I hate saloon doors, particularly in restrooms. Detest them. A lot!
But would I call them tacky? Actually, no.

I've never thought of them as tacky either. Unusual to see, I kind of like them. Like swinging kitchen doors, too. I didn't know they were used in trailer parks. I hope my image of them isn't tarnished now, lol.

duplicate

This post was edited by snookums2 on Thu, Feb 7, 13 at 21:53

I think they remind many of us of the cheap plastic saloon doors used gratuitously in many 1970's homes. They just looked bad! Perhaps some nice read wood (or at least convincing faux wood) ones with a better design would look OK, if they appeal to one!

I've never seen plastic cafe doors! And certainly if I were going to use them I'd make sure they fit the style of the room. You could get any shape or style you want.

Maybe the plastic doors were what was in the trailers, lol? I don't know, I think the last place you would find cafe doors would be a trailer.

Most certainly annoying.

I had a friend who called them Hee Haw doors, from the TV show.

I don't know about the tackiness of cafe doors for a bathroom, but I would be concerned about the lack of privacy.

They were commonly used for wet bars when I was growing up, but I never saw them in anything other than wood. I don't consider them tacky, but I do tend to think of them as bar doors or perhaps an eating area. They seem pointless for a toilet area. They don't provide a lot of privacy even if perfectly adjusted so they don't gap in the middle.

Well, as I said to the person considering it, I do not care to have my husband seeing me on a toilet and more importantly, I do NOT want that view of him, lol. Cafe doors would at least allow us to be in the same bathroom without the person in the little closet exposed.

Is that tiny plus worth having the doors? Maybe. I'd probably prefer to go with no door and a policy that if the closet is in use the entire bath is closed to others. If that caused a major problem, for me the cafe doors would be better than no door at all on the closet.

Wait......there are OTHER decorating forums??????

Nancy

Saloon doors fail in the water closet category because they provide only a visual barrier and not a sound barrier. And only a partial visual barrier.

There are probably places where such doors would be completely at home, in context, and apropos, but not in a bathroom. Hence, they are not tacky globally, just situationally. And almost anything could be considered tacky with that criteria, right?

My parents bought a house with saloon doors on the WC. They were the first thing to go! There are better door options out there.

I had them on the doorway to the kitchen~talk about PITA! As for the privacy issue, I see them as a decor element, not really functional for privacy. Could you do a pocket door?

I also feel they are a dated 'item' and haven't seen them used in a home for at least 30 years, only in an occasional restaurant/bar/bakery.

Didn't even turn up on Houzz for current applications.

Nancy, I got a good laugh out of that!

Snookums, I too searched Houzz and was amazed by the results. I know I've never seen them in a home. I can barely imagine, though I am sure there are some, what application would be better served by partial doors than a full door.

I agree that full length doors would be preferable. The person considering them for her bath, might have to have them custom made, but she could probably put a set of full length swinging doors there. Cafe doors would provide as much privacy as we all get in public restrooms right? So, they would solve at least half of the privacy issue.

The person can't install a pocket door, barn door, etc. She could do bi-folds but I think I'd prefer the full length swinging doors for this application.

I'm sure there were a set of louvered swinging bifolds in a restroom I used, which was actually at a fine restaurant in an old building. Maybe they were just louvered but I remember swinging bifolds that didn't go all the way to the floor. I think I've run into those louvers in a bathroom before. All aspects are a very bad idea for a bathroom! Someone was not thinking, no matter how quaint they thought they looked. Huge dust collectors those louvers are too.

This post was edited by snookums2 on Fri, Feb 8, 13 at 16:07

Back in the dark ages when I was in college, some friends lived in a ramshackle apartment in a creaky old house with no door at all to the bathroom.

They hung a big Indian bedspread over the doorway, and you were expected to sing while in the bathroom so your presence was known.

We were all art and theatre students, and much hilarity and questionable performance ensued.

You may not be able to find pictures of them in Houzz, but they did make it into the "Ugly House Photos" blog . . .

Here is a link that might be useful: Ugly House Photos

Yes I saw that pic in my search. Those doors take the cake. They don't even fit and I can't see how they perform any function at all.

Snookums I have an aversion to all louvers but you are so right about having them on a bathroom door. There are bathrooms that don't have an exhaust and those folks could make a good argument for louvered doors, otherwise, the last place I'd want to see them is a bath.

Im thinking of putting in new house and doorway leading to very large pantey mud room woukd not hold a second refrigerator and freezer so we put beaide linen closer and from a certain angle sitting at island they will show so im thinking a 3/4 door (9' doorways) they can stand open most of time and when company comes close may wait and see it site of appliances annoys me