Room Dividers Blog

Bring the outdoors in with a fall themed room divider. The air is turning cooler and crisper, the leaves are changing colors and dropping off of their branches, that means it’s fall! This is one of my favorite seasons, as you truly get to watch the rhythms of the world change, and it happens every year. One great way to have seasonal decor in your home is to simply use different room dividers. This couldn’t be easier to do. Because instead of having to hang new wall art or other decorations, a folding room screen is easy to move around and easy to store, taking up just a few inches of closet space. You can do this four times a year to get that seasonal look you want so badly in your home. When I think of fall, I think of either a neutral color palette, with warm browns and tans, or beautiful fall leaf colors like reds, oranges and yellows. My pick this year is the Leaf Iron Folding Screen. Some of the obvious reasons this makes me think of fall decor are the leaves, and the rustic metal construction. But another reason that I really like this room divider for its autumn like style is that it actually is just a metal frame. No paper, wood or fabric panels. This comes in handy when the days are getting shorter, because this room divider will actually let all light pass through it. So you won’t have the obstruction of light that you might have with typical room dividers. If you still crave that privacy, though, you can opt for a more solid room divider with panels that are covered. Just be sure to stick with the fall theme, think leaves, trees, nature, browns, reds and oranges, and have fun with this magical time of year!

Any room divider can be used for feng shui purposes, but this week’s featured product was made specifically for that purpose!  The Feng Shui Room Divider is sure to bring you good fortune.  This Asian style shoji screen can be placed anywhere to add good vibes to your home.  The six foot height offers the maximum in privacy, with other benefits added to make this one of the most popular styles of room décor available.  The satin fabric is opaque so it lets very little light through which adds to the privacy that this folding room screen can offer.  This room divider can be used for a variety of purposes.  First, to offer privacy – great for the master bedroom and bath when no dividing wall exists, or to create a small dressing area in a room.  If you live too close to your neighbors, this room divider can cover an entire window, allowing you to avoid the awkward curtain drawing when your neighbors are being nosy.   Another great benefit of this folding screen is its beautiful artwork.  It can stand alone as a work of art with its gold calligraphy print and it can be purchased with either a black or red background.  If you want the screen to blend in, go for the black, but if you really need a splash of color, the red room divider is the one to pick!  The wood is lightweight so it is safe if it falls over.  All in all this is a great choice for Asian décor schemes, or for any room that needs a punch of color or design in general. 

Bonus:  This room screen has two way hinges, allowing you to bend the panels in either direction – great for moving from room to room, and one that will stay with you for years to come.

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.

A Built In Room Divider is a great alternative to traditional folding room screens.

When we think of room dividers, we usually think of a three or four panel screen with a wooden frame.  Some are shoji screens, some are made of metal, some fabric, some painted, and some not.  But, I came across a nice alternative to these traditional screens, it’s sort of a hybrid between room dividers and sliding doors.  The Jamaica folding door is a room divider that can be built into a large door opening.  This is the place where you would put in French doors to separate the living room from the dining room, or bedroom from the kitchen in smaller spaces, but a folding screen is much more affordable than a costly remodel.  It fits a variety of door sizes, since it is folding, and is easy to install – simply lay the track and voila!  It also gives a bit more privacy than French doors (unless you put curtains over them), because it is a solid panel.  It is available in several colors and features a magnetic closure, so even children can seal it.  This is a great way to separate a small or large home, giving privacy and solitude to any space, while still allowing the flow of the home to exist.  It can keep some sound out, great for the opening to a TV or family room, yet still allows the family to come in and out without much interruption.  If you have a small area that you would like to use as an office, but it is too near the traffic of the home, this is also a great way to give you that privacy you need.

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.

Fans of the Shoji Room Dividers Gather ‘Round!

I’ve found a new room divider, the Coco Room Divider, which looks much like traditional shoji screens, but with a different design to spice up your style!  So, whether this is your first room divider or you are looking to replace the one your cat has torn up, give these new Shoji Screens a whirl in your home!  The Coco Room Divider has vertical lines all the way across, with some grid work, just like traditional Japanese shoji screens, in the center, top and bottom.  This is a fresh take on the old room dividers, but still with the beautiful Asian theme going on.  A cherry wood frame is complemented by white rice paper inlay with wooden cross panes to make the shoji design.  Another new screen that is similar to this but with a totally different design is the Reno room divider.  I’m not sure why it’s called Reno but it’s beautiful, nonetheless.   The Reno Room Divider takes the shoji design to the next level, with no small grids, just longer grids basically.  It almost reminds me a little bit of Frank Lloyd Wright’s designs, giving it a modern twist!  Both screens come in three or four panel designs to customize to your needs.  Use room dividers all over the house for functional and stylish purposes.  In large rooms and small rooms alike, a folding room screen can divide and define a space, perfect for studio apartments and creating a home office within the living room.  For the master bed and bath, a room divider can offer privacy between the two rooms, or be used as a dressing area in the corner of the bedroom.  So whatever your current home decor style is, consider giving one of these new shoji screen designs a chance!

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!