I would do number #2 or #3. Realisticly, How often do you think you will close them? I know in my house I would only close them when people came over but thats me.

I like the idea of a pocket door, with glass. If you have the space how about a french door since you want a lighter open feeling. You are right, the barn door is fabulous! Good luck!

I'm not sure where exactly the doors are going on your plan, but I have these saved on my Houzz ideabook and just love them.

[contemporary dining room design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/contemporary-dining-room-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_722~s_2103) by

What is the barn door supposed to hang off of? The cabinetry? I wouldn't block off your kitchen on one side only with a curtain wall just so you can park a barn door on it.

Thanks for the feedback!

Marcolo ~ It's my understanding that a barn door would hang from the hardware above (which would be attached to log trusses), so I wasn't planning to use a curtain wall in the kitchen. I guess that the barn door would be the curtain wall when open.

Bee~ Thanks for the photo! Those are beautiful doors, just not rustic enough for my space.

Breezy ~ I think that the more rustic barn doors would fit the style of our house perfectly, so I would like to use them.

Debra ~ Realistically, the doors will be open often. However, the sliding doors would leave only a 2.5ft opening.

Clary ~ French doors are nice, but there's no room for them to open into the space.

Thanks everyone for your feedback. Every solution seems to have a drawback. Since we're building a log style post and beam house and we live on a hobby farm, I thought I could get away with using the barn door. However, would it just look really bad to have the door block my cabinetry on one side?

Now I understand where the barn door would hang--a log truss above. I didn't understand that. One thing to consider with that is how the barn door will hang next to your cabs. Since the barn doors don't move in a track on the bottom, they do have some play in how they move. The bottom swings a bit and could bang into your cabs. You could mitigate that with some bumpers on the back of the door or on the cabs, but just beware of the issue. If you'd leave the door open often, it might look odd blocking the side of your cabs.

I'm still not getting how you're planning to use a barn door.

That opening is marked 7'2" on your plan, as far as I can read.

Your base cabs are 2 feet deep.

Where is the rest of the door going to go?

OK, wait. I'm still confused. Would you wall off some of the office cubby opening in order to use a barn door? With the wide opening, you have you don't have room against the cabs for a door that size.

I also like the glass siders. I wouldn't do the doors that swing in. I don't think it fits with our house, and it seems like an after-thought solution.

breezygirl ~ Thanks for the extra info about the barn doors. I also think that the glass sliders are nice and probably the most practical solution.

Marcolo~ The opening is about 5 ft wide (7ft2" includes the kitchen portion). Most of the solutions that I can think of will involve walling off some of the office area. I was thinking of a 3.5ft barn door, which would wall off about 1.5ft of the office space (leaving 1 ft more than a standard sliding door).

So, I guess that the other solution would be a glass pocket door (2x2.5ft sections) that would slide into a permanent curtain wall in the kitchen. Is this really the best solution? Am I missing something?

Beautiful as the barn door is I'm not getting how it could work in your space. It would almost reach the island, and would block the island prep space off from the range. (BTW, I think your prep sink is on the wrong side of the island, wouldn't you want it on the range side?). Also, how would it attach to the floor without putting a rail in the floor that would trip people when the door's closed...

I love the door, but I just don't think it's workable in your space.

Best solution IMO would be a slider doors like bee showed (but in a more rustic style of course).

taggie ~ The barn door wouldn't have extended past the cabinetry, however...

DH came home and said that barn doors are "ugly" and that they "look like an afterthought... a wooden curtain" so I can't exactly choose something that he feels that way about.

Looks like we're going with #2... THanks everyone for your inputs.

I'm not sure I'm "getting" it. It looks to me as if the computer desk area isn't deep enough to use with the doors closed, right? I mean I guess a chair would fit there, but it would feel awfully claustrophobic.

So, if that's correct...my two cents worth: If you are anything like me, your computer area will typically be cluttered with paperwork and "stuff"...so I would want a door that would hide the mess when the area wasn't in use. Solid, glass only at the top or with a textured, frosted or otherwise obscured glass (maybe just a shirred or lace panel on it). And since the odds are, with my family anyway, the doors would be open more often than shut, I wouldn't want any doors sticking out. And I would probably NOT want a curtain wall in the kitchen, but would want that countertop to be open to the walkway. I think a curtain wall (IF I'm understanding what and where it would be) would make the kitchen feel blocked off, rather than open to the walkway and computer area.

So I'd look into two possibilities. The first would be two narrow pocket doors, each about 15" wide, each sliding out from the middle into 15"pockets. That would give you a 30" opening with 15" deep wing walls on either side.

The second (and better) option, if doable, would be two see if you could find or get made doors that work like those in your second picture ...the kind that go on TV cabinets on armoires, that open out to 90 degrees then slide back into the sides. I don't know that I've ever seen them in a full door size, only on cabinets. But it would be worth checking into, IMO.

Thanks Melissa. 2 larger doors that slide in would be the best solution. I guess this is something I should discuss with my KD. Otherwise, I think my GC could make it for us if we asked.

Regarding the prep sink, my kitchen layout hasn't been looked at by a KD yet (that's today!!), so I'm sure it will change.

Is there a reason you're not considering folding doors?

Here is a link that might be useful: bifold door

The "barn door" hardware that you want is by Peterson if I recall correctly, but maybe I'm wrong. We were in same position--we're into doors yet didn't have adequate walls to put pocket doors into, so at one point I pursued this idea. The barn door can roll aside into an open space, if there's a suitable header to carry it.

It is possible to create an interior "barn door" without looking rustic. This is important to acknowledge, since there are so many rustic models to muddy the mental image. Another problem with concept in the abstract is that most visuals are in high-end architect-designed spaces, so the cost starts out at high and goes up from there. Trying to find images of it in more humble surroundings is tough. There was one in a kitchen in Better Homes I think, abt 3 yrs ago, which was my inspiration for considering the idea.

Bi-fold doors can be a pain because they jump the track, but if you have good hardware and if you don't close them very much so you don't have to listen to them or fight them, they are a good space saver. Louvered ones allow air flow to closed areas, if the area doesn't have its own circulation vents.

Is it possible to do on a large scale one of those sets of doors like the kitchen designers use on t.v. cabs and appliance garages in which the pair of doors is opened to the outside and then shoved back into a side position flanking the interior of the cabinet? Unlike a regular hinge, this allows items to remain closer to the door area inside the "swing" zone.

Florantha ~ So, what kind of door did you choose in the end? I showed DH some less rustic sliding doors. It's the exposed hardware that he doesn't like. Your last suggestion is what I'm hoping to do (since DH vetoed the barn door).

quirk ~ We considered folding doors, but they would still block the walkway when open. If they opened inwards, I think they would be hard to close tightly and would still look sloppy, a look we're obviously trying to avoid. Thanks for the link though.

melissastar suggested:

"So I'd look into two possibilities. The first would be two narrow pocket doors, each about 15" wide, each sliding out from the middle into 15"pockets. That would give you a 30" opening with 15" deep wing walls on either side. "

Can you do this, instead of with pockets, with 2 narrow barn doors?

OK. So here's a crazy idea.
I don't know if this is possible beacuse I don't know if the hardware exists but, instead of one 30" door, use 2 15" doors and attached by sliding pivot hinges.
If you're not familiar with these hinges, you've probably seen them used in entertainment centers to hide the TV.
Basically, you would open the 2 doors from the center. When you reach the 90 degree point the doors would slide back into the computer room.
I know they make these hinges for cabinetry, but I don't know if they make them for full size doors.
Perhaps your GC will know.
I'm attaching a link for the cabinet hinges to better explain what I mean.

Here is a link that might be useful: Sliding Pivot Hinge

I just picked up two, antique French doors at my favorite reuse center.
I've installed them where regular, solid pocket doors are. They slide, vs. opening in and out.

It's another option.
If you've got 60" you can use a 30" barn style door, which would still hide 1/2 of your space, or you could use two, regular French doors on bypass hardware, or a pocket door with a French door inside it.

If you don't want them opening, you would still need the same amount of room to open then, just to slide them into a wall (like the tv cabinet doors). WillTV, yes, they make them for full-sized doors. Mucho $$$$$$$.

I love the barn door....but that's bc we are doing the same thing on the desk space next to our kitchen. Although, I think you'd have to modify framing a bit for it to work? It would depend on where you decided to put it. Here's what we are doing...

Top view of part of the kitchen...the top right is a walkway bn kitchen/family room...in between is the office space with the barn door. We opted for 1 larger door, but you could also do 2 smaller ones. My thought is that ours will be open 90% of the time and be just decorative more than anything else. When people come over, I could always close it if needed :)

Here's another view of the barn door/office space...

hth...

Wow, thanks for the ideas everyone! I really appreciate it.

Andi ~ It looks like the barn door will fit perfectly with your plans. I'm sure you'll get plenty of compliments when you have people over!

I think that the doors that slide in (like a pocket door with a 90 degree turn) is what we need. It was what I had always planned to do with the space before I had the crazy barn door idea. Since DH doesn't like barn doors, it's not worth the effort to try to make it work. What is the name for the sliding pivot type of door?

CEFreeman ~ When you say "Mucho $$$$$$$", how much do you think?

willtv ~ Thanks for the link. Now at least I know what the hardware is called.

I'm not sure, but I could look at Rockler's.
They're not inexpensive (other places) for the cabinets, but it seems the heavier load they're asked to bear, the more expensive they become. Like drawer glides.

I don't know what they're called, either!! Entertainment center hinges? :)

oops...sorry! I missed the note about DH not liking the barn doors.

I think you are talking about a retractrable door, maybe? Something like this, but obviously larger?

Here is a link that might be useful: retractable door hardware

Just stumbled on this website which has a number of door options including a glass door

Here is a link that might be useful: Richelieu hardware page