Barn doors are without doubt one of the hottest trends in internal doors in 2018. Whether you buy them “of the rack” or commission bespoke barn doors, they can be a great addition to your home. Watch any interior design or home renovation show on television or check out interior design websites and you’ll notice that barn doors are front and center.

An Internal Barn Door for any Home

Whether you prefer a country style home interior or a more modern interior, there will be a barn door for you. They are practical, versatile and can be fitted in almost any room in the house. Most people associate them with a farmhouse 'feel', but these days they can suit any style of interior. Barn doors maximise the space in your home and make it easy for your kids, the elderly and anyone with a disability, to move between rooms.

Off the Shelf or Bespoke

You can purchase a pre-cut barn door complete with barn door hardware and DIY instructions and install it yourself or have a carpenter do if for you or purchase a bespoke barn door made to your individual specifications. Either way, you will have a door with charm and 'soul'. A barn door can be chosen which is rustic enough to compliment your favourite piece of vintage furniture or modern enough to be compatible with your ultra-modern furniture. The range of styles, finishes and barn door hardware together provide enormous opportunity to create your own unique barn door.

Functional Diversity of Barn Doors

The Bathroom

Do you have a tiny ensuite bathroom? Are you always bumping into the walls? An ensuite bathroom is a great place for a barn door. Where there is little floor space, a barn door makes more sense than a swing door and with your creative flair a new barn door can become a very attractive feature. Choose a mirrored finish for the inside surface of the door and you save even more space in this small room.

The Kitchen

Do you have an exposed and unsightly pantry in your kitchen? You can use a barn door to enclose it and hide all those opened packets and untidy shelves. There are even barn doors that have a blackboard surface. You can use it to jot down your favourite recipe or your weekly shopping list. Trying to cook with toddlers running riot is a nightmare. A barn door with a blackboard finish can keep the kids busy and help you retain your sanity. You can also use a barn door to hide ugly appliances such as dish washers or even washer/dryer machines as well as garbage bins.

Why must your TV be a Feature? A barn door need not be large.

Sick of your TV being the focal point of your living room? Enclose your TV or other large electronic device behind a tiny barn door and give your living room a softer feel. Choose barn door hardware to make it unique.

The Bedroom

Need new wardrobe doors but want to keep the mirrored door surfaces? No problem. You can get barn doors with mirrored surfaces.

The Room Divider

If you live in a cramped studio apartment, barn doors can be a really easy way to create a separate sleeping or eating area without sacrificing space.  Similarly, if you live in a home with oddly shaped rooms or awkward spaces, barn doors may help to create separate spaces when necessary and then slide open to allow for a more open space when needed.

Create an Indoor 'Shed'

If you live in an apartment or have a house but not a garage, it’s possible to create indoor storage space by turning a narrow hallway into a 'shed'. Bicycles and other large items can be wall mounted. With barn door side access to the hallway you have a much easier way to move these larger items in and out of storage.

A word of caution:

Barn doors are a great option but here are some things you need to be aware of:

· Sliding door saves floor space but do require a certain amount of wall space. Check you have enough wall space to allow the door to fully open and consider how the size of the door will impact the overall 'feel' of your room.

· The wall space should not have anything sticking out from it that will prevent the door from sliding open e.g. electricity switches or vents.

· As with all internal doors, check that your floor and ceiling are both fairly level so the door railing also remains level. Once installed, you don’t want your door to 'stick' to the floor and refuse to slide.

· Barn doors can be heavy so you also need to check that your home's supports can carry the weight.