When I bought the Savannah house and saw that the master bedroom had no closet doors i got to work. Meaning i hopped on Pinterest and searched for some inspo.  After about an hour or so trying to stay on the closet door track and only getting distracted by travel and outfit pins once or twice I found the one. I saw a photo of a door with vertical striping on it and decided that hmm I can make this door but instead of vertical shapes I want a sunshine. So here i bring you a step by step guide to the Golden Sunshine Doors. 

Step One: 

Add the doors, if your space is lacking doors like mine was then I linked the door I personally chose right here. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Masonite-30-in-x-80-in-Primed-White-Smooth-Flush-Hardboard-Hollow-Core-Composite-Interior-Door-Slab-14241/202289101 They're really affordable coming in at $47 or so each. But if your closet already has doors then you're already a step ahead. So step one is purchase your doors and then install, easy to do with hinges, a power drill and some screws.

Step Two: 

The supplies for this were simple: an embroidery hoop and some square wooden dowels! The project does, however, require a lot of precise cutting to ensure everything lines up properly from door to door, but the best part about the sunburst is if you’re overall lines shift a bit… it’s quite forgiving!

Supplies & Materials: 

• 1/2″ Square Dowels (Quantity depends on door size, design. Measure your doors and decide how many sun rays you want on each, this is completely up to you.)
• 8″ Wood Embroidery Hoop
• Washi Tape (optional)
• Pencil
• Yardstick
• Saw (I used a little handsaw)
• Sandpaper
• Wood Glue

Step Three: 

The most tedious part of this project is the measuring, for which I used a yardstick, tape and pencil. It helped me to see and then mark each line visually prior to attaching the dowels.

A power saw would come in handy for this project if you have one. I did not, so I cut all the pieces with a hand saw, and sanded them by hand, and it worked just fine.

Step Four: Time to do the Work

I decided to use washi tape to map out my sunburst before drawing the lines on the door that I would eventually follow when nailing on the dowels. I did this so I could easily move and adjust the design before finalizing it. This is not a necessary step, and it adds time to the process, but I found it helpful!

Whether you’re starting with tape or just a yardstick and pencil, you’ll want to mark out your sunburst on the doors first. Begin by deciding where you want the center of your starburst to be and, with the doors closed, trace the embroidery hoop where you’ll eventually attach it.

From there, you’ll plan out your starburst rays. Use washi tape OR a pencil and yardstick to map out each ray on the door. To make the rays evenly spaced, I measured 12″ out from my embroidery hoop for each ray and used that point as my spacing guideline. From that 12″ marker, I made sure the rays were spaced approximately 3″ apart. 

If you chose to start with washi tape, you’ll want to simply trace a line on the door, along one side of your washi tape to make the final markers for your washi tape. If you just used a pencil to start, you’re good to start attaching your dowels! Begin by sawing your embroidery hoop in half. Sand the edges as necessary. Use wood glue to glue each half of the embroidery hoop in place on the doors.

Each ray will need to be cut to size, we cut each ray to be about 1-2″ short from the outer edge of the door. I wanted them all to be slightly different lengths, but you can make yours more uniform if you choose!

To cut each ray, I simply held the dowel up to its corresponding line on the door and made a mark exactly where I wanted it to be cut. I am a visual person and this was easiest for me, especially if I wanted to make last minute adjustments. You can also just measure the guideline you drew and cut lengths accordingly. Sand the edges until smooth. Using wood glue, glue each dowel in place using your guidelines. I used some tape over top of the wooden dowels once i glued them to provide pressure for the glue to dry. 

Now you’re ready to paint! I did one coat of primer and two coats of paint, sanding lightly between each coat. I chose to make it all one color, but if you want the sunburst to stand out even more, you could paint it a contrasting color or slightly darker or later shade of your main color!

As far as handles goes, I chose to add brass handles in the center of the hoop. These are functional handles as well as an adorable decorative addition to the doors. 

These doors really brightened up this room and this closet and I’m so happy with how they turned out! If you’re looking for ideas for closet doors, I hope this sparks some inspiration!