Space-Saving Altneratives to Interior French doors

Since we have a small cape and we're trying to maximize space, I pulled together some alternatives to 5" French doors that would separate our living room from my office. We couldn't decide whether French doors would open into living room or office because we didn't want to lose the space in either, especially since, unless I'm in the office and on a conference call, we will likely keep the entrance-way open. So that's what prompted this search. I like the barn door look, as well as the external hardware. One thing to keep in mind, though is that you need to have as much wall space as you have open space in order to actually keep the entranceway open. Kind of an obvious point but worth mentioning. Pocket doors are also an option and a space saver, but I find that they can be a pain and I know they're expensive to install. Instead of one big barn/carriage door, perhaps we could have two 2.5 or 3 foot doors that can be slid apart...or on one side for variation.