My frOnt doors are barn doors.

The door to my bathroom is a glass barn door, which gives me a view of my pedestal tub in a windowed alcove.

They were put in three years ago.

Yes, I think they are very trendy and unlikely to last. I love mine, for now at least

you are lucky -- I think they're good looking.

As with most trends, if it is done well (right surroundings, more authentic,and better quality) the better it will stand the test of time. If you google "sliding barn door" and look at the images many look out of place. Some look like the homeowner or builder just had to stick one in so they picked a random door and made it a sliding barn door, those already look bad imo.

I think Mtnrd's doors look great. Another example of a barn door done well is Joan's at For the Love of a House.

Here is a link that might be useful: For the love of a house

If there's a good reason for the type of opening they're in, they are great! If there a no compelling reason to use that particular kind of door in an application, they'll look dated in a few years.

I saw barn doors at the top of stairs to a bonus room / teenage suite in a designers show house last year. The furniture placement would have made a swinging in door difficult, and a swinging out door could knock someone down the stairs, so they def made long term sense there.

I do love them, and am flirting with having one installed at our en suite. There is a wretched swinging door that opens in toward the shower-and we've thought of putting in a pocket door, but I'm not sure we have enough floor space if we need to enlarge the frame. So the barn door concept works best.

Agree, however, that it will likely be trendy if not placed correctly.

Like pesky, I'm considering one for our MBA entrance to replace the 24" one and door that swings into the shower door.
Sometimes it's the best solution for a tight area when wall space is available.

Joan's door is original to that barn, so using it was a no-brainer!

I love them, and don't care if it's viewed as trendy.

We are thinking of putting them in our two entrances to the family room, although not "barn' style...more modern. We now use both the LR and FR for TV rooms--the FR used to be a study with the computer when kids were growing up.. which meant DH was relegated to awful basement to watch his shows....so with kids gone we wanted two TV rooms on main level. He now wears earphones when he's watching as we can both hear each other's shows...hence the doors. Can't do pocket and can't do a regular door on one entry...so sliding style would work best. The hardware I've found is very expensive so am still scoping it out. I see them as the best solution to our problem and therefore utilitarian, not trendy.

I hate the look..and feel once out of date and you remove them you are left with a big gaping hole. But each to their own.

My frOnt doors are barn doors.

The door to my bathroom is a glass barn door, which gives me a view of my pedestal tub in a windowed alcove.

They were put in three years ago.

Yes, I think they are very trendy and unlikely to last. I love mine, for now at least

I was thinking of doing one going into my library. I hated the look at first but thought that a door like that would solve our problem doorway into the library. I wanted to do a French door, alas not enough room, but the sliding door seemed perfect. I am still holding out though because I know they will look dated sooner rather than later but I can't imagine another type of door fitting the application better. I probably still won't do it because I shy away from trends.

Im not so sure this "trend" will disappear because they are a perfect solution in many applications. If I wanted pocket doors it would mean studding out and building an entirely new wall. Can't do a regular door because when open it would cover one of the two windows in the room. A sliding door will work best.

I'm sure sliding glass doors were considered "trendy" back in the day, but they are utilitarian and so have stood the test of time. Im not particularly fond of them, but I can't do a french door onto my deck because of how my kitchen is.

I don't think the holes necessary for "barn" doors are SO big they can't easily be patched and painted over.

I actually think they can add interest to a room....more so than a regular door for sure.

Joanie, we made our French doors open onto our deck rather than into the room. Our deck is large so it was the perfect solution for exterior French doors. The library though would have to have the doors swing into the library or into the breakfast area so the slider door would work well.

FB, I really like the antique looking doors you posted. That is a look I could see going with.

I love these ones as well because privacy is not an issue.
If I wasn't so lazy these days they would be real easy to make ..
I could pick-up salvaged wood and an iron garden border for the inset.

want!

While interior barn doors are a recent style innovation and may be considered trendy, IMO they will be a lasting style in many homes. Since they are unique and probably not inexpensive I think there is a certain type of person who will use them and be comfortable with keeping them even if/when the trend wanes.

I'd love to have them but there's not a place in my house it would work. Maybe next house and by then the trend will have passed.

When we moved into our house, the doorway between our master bedroom and vanity did not have a door. It is a common, stupid, design in California homes. My husband got up for work at about 5:30am--that was not going to work for me.

A pocket door or regular door could not be put there due to the set-up. I described exactly what I wanted as a solution to my husband; I'd never seen or heard of a barn door for a house, but that is exactly what I described. He told me there was no such thing. We ended up putting in a bi-fold door. Too late, I read about barn doors in GW. Bummer.

But we will be having a door problem with the dining/kitchen divide when we remodel. I have more options in my arsenal now.

Guess barn doors are not trendy in my area of SoCal until you reach the multi-million price range. I've never seen one here.

If you consider it just another type of door ... it's a sliding door hung ON a wall and not embedded IN a wall like a pocket door, or requiring a 2x width opening like a patio slider ... it will last as a problem solver.

I think they will become less "rustic", garner fewer ooohs and start fitting into more decors.

DRAWBACKS:
Poor noise control
Requires the adjacent wall be kept clear for the door.

GOOD THINGS:
Can usually be retrofitted into a variety of decors.

Is the noise control that bad with barn doors? That is why we are thinking of putting them in. Mtn, what say you?

Hi Joanie,

Well, I am not sure I have much insight into that. Our front doors, which is a double barn door, lead into a vestibule. The vestibule has a set of exterior french doors. So the barn doors serve almost no real function other than creating more of an entry.

The barn door I have to my bathroom is four panes of glass. I usually shut it when i am taking a bath as it keeps the room a tad warmer and gives me a sense of privacy (totally illusory because Ive not put a curtain on the door). I really never noticed noise since it isnt as though there would be noise in the MBR when I am taking a bath?

We used barn doors to separate the MBR from Mbath....The openings frame the FP wall, and were too wide for doors, so it was the perfect solution, if someone needs to close off the bath for privacy. They slide behind the FP, and provide a bit of architectural texture in the BR. They are painted white, behind the black iron stove and pipe.

Nancy

We're planning on doing this in our guest room/office. We're putting in a new small bath using space from what used to be a large closet, which leaves us with a narrow wall between the bathroom door and the opening of the now smaller closet.

The closet is adjacent to the entry door, so we can't have the closet door open out. Pocket doors won't work either. Barn doors that will allow the bathroom and closet to be closed off to the room will be a perfect solution.

I'd be interested to see pictures of what type of barn doors would be considered trendy, as opposed to a functional solution that won't quickly become dated.

We just did barn doors. There was no other solution for our situation and we really needed a door. I could care less if they are "trendy" or not. They work perfectly for us. We bought the track and hardware from Tractor Supply, spray painted it black and did it for under $125. They are not great for noise control, but I really like they look of them. It also slides across the wall to close the kitchen off from the dining room opening which I also like. We bought a long track to hang the door from so we had the option of using it to close off the upstairs, or the kitchen.

I'd really love to see pics from anyone who has them ...
Especially anyone that has done it themselves.
Any help would be appreciated .
I just can't get to the first step of attaching the header...The rest I have figured out.

Here are our front doors. We did this because I wanted something special for entry doors, but everything our architect suggested was too McMansiony. And everything I liked in vintage land was too "Brooklyn brownstonesque". The entry hall is front to back, and at the back is the stone terrace and pond view. I made the doors as a sort of progression; the barn doors are half glass, the vestibule entry doors are all glass, each with 8 panes, and then straight ahead is a single door that is all glass, in four panes (just like the door to my MBA below).
You can kind of see that door in the second photo, in this case there is a green umbrella blocking the view.

Anyway, here it is:

PS the hardware was like 500 IIRC, but then you need to consider my GC's gazillion percent, fraudulent markup.

And here is the door to our "her" MBA. I "designed" it and suggested it because, although it is hard to see in the photo, I like the views and light from the windows that surround the tub. It also reminds me of the trend to put bath tubs in MBR. I don't like a lot of furniture pieces in bedrooms, so I knew I would not mind the foregone wall space. I am sure it is one of the features in my home that people think is crazy. (hey lady, you know i can see right through your door don't you?)

Oh, and in re trendy. (and don't kill the messenger, obviously I have them too).

What I think is trendy looking about them is the hardware. I think it is all still pretty much genuine barn door hardware, and people spray paint it. It's kind of coarse and rustic. Which, IMHO, is ok in a farmhouse (maybe) and in a modern loft, but elsewhere I think it will look a little odd once the industrial trend passes.

Maybe they will make different hardware going forward that is more transitional.

BTW, I forgot to mention,. My DS's glass shower door is a barn door, too.

mtnrdredux - thanks so much for posting pictures. I can show the hardware to DH when we're ready to start that project and I think it will be very helpful.

I can see the metal pieces perhaps leaning towards trendy in certain settings, where the rustic or industrial look might seem out of place, but we have a somewhat rustic ranch on a small piece of horse property, so I think it could work without seeming dated later on. DH also welds as a hobby, so we already have quite a bit of iron, steel and rustic wood used for some exterior architectural details and hardscape (e.g., steel welds to connect railroad ties and beams for some outside structures).

p.s. Your front doors and master bath (what I can see of it) are gorgeous! I don't think the barn doors look at all trendy in your space.

Nice to see pics of your home mtnrd...so well done!

We have a sliding barn door and haven't found it trendy at all...we've had it for decades, in fact centuries...on our barn.
;)

It can be a pain as you have to keep clearing the snow and ice from the track the door runs in if you want to get into the barn in the winter...of course that is less of an issue for an interior application....unless you loathe vacuuming!
:)

My apologies in advance....I couldn't resist....carry on.