BARN DOORS – Off The Farm And Into Your Home

Last year my husband and I decided to install air conditioning in the living room but the doorway to the kitchen was not only too wide for a standard door, there would be no place for doors to open and a solid door would block out natural light coming from the kitchen window.  However, without a barrier, all the cooled air would escape the living space making installation not practical.  Searching for a solution, we hit upon the practical and space friendly barn door.  We chose to make our own (which was simpler than I originally thought and looked amazing!) which allowed us to customize the length of the track and the size of the doors to accommodate the width of our doorway.  If you’re not interested in DIY there are a lot of pre-made options in just about every design style, size and finish.

We chose the barn door as a way to block out the living room but it’s perfect for laundry rooms and closets where there might not be enough space for a traditional door to open.

For a rustic look, a rough wood door looks amazing.  Keep it natural to match existing woods in your home, white wash it for a distressed finish, or paint it a clean crisp white.   In a modern room, use a smooth material in a bright colour (like orange, yellow or red) or glass.  If your room is darker like ours, a French door type of design with glass panels will let in precious light from an adjoining room.

Need ideas?  Here are our favourite Houzz designs.