The origin of sliding barn doors is surely no puzzle; they have been mounted to actual barns, which often demanded large openings. Whether reclaimed, replicated or generated from scratch, barn doors as an inside element have made quite a splash in recent decades. Similar to pocket doors, indoor sunroom doors offer a decorative yet practical alternative to conventional swing doors, which makes them perfect for small spaces and statement-makers in grand spaces. Barn doors also make great room dividers, providing ample flexibility and multi-function to spaces — a crucial function for keeping precious square footage from smaller rooms.

As they are installed on hardware outside door frames, barn door preparation and construction costs are lower compared to those required to make pocket doors. They can come in any dimension — replacing a traditional door or occupying an whole wall for a stunning effect.

Webber + Studio, Architects

Framed boards used to hide a bedroom add decorative element for this open hallway.

Su Casa Designs

A glass transom with this barn door helps to ensure that light flows from 1 area to another, linking the spaces.

Rodriguez Studio Architecture PC

This immense door might have felt dark and heavy, especially because the distance looks like it could be somewhat underlit, however, the translucent paned glass provides a textural component that brightens the general texture.

Sharon McCormick Design

The Engineered timber paned door is 1 thing, but the designer took it a step further by mounting a full-length mirror to the the same hardware at the background — a wonderful touch.

crown-industrial. com

This flat slat layout looks like it may not quite fill the whole door opening, which is a great idea since when closed it would make a perfect room divider or screen. Light may still pass , but guests don’t need to find out what is happening in the kitchen when sitting at the dining room table.

Carey Dodson

Doors can serve several purposes, also. Why not make them interactive and fun with a flair of chalkboard paint?

Feldman Architecture, Inc..

This giant, white lacquered barn door gives what at one time may have been a fairly traditional home a spacious, airy, loft-like feel.

Rebekah Zaveloff | KitchenLab

Perfect for a kitchen, in which distance is nearly always at a premium, this duplex door slides open to reveal a bookcase without obstructing any valuable floor space.

Another repurposed door, this one looking like it had been rescued in the old school, is utilised to good effect.

Loadingdock5 Architecture PLLC

These floor-to-ceiling high-lacquer doors flanking a relatively small opening from 1 room to the next make a stunning statement. The oversize scale and hardware make these contemporary barn doors a gorgeous architectural component.

Scheer & Co..

I had the barn door that came with the loft I redesigned a few years back cleaned up a bit, but not too much — I wanted to retain the beat up industrial texture of the metal-clad door. In cases like this, the opening that the door contributed to’d long-since been closed up, so it was purely a decorative component.

Scheer & Co..

I loved the effect so much that I found another similar door in the construction and reused it as a swing door to the bedroom!

More: Great Ideas for Pocket Doors
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