I like the look of these types of doors, but I'm a little conflicted about using them in my house. They do free up some floor space, as compared to a traditional door, but they take up wall space (you have to have somewhere for them to slide) so you have to be careful about what you place beside them. haha, so I guess in the end you don't gain anything aside from the aesthetics. I do like them, however.

We recently bought a 100-year-old bungalow. Whenever we opened our bathroom door, it would hit the sink behind it. Instead of switching the door to open the other way, reworking the frame, and to save as much space as possible in our bathroom, we installed a barn door on the big, spacious wall just outside our bathroom. Once you have the equipment, it is a very easy install that only took us about 30 minutes. If this rustic look appeals to you, I really suggest going for it!

I just bought a sliding door kit from home depot for $45 to use for a barn door in my house. Not quite as pretty as these but totally functional and affordable.

Big Bernie: What's the hardware called? I know you guys have more stuff in HD in the USA than in Canada but a really affordable option might prompt me to make a trip down south.

Barn doors don't need to look be rustic - they can be very modern and industrial. I've been trying to find a door solution for two doors that open in to my hallway for some time, and I contemplated barn doors, but I don't like the door being exposed the way it is. Also, to make a barn door not feel cheap and flop around alot, you need to get a pretty heavy door, which means good, expensive hardware.

Stream13 - I guess it was $55.

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-25ecodZ5yc1v/R-202801099/h_d2/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10053&langId=-1&keyword=sliding+door&storeId=10051#.UIF96Ja8VQg

Nice! We have all sliding doors in our rented unit. They aren't "barn style" - the hardware is hidden behind an aluminum plate. Underneath the plate, it looks like a typical sliding door track. Maybe that's all it is - just put on upside down. Works great, looks good, and it was probably really cheap. I like the exposed hardware style better, though.

I have a doorway in my apartment where this is the only kind of door I could install, and I'm considering it . . . but these always seem to look so barn-y or industrial. What's the sliding outside-the-wall equivalent of French doors? Is it even possible to get something that opens this way that looks delicate, femme, glam, deco?

The door could easily be painted to match or compliment the room, have windows, be turned into a work of art, or otherwise decorated. The hardware can be covered with a valance or... Crud - basically a box, but the formal name eludes me, at the moment. How cool would it be to paint (or have someone else paint) a mural on a door that size?

Floppy doors?

Here is an example of ours!

http://hollyandboo.tumblr.com/image/41066108497

Dear e+g, That looks great! Back in the day, almost everything was so, so standard! I love the way we're all coloring outside the lines now. We can do delicate, glam...everything. But my favorite idea was Carla's...a mural! What a statement.