We’ve featured sliding barn doors here on Re-Nest before, but since this month is all about living small it's a topic worth revisiting. Not only are they an unexpected design element, but sliding doors can also serve multiple functional purposes - an important strategy when every square foot counts!
I love sliding doors because they can be a creative solution to various types of design dilemmas. A few perks worth mentioning:
No door swing - sliding doors save space because they don't need the 5-10 square feet of floor area where the doors swings from open to close.
Space dividers - large sliding doors can actually act as room dividers, transforming the function or feel of a room in one easy step.
Art piece - as seen in this collection, sliding doors often act as functional art.
Opportunities for affordable and creative reuse - old doors or lumber can be reused in a new way, saving resources and money!
Not just for doorways - sliding doors are also great solutions for pantries, shelving units and media centers!
(Images: Top Row: 1. Meyer Davis Studios, 2. Shelter Pop, 3. chezerbey, 4. Remodelista, 5. Sunset Magazine, Bottom Row: 6. House*Tweaking, 7. Design*Sponge, 8. Re-Nest, 9. Re-Nest, 10. Sunset Magazine)
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Nice idea!
Although I love these, I don't have the space!
We used this concept for the front door of our little off grid cabin, we live there year round, the original room is small, 16x16 and was used for everything, kitchen, bedroom, office, bathroom (don't ask LOL), so every bit of floorspace was precious, hubby took a pair of floor to ceiling height windows, he mounted them side by side, one was fixed, the other slides open and closed. It's funny to invite people over, get them inside the cabin, close the door/window, later when it's time to leave, they walk over to the space where they entered and they see a window and can't figure out how to get out.
Wretha
I've used inexpensive zinc barn door hardware and a simple slab to great effect, with very little expense! This little powder room was in Apartment Therapy:
http://cavdesign.com/indoor_outdoor.html
and here barn doors were used to create interest on an otherwise plain wall with two doors:
http://cavdesign.com/A_Tree_Grows_.html
Lots of cool pics of barn doors and hardware here: www.loftdoors.com