Room Dividers Blog

I think you will agree with me that the Contempo Silver Oval Screen is a true work of modern art! I just had to feature this exquisite room screen this week because I’ve never seen anything like it! Just when I think these room divider designers have created the most unique screen ever, they go and outdo themselves with pieces like this one! The contempo screen is different than traditional room dividers for many reasons. For one, it’s not really going to offer privacy, because the oval pieces are empty in the middle. For the same reason, it will probably not divide up a room as its main purpose. But what it will do is take your contemporary home to the next level. Your friends, family and other guests and stoppers by will be absolutely mesmerized by the design of this room screen. It’s almost more of a sculpture than a room divider. Made of 30 silver painted wooden figures, each oval is tilted or bent in a different direction, creating movement and interest in your home. Great for the bedroom, living room, dining room or even a large bathroom, this room divider is a great choice for modern decors!

Think outside of the screen!  There are many different items that can be used to serve the same or similar purpose as a room screen.  For example, an easy way to achieve the effect of a room divider but with a different object is to use the Color Story Cheval Mirror as a Room Divider!  This item would make an excellent room divider for many reasons, here’s why:

1.        It is tall, large and solid.  It may not be as wide as a traditional room divider, but that’s probably okay for some people.  Some places need some help, but aren’t necessarily large enough to accommodate a room divider.  In that case, a more narrow piece of furniture, like this floor mirror, may serve just the right purpose!   Make sure to look for something that is finished on both sides, of course, unless you will just be putting it up near a wall anyway. 

2.       It doubles as a very useful item, a dressing mirror, of course!  This mirror room divider is great for many different rooms of the home, including the bedroom, because it allows you to see yourself as you are getting ready for the day - a two in one piece of furniture that will last you for years to come with many purposes.  Planning on using it in the living room?  This floor mirror will help to divide up large spaces, define different areas of the room, and, from a design perspective, add functional elegance.  Mirrors add light to a room and can also serve to make the space seem larger, making this a great choice for the living or family room!

All in all, this is a great choice for an alternative to room dividers, and I’m sure you can find many more items around the home or stores that will work just as well!!!

When you hear the term Room Divider, what do you think of? Do you automatically picture a Japanese inspired shoji screen, a wooden grid style frame with rice paper inserts? Or perhaps you remember a shutter room divider that was in your home or that of a friend or neighbor when you were growing up? Well, a room divider lives up to its name in many instances, literally dividing a large room into separate pieces. And, we’ve talked about some of the other functions that a room divider can serve around the home. To recap: A folding screen can provide privacy, also called a privacy screen a great option for studio apartments, or large bedrooms. Two shoji screens set up side by side can offer privacy in front of a sliding glass door at nighttime, and then, during the day, they simply fold away a fun alternative to drapes and curtains. And, a very beautiful, painted screen can be a decorative focal point in the bedroom, living room or office. But some room dividers are designed with multiple uses in mind, and this is what I am focusing on today. For example, a bookcase style room divider is just as effective as a traditional room screen, but has the added bonus of holding books, and displaying collectibles. Similarly, a full size dressing screen with a mirror is a great alternative its counterparts, with three full-length mirrors and angles that allow you to see your outfit from all sides. A room divider with pockets takes storage a step further, and is a great choice for the bedroom. The simple metal frame is complemented and softened by a canvas panel with pockets that are great for holding everything from scarves and accessories to magazines and writing materials! Whatever your home needs in terms of functional and stylish storage, a multi purpose room divider can help!

Here are some of the best new picks for room dividers on the market. The focus on the new folding screens seems to be focused, appropriately, in all parts of Asia - Celebrate the traditional styles of the countries of East and South East Asia with a new folding screen for your home or office. One of the easiest ways to effortlessly achieve an Asian theme décor in any space is with a room divider. Specifically one that has an Asian flair to it. While not hard to find, the choices can sometimes be overwhelming. Here are some things to think about that should help you narrow down your choices when designing your own home décor.

Nature vs. Architecture: Folding screens come in many varieties, but one way to distinguish their styles is by looking at the shapes they present. For example, a traditional shoji screen has a grid on it, giving it a very structured look, almost like a skyskraper. If you like these but prefer a softened effect, choose a screen with a light color of wood (such as natural or birch) instead black or dark cherry. For a more natural look, steer clear of the grids and geometric shapes and look for something with more natural lines, like the Tropical Philippine Room Divider. It offers the same Asian flair, but all of the lines are soft and curved, giving it a more natural look that is enhanced by its simple brown textured color and open base. Another way to divide (pardon the pun):

Bold Statement vs. Discreet - A dark screen with a bright painting on it is going to look huge in a room. It will probably be the first thing that someone sees when he or she walks into the room. If that is not the look you are going for, choose colors that match your wall color, carpet color or other color scheme, with subtle patterns.

I came across the most beautiful way to divide a room up.  This is a great alternative to French doors or any other “sliding door” area in the home.  I’ve seen these with the partition style sliding doors that you find in schools and offices, but never any as beautiful as these!  They are actually shoji screens, and sliding doors, all in one piece!  Check out the 7 foot Tall Cherry Blossom Shoji Sliding Door Kit – it is absolutely exquisite, like all shoji screens, but this one is meant to be installed as a sliding door.  It is available in several styles, colors and would be a wonderful addition to any space.  If you have a really large area to separate, this is a great choice.  The frame is solid spruce wood and comes in several wood finishes to complement your décor.  The interior is very thick rice paper, difficult to puncture, yet it still allows light through – this is the great thing about shoji screens, they can help to separate a large space, but they don’t have the shrinking effect.  Allowing the light to flow through means that you space appears as large as possible, even if you have divided it up.  This room divider will go well with almost any décor, but especially with East Asian themes and is great for homes where the living room and dining room are attached – easy to close off for privacy.  It is less expensive than French doors, and looks much better than simply hanging a sheet in a door jam.   If you like the general look but not the flower motif, there are more traditional styles as well, with just the criss crossing.  They are easy to install as well, just like a pre hung kit from the hardware store.  Add style, function, utility and whimsy to your home with this elegant room divider.

Summer is just around the corner – one month to be precise!  Many people find summer to be the very best season of all, myself included, but many of us also find that we can’t seem to find the time, as much time as we would like at least, to spend outdoors. 

Here are some great ways to bring the outdoor summer season into your home by using rooms screens. 
Beach Theme Room Divider – This beach room divider is so beautiful, with a painted beach scene that makes you feel like you are lounging by the ocean, breathing fresh salty air and enjoying the sun on your skin.  It is a large room screen with four panels, but there is little space in between the panels, allowing a small amount of light to shine through.  Use this room divider in the living room, bedroom or office, wherever you find yourself indoors most of the time for a touch of summer inside! 
Nature Themes:  A less obvious way to achieve the summer look inside is by choosing room dividers with natural materials.  There are a variety of options out there, my favorite being twigs, straw and other natural wood like materials.  A willow screen is just bunches of dried willow branches mounted upward to look like a room divider, but with a much more natural presence.  Another option are bamboo stalks, which can be mounted in the same way to achieve privacy and a natural look for the interior of your home. 
Subtle Nature Paintings: These are a type that are in between the nature themes and obvious beach themes.  A beautiful painted floral room divider is a great choice.  This is also a great method for adding a splash of color!  A bright fuchsia or pink floral room screen can add interest to a drab décor.

An unlikely room divider takes shape as a portable fireplace.

I know, you’re thinking What?  A fireplace in the middle of the room?  That doesn’t sound right.   But, actually, it’s not a terrible idea.  Many of us are constantly looking for ways to divide up large rooms into smaller spaces, and I certainly can’t think of a more unique way to do so than with a little fire ambiance.  This fireplace is portable, and thus can be placed anywhere in the room, it doesn’t need to remain hooked into the wall for a chimney, electricity, or any other reason.  A great place to put this room divider would be in a transition area.  For example, if you have a long, open style floor plan in the living area of your home, which is so popular in new construction these days, a small portable fireplace can be placed in between the dining area and living room to create a small divider, perfect for entertaining.  The kids can do their homework on the dining room table while the grown ups watch TV in the next space.  They have thought of everything with this little fireplace, too.  It is finished on both sides and has a glass viewing area.  Guess what?  That makes it ideal for placement in any part of the room.  I know it’s not a traditional room divider, but it could make a real style statement in your home.  And, since it is relatively small, it is also very affordable, even more so than some folding screens.  And, best of all, it provides just the right amount of warmth and ambiance for your home.  Simply place two cans of gel fuel in the fireplace and watch them glow and warm up your home.  And in the summer, you can move it outside as patio decor, a simple, easy way to add style to your home.

Choose a bookcase style Room Divider for maximum storage and style!

A new type of room divider is becoming ever more popular.  These room screens differ from the traditional styles in a few ways, yet still offer many of the same benefits. Instead of a three or four panel solid room screen that folds, this new room divider option features a shelving design. This is a great choice for many areas of the home.  Obviously, it doesn’t offer the same amount of privacy as a shoji screen, so it shouldn’t be used to create a dressing area or to block out a door less bathroom.  But, these Room Divider Shelves offer something that traditional folding screens don’t: storage.  They are available in different forms, sizes and styles.  Most are designed, though, to display books and collectibles.  The difference between these and bookcases, however, is that they don’t have a back on them, so they can be placed anywhere in the room, they are not limited to the walls.  Use these unique room dividers to add maximum visual appeal to any space, with added storage as a bonus.  In the main living area, a bookshelf style room screen can separate a large living room into a conversation area and entertainment area.  Or use it to separate the dining room from the living room.  The benefit is that you can actually see through the screen, creating a more seamless separation of the spaces.  Another benefit is that you get the style and decor on both sides of the divider.  Whether you are sitting in the dining room or the living room, you can still see your collectible items stacked neatly on the shelves.  Use this beautiful modern Room Divider Shelving Unit to display your favorite vases, bowls of potpourri, framed photographs and coffee table books.

A Room Divider takes center stage as a home decor focal point!

Room Screens perform many functions in the home or office environment.  First and foremost, they are most often used for privacy.  They are great in the bedroom to create a dressing area or in the master bathroom for privacy around the bathtub when the master bath and bedroom are connected without a door.  Another function they perform is to define a large (or small) area.  For example, in a large open style home living area, a room divider can be placed in between the dining room and living room to create a nice sitting area.  In smaller areas, like condos and apartments, you may need to create an office, but you don’t have a separate room devoted to this.  A simple way to achieve a small home office in a small home is with a room screen.  But, a third function is becoming more and more important to home decorators:  room dividers as focal points in the home decor.  For one thing, room dividers themselves are getting fancier and more bold.  You can now find them in very bold colors and styles, from bright red modern art styled room screens to heavy folding screens made of bark and wood for a cabin feel.  Even a traditional shoji screen can create an instant facelift for your living room, bedroom or dining room decor.  To get this effect, use the room divider away from the walls, and complement it with another large piece, like a large house plant set in a pot on the floor.  I saw these new shoji lamps, very beautiful and a great complement to the shoji screens, old and new.  Wow visitors with your great sense of style by using a room divider as your center focal piece in any room of the home!

This is one of the most functional yet attractive room dividers I’ve focused on. From the Kathy Ireland Collection, this room divider cubby piece is a wonderful way to divide an area and increase your storage space tremendously.

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