or not.
Mary Elizabeth says
“I would clean these every 10 or 20 years, whether they need it or not.”
Pam, you crack me up!
pam kueber says
🙂
Trish says
I love the picture of Joy’s room with the folding doors and the canopy. Oh the fun that was had in that room I bet. Good times indeed. The furniture looks like the kind I had. Even the panel walls are light and fresh. Love the look. You were a very blessed young lady.
Ranger Smith says
My elderly neighbor has a west facing bedroom window that has a woven wood covering. It is pulled down most of the time and receives intense, Southern California afternoon heat. Despite the many years it has been in place, it has held up very well. I don’t know if it is Beauti-Vue or not but obviously it is durable.
Jay says
Fun! My basement was finished off in the 70s – dark paneling (faux) like these pictures, shag carpet and a brick wall. I am sure that if closets had been built at that time, these would be used for the openings. I tried to find a spot for one of those woven hanging lamps, it would have been right at home, but could not come up with a suitable location. Besides the “vintage” fund is empty due to recent purchases.
Robin, NV says
My grandmother had a door like this separating the dining room from the family room. My memory is that it was kind of plasticky – clearly not the quality of the Beauti-Vue doors.
Rita says
These are awesome! (Or should I say groovy?) Thanks so much for sharing.