Farmhouse Style: Barn Doors

January 11, 2017

image result for beautiful blue and white farmhouse room with sliding barn door and bunks

Decor Inspiration Barn Doors

It is impossible not to notice that barn doors
and farmhouse style are absolutely everywhere
in interior design and
instead of fading from the limelight, they seem to
be gaining momentum as designers and homeowners
imagine new ways to incorporate them into decor.

Take the room at top with the hideaway bunks.
How perfect is this solution for a
guest cottage,
finished basement,
small vacation getaway,
or a studio apartment?

I'm also an admirer of the minimal hardware design
and simplicity of the white door in that installation,
since it much less understated and less harsh.

Can barn doors be pretty? Oui.
Can they be subtle? Oui, again.

But what if you want to make a bold contemporary
statement that speaks with a more
industrial vocabulary?

image result for huge silver steel sliding barn door in contemporary room

Sliding Barn Door - Modern and Industrial

Ahhhhhh.
Then you say hello to a flashy metal that's
as about as wide and rock and roll as you can go.

And if you're a little bit country and don't
want your entre to swing...

image result for white plank barn door to farmhouse country style bedroom

Modern farmhouse bedroom with painted sliding barn door

then this gorgeous painted wood plank door
will deliver the goods AND provide architectural
eye candy.

How else can simple sliding barn doors
make a room feel a little less clutter-full?

image result for white painted farmhouse plank barn doors to cover TV

Two sliding barn doors conceal a large screen TV in a shabby chic media room

They can become hiders of electronics and media
like this...I personally would have those babies
shut most of the time since I'm not a big TV
person, and this room seems to lend itself
royally to cozying down with a good book.

Barn doors need not even remind you of a barn!
If you choose more traditional styled doors
and paint them in your favorite bold shade,
the doors just may be reminiscent of shutters
or function as art in the room as opposed to
a shelter for livestock on the farm.

image result for colorful primary colors in modern country room with red barn doors

What a happy room with cheerful red barn doors to a closet

If you are a fan of shiplap or horizontal planking,
then you just may love this next barn door
application which keeps things moving
east and west and feels so fresh as it
separates a kitchen from a pantry.

image result for modern farmhouse shiplap white kitchen with sliding barn door to pantry

Seamless entry to a pantry with a barn door from kitchen

Open shelving is so hugely popular in kitchen
design right now, but if you get jumpy around
a lot of tchotchke business, then maybe
you want the freedom to close those babies
away while creating a chalkboard surface
for lists, menus, and fun.

image result for white kitchen with sliding barn door with chalkboard to conceal shelves

A clever multi-functioning sliding barn door

Black and oil rubbed bronze seem to be the
most popular finishes for barn door hardware,
but I love seeing a lot of stainless and silvery
tones too...we used a stainless rail system
for the barn door we installed at the Arizona
fixer upper that I'll show you soon.

image result for elegant blue sliding door with stainless hardware

Can a barn door be elegant? Why, yes. Yes, it can.

So we have already seen examples of
room dividers
doors
shelf covers
chalkboards
and
TV camouflage,
but what about window treatments?

image result for masculine contemporary room with leather sectional and barn door window cover

Barn doors as window coverings?

Why not?
Sometimes finding a just right black-out
window treatment is a challenge, and especially
for this window above with its arched cove,
a rustic sliding door comes to the rescue.

image result for beautiful blue painted sliding barn door to pantry

When space in a hall is limited...

If you have ever lived in a place with
narrow hallways then you can probably
see the genius of introducing a sliding barn door.
BTW.
Have you ever installed a pocket door?
We have. And they are not the easiest
to get right so this application above
makes a lot of sense and is beautiful
with the cottage styling.

image result for Pacific Entries sliding TV barn doors in white family room

Beautiful white rustic sliding TV barn doors from Pacific Entries

The room above is dressed in sliding mini barn doors
from Pacific Entries to conceal a large screen TV
and make sense when a big austere black box
in the center of a focal wall is just too harsh
or undesirable in a room without touches of black.

The geometry on either side of the
the TV and doors also has me swooning
and dreaming about the possibilities
for a niche in our Arizona fixer upper's
living room.

Here is another example of
full-size sliding barn doors to conceal
a television and also add architectural
interest.

image result for full size sliding barn doors to cover TV

Loving the star the closed barn doors create!

The first time I saw barn doors used
in such a way was in my friend Leslie's
beachy cottage she has been remodeling.
Look at where she started when they
tore the wall apart in her living room:

Gwen Moss

Can you imagine the undertaking of such a project?

Then the wall with fireplace progressed to this:

Gwen Moss

What a difference!

And then Leslie's designs took shape.

Gwen Moss

Wow! This was the next stage,

and she still had more magic in store.

Those peekaboo doors are so perfect

with the style she is going for in her cottage.

Gwen Moss

The addition of a salvaged mantel she had
been storing for just the right place found
life here amid snow white lovely columns
and rustic natural shelves for books and pretties.

Gwen Moss

I love how she captured the spirit of this

re-designed focal wall here since it

has all the timeless romance, texture,

and contrast I love.

You amaze me, girlfriend,

and I bow to you.

If you desire similar doors to Leslie's custom ones,

the company that made our knotty alder doors

also creates beautiful sliding TV barn doors

made from alder...and if you want, you

can order them unfinished to customize

them as you wish.

Here's what Pacific Entries' TV barn doors

look like installed:

Pacific Entries rustic sliding TV barn doors

What say ye about all the barn door hoopla?
Are you over them?
Have them in your home?
Want em?
Heard of other alternate uses for them?

For more lovely reads, visit these recent posts:

Bedrooms by Pamela Pierce

Meg Ryan's New York Home
Modern Farmhouse Kitchens in England
Property Brothers Take New Orleans
Modern French Farmhouse in Texas

Plantation Shutters Inspiration

Best Ikea Hack

A Gorgeous Modern Farmhouse

Choosing Doors for the Fixer Upper

Peace to you right where you are.

Image Sources:
Pacific Entries
Gwen Moss
Sebring

11 comments

tttJanuary 12, 2017 at 7:33 AM
Not a fan. They just look (I don't know) silly. Tv should never be over fireplace. Watching it is like viewing a movie from the front row. These doors look cluttery and puzzling. TV, I think,is here to stay. Why are we always working so hard to hide it? Would love a post(s) on this.
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swedecollectionJanuary 12, 2017 at 8:52 AM
I have never figured out why designers leave the black iron hanging hardware black. The first thing I would do if I had these is to paint the hardware the color of the background so it would fade in and not be so in your face noticeable. I like barn doors in certain circumstances and would like to use them in a future house.
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Cindy in OklahomaJanuary 12, 2017 at 9:58 AM
I like and even sometimes love the rustic look of barn doors but I've never liked or loved the fact that there is really no privacy. When closed someone could walk up and peek in the gap! The only sliding doors I covet are pocket doors. They make so much sense for small bathrooms and closets or even separating living spaces to eliminate noise, etc. I don't know why they're not utilized more. Look at this one from a Fixer Upper episode...https://www.pinterest.com/pin/32088216073438990/
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LeslieJanuary 12, 2017 at 10:28 AM
Leslie did an amazing job! I agree with Cindy:) .. great in small spaces but I also like the idea of using them to divide rooms. The large dark hardware can be a bit overwhelming so I'd definitely go with something softer.

xo
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Holly Irwin Fine ArtJanuary 12, 2017 at 12:17 PM
Great for the urban farmhouse look and for adding an industrial look. I thought that was clever to use them for making the tv disappear too! I'm a fan!

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