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Design Dilemma: Barn Doors to the Rescue

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Finding the right door can be a real design dilemma, particularly if you live in a small space. That’s because doors often get in the way, eating up valuable space in a room or a hallway.

So what’s the solution? Sliding Doors like those below. They appear when you need them, and disappear when you don’t:

A lot of older homes actually are built with disappearing “pocket” doors, which are considered a real architectural asset for those lucky enough to have them.

But what happens if you have an existing conventional door and you’d like to install a sliding door without the pocket? It can be done, and it can look very cool. Take a look:

In the example immediately above, the owner has installed sliding barn doors that run along a track installed near the ceiling. They’ve chosen to embrace the rustic style by investing in rough pine doors of that type that might easily grace a country barn in Vermont. The doors instantly add some funkiness, and don’t take up valuable floor space.

If you can’t give up that much wall space to a sliding door when it’s open, take a page out of the idea in the first picture in this post: Install a sliding barn door behind a bookshelf. Your shelf could be a custom-made built in, or you can create the same effect by investing in a ready-made bookshelf, retrofitted for the situation.

Would you like to call attention to your door as an interesting architectural detail? Try installing a barn door (below, as seen in a bedroom) and paint it a vivid color.

Or maybe you’d rather invest in an airier and more ethereal effect? Check out the glass barn doors below:

The door above takes up little visual space in a small area. Below, the glass door is lightweight and relatively unobstrusive, but adds interest just the same because of the artsy design incorporated into the door.

Sliding barn doors can also serve as movable walls, not just doors. Check out this design by Lara Dutto below:

The great thing about barn doors is that they are not all that complicated to build and install yourself. All you need to do is be sure to take good measurements and be sure the rod you use to affix to the wall, and the wall itself, is strong enough to hold the weight of the door. Joila!, you’ve got a sliding door.

Images: Sunset Magazine, House Tweaking, Skona Hem.