A 5 panel door can be configured in a dozen ways. What do yours look like and what is the sticking profile? Will they be painted? If they will be stained, what kind of wood do you prefer? Are they so unusual that they must be custom made?

A saloon/cafe door does not fill the frame top and bottom and swings in both directions. A full height door can be hinged to operate in that manner too. Which do you want?

Here is a link that might be useful: 5 panel door designs

Try your local antique stores or salvage stores for old, odd-shaped doors that come out of demolished houses. They will also have old window glass there too. Really the only thing that makes a saloon door what it is, are the hinges. You could probably make a really cool door with bits of a solid wood reclaimed door for a pretty cheap price. If you do, post it!

The existing 5 panel doors are typical of houses from the 20's to the 40's- 5 horizontal panels. The vertical parts (Rails? Stiles?) are about 5-1/2" wide, as are the parts in between the panels. We haven't decided on a finish yet, as they have many coats of paint, which come off easily, and a very dark, almost black stain, which doesn't seem to want to come off. They appear to be southern pine. If we can't lighten the stain enough, they'll just be painted to match the other house trim. That being said, there aren't any other doors visible in this part of the house.

I know saloon/cafe isn't the right term. I've seen them called butler doors, but those are usually a single swinging door. We need a full height door to completely block the view of the laundry area, and to help control sound when laundry is being done. I've done some more looking on Houzz today, and saw a nice pair of doors with round windows, and trim around the round window. It might not be a bad idea to have a small window in a door that can swing in both directions. I guess my goal would make it look as though the doors came from the same house as the old doors, at least to the casual observer.

Doors are dimensioned by their frame opening size so this assembly would be a pair of doors in a 36 x 80 frame.

It is a simple matter to specify this door and either specify the hinges or provide them to the assembler who will pre-hang the doors. Each leaf can have 5 stacked panels, the panels can be flat or raised, the top panel can be glass with one of a dozen sticking profiles in any of a dozen+ woods or MDF/poplar for paint.

This door design can be ordered from many lumberyards but probably not Home Depot or Lowes. The only reason to buy ready made doors is if you can't wait 4 to 6 weeks for fabrication and assembly.

Here is a link that might be useful: door design tool

Great link- Thanks! I'll have to explore their site, as the model numbers in the design tool give no clue of the style of door.

My biggest concern with having doors made would be cost. I'm building this house myself on a tight budget. I have money for good bones, not frills. Depending upon cost, I might just hang some cheap closet doors up for the short term, with an eye towards buying/building something better in the future.

I've been looking for vintage doors this size, but anything under 24" or so seems pretty rare, at least around here. I'm still trying to find a 24" door in the style of my other antique ones. I found one- for $350! Considering I only paid $10 each for the rest of them, $350 for a closet door was a bit much.

The door style model numbers are in the previous link. You must enter it into the design tool.

36" doors are a nuisance and rarely necessary IMO. I would consider using a 32" door.

Does the laundry not have a door of its own? To save the cost and oddness of cafe doors you might consider redesigning the house so the laundry is not viewed from the dining room. The bedroom door shouldn't be viewed from the dining room either.

I agree that redesigning the view from the DR would be ideal.

You could always hang drapes that can be shut when necessary but tied open most of the time. Drapes in a doorway are called portieres.

[Transitional Living Room[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/transitional-living-room-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_718~s_2112) by Los Angeles Architects & Designers Tim Barber LTD Architecture & Interior Design

[Traditional Closet[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-closet-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_734~s_2107) by New York Interior Designers & Decorators Arden Stephenson, ASID

localeater- that's such a brilliant idea for any area. I like the ability to widen a door for the sake of moving appliances or pianos. Never saw that before.

There's not much that won't fit through a 32" door (pianos and appliances will fit) and additional clearance can be obtained with lift off hinges.

Double action cafe/saloon hinges have two large spring loaded barrels on each side of the door that will reduce the clearance of a 36" opening by more than 4" inches so it's difficult to see why this would be preferred to a 32" door which can also have privacy hardware and can stay open.

Since I've moved a grand piano several times in the past decade, I think I can safely say that when it comes to doors, the bigger the better. Again, lovely idea localeater.

Have you moved a piano into a bedroom?

Actually, not I personally, but a friend of mine has a sitting area that holds her Grand... And double doors are installed on that threshold. I find it so gratifying that you are so interested in my musical instruments. Thank you for your concern.