Barn-style sliding doors offer space-saving solutions in any room.

Mention barn doors to anyone not devoted to interior design and they will assume you are speaking of doors on real barns.  Mounted on hardware placed outside the door frame, the sliding indoor versions offer a decorative and functional alternative to standard swing and pocket doors.     .

A country kitchen by Hutker Architects [above] features custom designed double doors constructed from reclaimed barn wood and keeps true to the traditional barn door look with a Z-board design on the upper half of the doors, black hardware and ring shaped handles.  This double door classic slides apart from the center to reveal a pantry.  (See more Hutker  kitchens).

Didn’t spot the door right away in the photo above?  The design team of Gauthier-Stacy commissioned an extra large “old master” landscape painting, framed it in gold and hung it on a slider to hide closet doors in the entry of this Boston apartment.

Small bathrooms rooms are frequently constructed with little room for a standard swing door. (I know because I have one).  The Brooklyn Home Company’s rustic wood plank door and black track is striking against the white wall.  This style door is perfect for powder rooms placed in main living areas and solves the pesky design quandary we often hear; “How do I hide the bathroom?!” Closed, the door looks more like a textural element complimenting the wood ceiling beams than an entry to the loo.

A modern version for contemporary rooms, this barn-like sliding door has frosted inserts to diffuse the view of the work area when not in use.

If you like salvaging vintage materials, this double-door slider is proof that just about anything can be made into a door.  Crafted from three different materials; early 1900’s cypress siding (with original green paint), wood from a 100-year-old barn and wrought iron fencing, this recycled and reinvented example has DIY written all over it.

Note:  There are various hardware styles on the market from rustic flat-mount to contemporary stainless steel.  Or hide the hardware altogether with a header.

(Sources: Southern Living)

In a beach house, it makes sense to rely on tropical wood planking that stands up well to water. In this Mr.-and-Mrs. master bath, the planks take on the added role of motif worked in three ways – like fencing to create a semi-open shower, like horizontal paneling on walls and then as slats on the shower floor and sink deck. There’s also a touch of Asian bathhouse aesthetic around the frosted window near the tub.

A series of aluminum trusses set up slender silvery beams to support the wood partitions. One cleverly doubles as a shower curtain rod. In the shower, twin stations are set again a white-tile wall and well illuminated with a recessed light in between.

Mosaic tile used all around the bathtub helps make the transition across the room to another while-tiled wall with double basin sinks set on top of a planked floating vanity that has handy towel storage shelf below. Overhead, sconces look rescued from an architectural office and mounted above the main mirror as easily adjustable task lights for the sinks and extra illumination for the magnifying mirror. Do they remind anyone else of albino grasshoppers?

It’s often difficult to photograph bathrooms, since space tends to be tight. This series helps show a lot about the way space can flow. I particularly like the photo, below, which gives a casual observer a feeling of just having stepped out of the shower.

(Source: hutkerarchitects.com)

There’s something so elemental about an outdoor shower it can make almost any bathroom look overdone. A water source, a rain shower head, a drain and wind shield are the basics — sited for an unobstructed ocean view. Exotic wood planking and natural stones have an innate elegance, perfect for a beach house installation. (Source: Hutker Architects)

Powder rooms tend to get their style from the basic fixtures. The cast concrete sink with sloping side and modernist wall-mounted faucet make the basic statement. A narrow mirror (no wider than the faucets) and tube sconces reinforce it. Yet, look closely at the wall and you can make out painted country-style planking –a twist on the more expected veneer, plate glass or, glass mosaic tile solutions. (Source: hutkerarchitects.com)

We never thought we’d swoon over a kitchen with wood-tone cabinets, lavender tile and blue-violet counters. But this is one knockout babe, done up in summer florals that read from cobalt to lavender – a nod to the range of color found in hydrangeas. The 4 x 4 variegated tile range guard behind the Viking is paired with special order Legacy Trafficstone quartz Bahama blue countertops. Keeping everything simple so the color stands out, the designer went with a pine batten ceiling and horizontal pine walls. Woodsy and countrified this kitchen seems like a perfect statement for a gardener with an addiction to Nikko blues. (Source: hutkerarchitects.com)

The heart of this kitchen is the seafoam blue large island-on-legs with two different counter tops. Islands such as this maximize the look of the central space but tend to sacrifice storage. The small prep sink is set under a slab of marble while wood covers the remainder of the work and serving surface — all illuminated by handsome pendants. Sink plumbing on these islands is always though the floor and exposed (though in this case well hidden). Across the aisle the main farm sink is sheltered by a raised pass-through ledge and well lit with surface-mounted fixtures. On each side of the pass-through, cabinets with glass on three sides function like glass cases that help to keep the kitchen open to the living room and light from an ocean view. (Source: hutkerarchitects.com)

Both white and pale blue cabinets are paired with green marble counters in this Chappaquiddick beach house. The counter-to -soffit tongue and groove backsplash is installed horizontally and provides a vividly painted background for pottery collections displayed in and above open-back cabinets. Note the curved valance plucked from a hutch to make the upper cabinet shelves look special, and open toe kicks to facilitate and disguise heating vents. Corner shelves bracket the upper cabinet and neatly fill gaps. In lieu of an island there is a work table on casters which can double as a serving trolley or pastry table and roll out of the way. (Source:hutkerarchitects.com).

Modern metal cabinets have clean lines and swank details in additional to an unusual retro color scheme of stone gray and maroon played out on the adjoining wall. Casement windows and ceiling beams — each painted gray — soften the hard edges to make this feel a little bit like the country, but on fast-forward. It’s also easy to miss the very refined two-tone floor pattern that echos the two-tone ceiling beams as well as the cooktop and chimney hood that sits between the pair of windows. Note the way a horizontal partition, used like a soffit to lower the ceiling line and house lighting, also is pierced by the hood.  (Source: hutkerarchitects.com)

It is light, bright and informal, yet packed with special features — a good kitchen for entertaining. Three different wood hues are worked into base cabinets on the range wall, which is topped with black stone. Drawers open with hand-pulls below the cook top and there is open shelving above and on each side to keep seasonings and necessities within reach of the cooking center. The sink is set into the island and concealed by the raised eating bar, which also has a copper clad counter and base, to match the adjacent wall. The radius copper-wrapped wall encloses another area of the kitchen which houses a microwave and ovens. (Source: hutkerarchitects.com)

The four square motif typical of Mission appears on oak cabinet doors and panels in this mostly monochrome kitchen. Awning windows, industrial pendant lights, an English-style work table/island with turned legs and tiles set into the apron help mix it up and avoid a strictly period look. Perimeter cabinets turn right past the awning windows and become a stepped up work space/eating bar that also conceals dishware storage. (Source: hutkerarchitects.com)

The most interesting feature centers on the small white farm sink installed in the corner (there’s a close up in the Sink Gallery). It’s an unusual positioning and given emphasis by the placement of shelving over two walls of windows — making dishes and pottery look like greenhouse plants. Light-hued wood cabinets, with see-through door inserts and bin pulls, help preserve the informality. The range is by Viking, the dishwasher a Miele. The old pine farm table in the center adds a homey touch. (Source: hutkerarchitects.com)

Windows set high in the soaring space let wonderful natural light into this galley kitchen. Between the windows a vertical swatch of natural stone hints at a chimney. Exposed timbers set off the wood of the Mission-style oak cabinets. A clever grid provides areas of solid wood from which pendant lighting can be hung. Another interesting aspect is the hutch like built-ins on each side of the range. Also note Mission medallion detailing and a spacious eating bar appointed with high bentwood stools — the eating bar also has furniture-style baseboard instead of toe-kick. (Source: hutkerarchitects.com)