Barn Doors: Regional or Wide-Spread?

Barn doors might sound like something that would be a regional decorating trend. We tend to think of them in the context of rustic and farmhouse decorating, but it would be a mistake to assume barn doors only fit into a specific region or type of interior design.

Design trends aren’t as regional as we tend to assume. While some design elements show up more frequently in a specific location, interior decorating tends to depend more on home architecture and the owners individual tastes, rather than on the region where the home is built.

Merging Design Styles

Home design has historically been influenced by location. East Coast styles tend to be more traditional and formal. As you move west through the United States, Midwest homes tend toward comfortable and “homey” styles. In the Southwest and on the West Coast there’s more of a Spanish style influence.

Today, however, designs for new homes are becoming homogenized. There are many reasons for this – people moving across the country bring design trends they’re familiar with, the Internet lets new home builders source from cross-country designs, and architects travel more. While homes in the same region still share commonalities, they’re more likely to draw on a wider variety of design influences.

Barn Doors By Region

Barn doors are now found in a wide variety of home designs in areas across the country. According to a Zillow report analyzing thousands of listings across the United States, the phrase “barn door” might help homes on the market sell faster and fetch a higher price point.

The most common location where Zillow found a connection between “barn door” and increased sales was in Phoenix, Arizona. That’s not exactly a location known for rustic farmhouse design, indicating that barn doors are wide-spread across different decorating trends and regions.

Popular Decorating Trends

Rather than looking at regional aspects for a reason why barn doors are so popular, we need to look at current design trends. Traditional farmhouse and industrial modern styles are both hot designs right now, and barn doors pair well with both.

Industrial modern design is most often associated with city living. The merging of wood, metal, and brickwork for industrial designs means rustic barn doors hung on exposed metal hardware fit right in.

Farmhouse design is comfortable, rustic-chic, and stylish – the perfect setting for traditional wood barn doors. You’ll also find barn doors used other cozy styles, like coastal and cottage designs, and they’ll often be painted to match the other decorations.