The doors were particularly common in Victorian homes to close off such areas as sitting rooms or dens; however, as architectural tastes changed, many of the hardware manufacturers went out of business.
With improvement in the hardware and the growth of the market for condominiums and town homes, there has been a resurgence of interest in this space-saving feature.
Modern residential uses include bathrooms, closets, laundry or utility rooms, or home offices.
[4] One downside to pocket doors is hidden parts and hardware, which can make them difficult to replace or repair when something goes wrong.
They have however fallen out of favor for plug doors and external sliding in some regions, most notably Europe, China and to a lesser extent Oceania, but are still common in the Americas, South Korea, and Japan.