If you’ve ever been in a building where the doors slide into the wall instead of opening out, it looks pretty cool. People usually call them sliding doors, but they also are called “pocket doors.” Pocket doors are not a new type of door, but they serve several excellent purposes and have all the stylish fun and versatility of regular doors.
Pocket Door Saves Space
Swinging or pivot doors cannot fit inside some buildings, so the solution is usually to slide the door into the wall. That might be because furniture creates a tight space, or a door might open onto a small hallway. Pocket doors also make excellent room dividers, sliding in and out of place when you need them.
If you prefer not to have doors sitting at an angle, pocket doors can slide into the wall for a completely clear doorway. Unlike sliding barn doors, pocket doors become invisible when they slide into the wall. This method saves space and gives the impression that your bedroom is larger than it actually is.
Unique Sliding Mechanisms
Pocket doors are used to glide in and out of walls through sliding mechanisms. In the past, manufacturers would put floor tracks in a doorway, but they try to avoid that now for a more seamless transition. Floor tracks tend to collect dust and debris, so most manufacturers put a floor guide only in the pocket, freeing up space in the doorway.
Not needing any floor tracks also means not needing a stop at the back of the door pocket. Doing so reduces the chances of needing to get the door serviced or repaired.
Privacy in Open Floor Plans
Nowadays, many homes have open floor plans where the kitchen, dining room, or living room are all in the same open space. While you don’t mind this plan most of the time, you might sometimes want to close it off briefly.
Maybe you have guests over for dinner one night, but you want to duck into the kitchen to take care of dirty dishes quickly. You can briefly let your guests know you are busy by closing the door while taking care of business.
What Can You Do with Pocket Doors in a Bedroom?
In all honesty, you can install pocket doors anywhere in your home. Here’s where we think they’ll especially come in handy in a bedroom.
Bedroom Entrances
If you have a smaller room or just want to fit more fun furniture into your room, a pocket door is an excellent choice to consider. They’re also a quiet choice since they’re easier to close without making clicking, creaking, or slamming noises when other people might be asleep.
Pocket doors come in all sorts of styles so that you can choose different colors and other aesthetic choices like whether there are windows in the door, which truly helps make your bedroom feel like your own.
Bear in mind that with any wall that has a pocket for these doors, you can’t install any light switches or outlets.
Bedroom Closet Doors
Although most bedroom closet doors slide inward and already save you some room, they’re still a good place to have pocket doors.
Maybe you don’t have a lot of space inside the closet. Maybe you want to have enough space inside to model your newest outfits. Either way, sliding open the door to your closet could save you some space.
You might find pocket doors to be a more fun door type to use. If you have a more dramatic personality, you might enjoy sliding open the door dramatically to reveal your closet space and all your most fabulous outfits.
Arranging a Bedroom for More Space
It’s true that pocket doors can save you space by themselves. However, you can have fun rearranging your furniture to create even more space in your bedroom.
For example, you can install a lamp in your ceiling instead of buying a floor lamp. You could jazz it up further by installing a ceiling fan with a stylish lamp in it, killing two birds with one stone.
You can rearrange your closet so you can put your dresser inside.
For your bed, you can press it up against the wall furthest from the door. That way, you’ll have room for more chairs or a bench to drop your things.
Conclusion
The fun of pocket doors is they are just as versatile and stylish as regular doors. Whatever your color scheme or wood preference, or if you want windows, you can pick whatever you like for your home. Pocket doors have come a long way since their less-than-stylish predecessors, so it might be a good time to give them a shot.