Sometimes, it helps to think outside the box. To dare. To think differently. To choose the unchosen and opt for alternative. This is particularly powerful when making additions or alterations to your home, especially if you want to create a truly unique space, a genuine reflection of your life and personality.
And when it comes to alternative options, sliding doors slide in at the top of the list. So often overlooked in favor of traditional swing doors, a sliding door can offer its own unique comforts, aesthetics, and applications. This guide will provide some examples and inspiration, demonstrating the striking versatility of the interior sliding door.
Why Sliding Interior Doors?
That's a fair question. After all, homes have been filled with traditional swing doors for so long, and they work perfectly well. So, what would make someone opt for a sliding door, mounted on a track above the door frame? While swing doors certainly have their benefits, sliding doors can bring their own unique advantages to your rooms and spaces.
Remarkable Versatility
Perhaps the biggest advantage of sliding doors is their versatility. With almost boundless functionality, they're suitable for all rooms in the house, from the basement to the top floor, from the bedroom to the bathroom.
Whether they're hiding mess and clutter, providing an intriguing focal point for your living space, or simply serving as beautiful and contemporary entry points to new rooms and experiences, sliding doors can enhance a home in more ways than one.
Saving Space
Sliding interior doors also have the benefit of taking up less space, when in use, than swing doors. When you open a traditional swing door, the door slab takes up space inside the room.
A sliding door, meanwhile, will be suspended from a set of tracks installed above the door frame. As you open it, it simply slides along the track across the wall, taking up almost no room at all. This opens up space for new possibilities, with extra room for furniture and design elements.
Aesthetic Impact
Available in many materials and styles, from rustic wood barn doors to modern-style glass doors, sliding doors also bring beauty and elegance to any home. Indeed, it's no understatement to suggest that the finest doors are veritable works of art.
With their distinctive and out-of-the-ordinary appearance, they can serve as striking statement pieces in each space, drawing attention and inviting discussion. Depending on materials and sizes, a sliding door can even create a kind of artistic accent wall or form a full-length mirror for bedrooms and hallways.
Sliding Door Ideas and Inspiration
A sliding door can bring space-saving sophistication to almost any room of the house. Here are some of the best ways to use these doors.
A Beautiful Bathroom Sliding Door
The bathroom is one of the best places for sliding door installation. Why? Because bathrooms tend to be on the small side, at least when compared to other rooms around the home.
With a traditional doorway and swing door, the door slab takes up valuable floor space every time you swing it open. And if you're already short on space, that can make things difficult when it comes to the bathroom layout, sink placement, and so on.
A sliding door, however, simply rolls along the track beside the wall. Effortless and graceful, it won't steal any of your floor space, making it easier to position your various bathroom fittings, fixtures, and design elements.
Pocket sliding doors work particularly nicely in little bathrooms, with each door retreating into its own pocket, or shell, upon opening. With these space-saving entries, even the littlest bathrooms feel spacious and fresh.
Plus, with multiple color and style options, it shouldn't be any trouble to match the right door with your bathroom design. A cool blue or white door slab can work well for light and airy bathrooms, for example. Or a rustic metal door could be the right option to provide privacy and peace in country-style surroundings.
Bathroom doors can also have frosted or textured glass panes to deliver just enough light into the bathroom while keeping it private.
Sliding Interior Doors in the Kitchen
The kitchen is another functional room of the home that can benefit from an interior sliding door, and there are a few different options to get creative with sliding kitchen doors.
For example, you could position a sliding door so that it slides past and covers up certain appliances or shelves. This is an effective and effortless way to transform a messy or cluttered kitchen into a clean and neat space.
Of course, sliding doors can also be used as entrances into the kitchen. With the right door, this communal, comforting space where memories are made can feel even more inviting, homely, or elegant, according to your taste and desire.
In addition, if you happen to have a pantry space in your kitchen, or an adjoining utility room or storage area, a simple sliding door is a handy option for separating that space from the rest of the kitchen.
Elegant Room Dividers
A vast, open-plan living room can feel like a sea of comforts, with tables, chairs, sofas, and familiar pleasures all around to explore and enjoy. But all of that space can sometimes feel overwhelming, and there may be times when you wish for a smaller nest.
For instance, a large living room could be split, creating a cozy reading corner at one end and a larger entertaining space at the other. Or a living-dining area could be divided, creating two separate spaces with their own functionality and privacy.
Interior sliding doors can assist with this. Large, double barn doors can be installed across the center to divide the room into two, for example. And, with a sleek and simple frame mounted on the wall, the doors won't take up any floor space. You can keep them shut when you want to use the rooms independently, or open them up to enjoy a larger, airier space when desired.
A glass door from PINKYS could be the ideal choice if you're planning to use sliding doors as room dividers. The glass will allow natural light to pass through between the rooms, while still providing a clear and definitive barrier to separate them.
Closet Covers
We already mentioned how an interior sliding door can be used to cover up a pantry. Well, that same concept can apply to any closets around the house. Sliding closet doors can cover up closets with ease, keeping them secret and stashed away, hidden hidey-holes for all your clothes and possessions.
In a bedroom, for example, a simple white door can be mounted to cover up the closet, blending in naturally with the surrounding walls. The room will instantly look and feel tidier, and when you want to access your clothes, simply touch the handle and slide the secret door away.
The same idea can work nicely in kids' rooms. Since little souls sometimes make a mess and leave lots of toys and games scattered around, you could install a sliding door over a nook in the corner. This effectively creates a whole new closet for teddies and toys at a fraction of the usual price.
Grand Office Entrances
With remote work becoming increasingly commonplace, more and more people are building their own home offices. However, creating a genuine home office, with the same look and vibe as a traditional workplace, is rarely easy.
It can be difficult to capture the distinctive allure of a real office when working in the strict confines and gentle comforts of one's own home. However, something as seemingly simple and small as a door can make all the difference.
One of the very best ways in which remote workers can create a classy and impressive office is with the right interior doors. A grand set of metal sliding doors provide an elegant and powerful entry point. This can make the office feel more like a genuine working space, separate from the rest of the house, rather than a simple guest bedroom that has been repurposed with a DIY desk, computer, and shelves.
If your home office is quite a small space, a glass door could be one of the best options. It can flood the room with natural light, making it more comfortable for you to get things done, while still setting a clear boundary for your working space.
Accent Walls with Hidden Secrets
One of the best things about sliding doors is that they don't necessarily need to be installed in traditional entryways. They can be mounted onto almost any wall and used in inventive and unusual ways.
For example, you could choose to position a set of sliding doors on the wall of your living room. When closed, the doors could cover up the TV and entertainment area, providing a unique accent wall with their distinctive design and look. Then, when opened up, the hidden entertainment zone is revealed.
If your home office has lots of shelves, drawers, and filing cabinets for documents and working files, you might like to install a sliding door to cover them up. Not only does this provide privacy and a clean, clear aesthetic, but it can also give rooms multiple uses. With the door open, you have a home office, with full access to all your files. With the door closed and all that clutter hidden away, the room transforms into a sleek, chic reading area or man cave.
Yet another option is to use a sliding door as a kind of screen or shutter. You can mount the door beside a large living room window, opening it up to let light in and then sealing it shut in the evenings for extra privacy, creating a dark and cozy environment for movie nights or romantic dinners.
Bold Bedroom Doors
The bedroom is your sanctuary, your place of rest and recuperation at the end of a long and difficult day. It deserves a striking design to match its prominence in your life, and an interior sliding door is one of the best options to position across the entryway.
There are few better feelings in the world than retreating to your cozy and comfortable bedroom, sliding the doors open to reveal a plush, freshly-made bed, waiting to greet you before sliding the door closed to seal your cocoon of rest.
If this cocoon happens to be lacking in space, a standard swing door may not suffice, frustratingly taking up room with every swing. Sliding doors are therefore a fine fit for smaller bedrooms, or those with unusual layouts, letting you get creative with bed positioning and placement of other furnishings.
Once again, since there are so many styles and colors, finding the right fit for your personal refuse is simple. Minimalist bedrooms can benefit from chic white pocket doors, while those that are more colorful and decorative could consider a big set of rustic barn doors, adding a whole new focal point to admire from your bed.
Or, to expand the aesthetic of your space while providing a bonus function, you may like to opt for a mirror sliding door. This not only makes any bedroom feel bigger, but also gives you somewhere to try on outfits or check your look before leaving home.
Find the Perfect Sliding Door for Your Home at PINKYS
Once used exclusively on exterior walls, sliding doors are slowly making their way into interior spaces. They guard hallways. They enclose bedrooms. They separate spaces and lead the way from room to room with inimitable elegance and poise. And they could be the perfect option for your home.
To enjoy all that a sliding door can offer, shop at PINKYS. Since 1978, PINKYS has led the way in door design, taking our inspiration from the majestic beauty of Southern California sunsets and crafting each and every door with love, passion, and commitment.
Whether you're seeking a sliding door to seal away a secret pantry, upgrade your bedroom, enclose your working sanctum, separate a large space, or something else entirely, PINKYS doors provide the quality, longevity, and beauty your home deserves.