Sliding Pantry Door

We are still chipping away at improvements to our kitchen area. The faux soapstone black concrete counter tops are holding up fine, but the cabinets have never been great. We added some moulding and painted them this year, which made them prettier for sure. But you know, they're still junk, and they don't work well.

The biggest problem though is the layout is really cramped and awkward - especially with the dining area in here. We'd love to move everything around and start fresh when the time is right. It might be six months from now, or five years from now, but I've been making plans and Pinterest boards and visiting showrooms in my free time because I'm a crazy lady and I love this stuff. :)  I have dreams where I fret over inset vs full overlay cabinets (in reality thinking inset for uppers and overlay for base cabs), and long sessions with SketchUp doing elevations of double-height uppers. Good times.

Anyway, like I said, we are still doing little projects here and there in the kitchen and mudroom areas to make the space function better in the meantime. I'm hoping to really only do the permanent fixes from here on out - things that won't change during the bigger reno we have planned for down the road. One of the spots that doesn't function well is the pantry area.

It's dark in this little hallway, especially when the doors are shut. Also, the doors catch on each other all the time so if someone forgets to close the pantry door, and you open the mudroom door, they slam together and lock you in! Then you'll have to stand in the mudroom with your face squished between the doors all Here's Johnny style, hollering for someone to come help. Lame.

I like having an interior door to the mudroom for lots of reasons, so that can't go, but I'm thinking about replacing the solid door with a glass paned door to let in more light to the pantry hall.

And then I'd love to widen the door to the pantry just a bit and add a sliding door. I think I've always liked the look of sliding barn doors in other houses, but I never really planned on using one for myself. I think they are great space savers though and they don't always have to look super rustic. I'd love for mine to feel less "barn door" and more modern. Maybe with a simple paneled door on a pretty minimalist track? I've not been able to find a photo with exactly what I'm hoping for, but here are some of my inspiration images:

BHG

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Elle Decoration

House Beautiful

I'd love to hear any tips you might have on sliding doors before I tackle this project. I'm waffling between ordering two narrow doors similar to the closet doors below and just seeing what I can find or make myself.

Jeld-Wen