Without question, today’s home owners love the rustic charm and space-saving convenience that barn doors inside the home have to offer. Here are 10 ideas for using interior barn door that will inspire you to use them in your next new home, too.
1. Closing Off an Open Concept Floor Plan
Many people buying new homes today want open concept floor plans and great rooms. This is a feature that lends itself well to how real people really live and entertain in their homes day in and day out. But every so often, you might be looking for a way to separate those open spaces temporarily, and decorative interior barn doors provide the perfect solution, even for wide openings, since they can be mounted on tracks and can vary in width themselves.
This This Old House collection of 11 inspirational barn door ideas starts off with a great example of how to use interior barn doors to create separation between the main living area and the dining room.
2. To Open Up Small Spaces
In the same This Old House collection you’ll see this image which shows how barn doors can be used to close off bedroom spaces in studio apartments or dual-use living areas, such as guest suites. When open, the barn doors offer the ability to keep the space open and connected, or when closed, provide the privacy and serenity needed for a good night’s sleep.
3. To Solve Architectural Problems
There are many home plans that have master suites where bathrooms are left open to the suite. This can be challenging for couples who rise or sleep at different times or who simply prefer privacy. Since barn doors can be sized to cover narrow or wide openings, they offer a great solution for home owners that want to resolve architectural dilemmas like these, even in tight spaces where a traditional opening door might not work. This example from decoist.com shows how seamlessly interior barn doors can be used to create instant privacy.
4. Closing Closets
Bi-fold doors aren’t always adequate, especially in the case of tight laundry closets where they might not offer enough access to large washers and dryers, or allow their doors to open all the way. This Tidbits&Twine photo shows how interior barn doors can be used for closets where a large opening is desired.
5. Dual Purposes
Many people want full length mirrors in their bedroom or dressing room but space considerations, or cost considerations, can be a problem. Attaching an inexpensive full-length mirror to interior barn doors like this example on Rustica Hardware’s Pinterest boards can be a great way to make form meet function in fulfilling dual purposes.
6. Adding or Honoring a Home’s History
With home renovation often comes removal of period details and architecture. If you have an older home which has been stripped of it’s history or you want to add period details to your new home, you can do this by repurposing vintage doors into sliding doors in your home, like this example from Sadie Seasongoods.
7. Putting Things in Their Place
Shanty2Chic shows a great example of using interior barn style doors to mask an entertainment center or any other type of niche where you might want to be able to stow things away and then open the space up when you need it.
8. Puttering in the Pantry
Many of today’s new homes come with a walk-in pantry or butler’s pantry between the kitchen and dining space. In either cases, these are usually spaces that you want to be able to close off both for practical reasons as well as appearance. This Pinterest example from custom builder Partners in Building shows how elegant this type of door is as a pantry door option.
9. To Make a Statement
This type of door is often – but not necessarily – rustic-looking. The truth is, this type of door can be constructed from just about any type of material, giving you the ability to turn interior doors into statement pieces that compliment your style – whether it’s shabby chic, glam, rustic, modern, or totally unique, like these examples from Pinterest.
10. As a Reclamation Project
Most home decorating DIY enthusiasts love a good reclamation project, as evidenced by the massive popularity of using reclaimed wood as feature walls, kitchen islands, art, and – yes – interior barn doors in both pre-owned and new homes. This SunlitSpaces Pinterest example shows how reclaimed wood can be instantly transformed into a functional door that doubles as art and a home decorating accent piece.
