Room dividers come in many different shapes and forms. They can be built-in and permanent or temporary and portable. Some room dividers are solid pieces that extend from the floor all the way to the ceiling, while others only partially obscure one’s view. Room dividers aren’t only used for dividing rooms into separate areas, either; they can be highly creative, beautiful décor pieces that add character and style to a room.
We’ve rounded up six creative ideas for stylish, eye-catching room dividers.
1. Beaded curtains
Beaded string ‘curtains’ can look as elegant or bohemian as you like. It all depends on what kind of beads you choose to hang. Strands of imitation pearls, interspersed with glass crystals, have a decidedly elegant and luxurious appearance. Wooden beads make for a much more down-to-earth, bohemian look, while coloured glass or acrylic beads are fun and funky.
Of course, beaded string curtains don’t offer a high level of privacy and won’t definitively divide a room, as people can still walk through the curtain of beads. They do make for an eye-catching décor piece, however, and serve as visual demarcation.
2. Wall aquariums
Remember the scene in Baz Luhrmann’s 1996 film Romeo + Juliet where Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes first lay eyes on each other – through a fish tank. The fact that a fish tank used as a room divider – also called a wall aquarium – is showy enough for the House of Capulet is a good indication of just how spectacular a fish tank room divider can be. Filled with plants, artificial coral and beautiful fish, wall aquariums are a captivating example of living art.
If you decide to use a fish tank as a room divider, however, you’ll need to keep the tank and glass spotless and ensure that the plants and fish are well cared for and healthy. Before splashing out on a wall aquarium, make sure that you’re prepared to put up with the maintenance work.
3. Shelves and wine racks
Open style shelving or tall wine racks make for great room dividers. How much privacy the shelves provide depends entirely on how many items you put on the shelves. If you’d like to preserve a visual connection between spaces, only fill some shelves with items, leaving others completely empty.
4. Plants
Living plants can be used to create attractive, natural room dividers. Plants not only look beautiful, they’re also natural air filters and have been shown to lift people’s moods. You can either choose to use plants that can be cultivated into an indoor hedge or create a network of hanging troughs for growing smaller plants. Creating a hanging network of troughs and growing multiple smaller plants is a great opportunity to creatively repurpose items like plastic bottles, gutter pipes or mason jars.
5. Frosted glass
Glass makes for elegant and stylish room dividers. Applying frosted vinyl decals to glass room dividers increases the level of privacy afforded by the glass. Vinyl frosting also allows you to indulge your sense of creativity; pick an interesting, artistic decal design to give rooms a touch of character and to express your personal taste.
6. Moroccan-style wooden screens
Moroccan-style room dividers come in the form of ornately carved folding wooden screens. These can be left in their original wood finish, painted in a rough, distressed style or painted with bold colours and patterns. Wooden screens used as room dividers are nostalgic and exotic, perfect for cordoning off discreet dressing areas in bedrooms or bathrooms.
