Anyone who's visited or lived in a developed city is familiar with slider doors. Since being invented by the Roman's as early as the first century C.E., sliding doors have become one of the most popular and widespread architectural features of modern buildings and homes due to their practicality and aesthetic appeal. As well as increasing available space, slider doors are durable, safe and attractive.

Over the years, designers have worked busily to enhance the qualities of this popular style of door, meaning that the current choice of materials and attributes is enormous. Let's narrow down the range slightly to make you selection of the right slider door for your purposes a more manageable process. Here, in no particular order, are the top 5 styles:

1. 
   Pocket: Ideal for conserving and creating space, pocket doors slide along on a concealed track to disappear completely into the adjacent wall when fully opened. They can be suspended on a track, or slide along a track at floor level. Either way, pocket doors are a great choice of slider door to increase the available space in any room.
   
2. 
   Arcadia: Arcadia doors are one of the most common forms of slider door and are often found in areas that separate the indoors and outdoors such as balconies, decks and patios. They feature two rectangular framed glass doors, one of which remains stationary while the other slides back and forth in front of it.
   
3. 
   French: Most of us would be familiar with the elegant and versatile French style of door. The French door has enjoyed enduring appeal due to the combination of stylish frame and translucent glass panels - even more so now they available in a design that slides. Sliding French doors can range from the basic to the decorative, incorporating several panes of glass for a more ornate effect.
   
4. 
   Mirrored: Mirrored doors are another popular sub-category in the slider door family. We most usually find mirrored doors in bathrooms and bedrooms, but they are effective in increasing the illusion of spaciousness through reflection in any small room. Not only do they offer the advantage of providing a full-length mirror, due to their 'pocket' sliding mechanism, they do not take up any additional room in already cramped spaces whether open or closed.
   
5. 
   Shoji: Inspired by the exquisite appearance of oriental screens, Shoji sliding doors display an Asian influence. An exotic and stunning appearance is achieved through the combination of wooden frames and semi-translucent paper in this sub-category of slider door. Shoji doors are most often used as back doors leading to backyards or as entrances to gardens.