Best Room Dividers
Buy the best best room dividers selected and recommended by interior designers. By Chloe Hughes.
Room dividers can do it. Need to hide a craft corner? Create privacy for that yo-yo child or friend needing a couch to surf? Separate a workspace from living space? They range from those classic louvred doors so loved by characters in old Western films to curtains or even pleated hanging walls. Room dividers provide ways to create spaces that can be easily opened or closed off as needed. They can be plain or they can be panoramas displaying scenery or skyscapes. But they are always practical in that they allow you to multi-purpose your space making the most of it.
Best Room Dividers
Buying Guide
Chloe Hughes
Interior Design Expert
Chloe is a highly-regarded expert in all things vintage and antique. She’s excited to share her vast knowledge with readers and clients wishing to infuse their homes with a mixture of old-time warmth and modern comfort. In addition to her design work, Chloe regularly volunteers at her local community center, teaching DIY projects to adults and kids.
Home dividers were first used around 2000 years ago in China as a way of creating portable barriers in large rooms. Whether you want to get some privacy in your dormitory, creating separate sections in your office or business or simply want to enhance the usability of your home, the right home divider can be quite handy.
If you're looking for the right room divider for your home or office then you are probably aware that there are numerous styles, colors, and sizes to choose from. In this room divider buying guide, we look at some of the key factors to consider when shopping for the best product in this category.
Room dividers help to add flexibility to any indoor or outdoor space, whether at work, play, or study. They are efficient and cost-effective investments with numerous benefits including the following:
Room dividers are quite easy to use. They are also quite flexible and can easily be set up folded back by a single person without difficulty.
They are cost-effective ways of creating separate sections in your home or office. When you want to create more space to accommodate guests at home, create separate meeting spaces at work, or create semi-private areas for any need, a room divider will be a more cost-effective way of doing it without having to renovate or expand your living spaces.
You can also easily fold them back after use and retain the original look of your home or office.
They are available in different styles, sizes, and colors to match different types of home or office decors.
They provide sound buffering in different sections of your home or office.
Room dividers also help enhance privacy in separate sections of your home or workplace.
Here are some of the key factors you will need to consider when shopping for the best room dividers for your home or workplace:
What is the Primary Use of the Home Divider?
The perfect room divider should not only serve its purpose but look good too. It should provide a decorative background and serve as a modesty screen, room partition, or window shade.
Room dividers can also be used to direct foot traffic and separate different working areas. Your choice of the right room divider should, therefore, depend on the exact purpose you want to use it for. Do you want to use it to display information and presentations or to reduce noise in specific areas?
There are different types of room dividers designed for different purposes but we highly recommend that you invest in a versatile product that will serve different purposes as time goes by. It should suit your changing needs overtime on a large scale.
How big is the room?
When it comes to size, the first thing you need to consider is how tall you want the room divider to be. Your choice will largely depend on whether you have a high or low ceiling.
Room dividers come in different heights ranging from 3,4,5,6, and 7 inches or more. It will also be important to consider how wide the space you want to use the room divider in is. This will tell you how many panels are needed to fit the space. Most room dividers are designed with 3, 4, 5, or 6 panels.
The wider the area you want covered the more panels you’ll need. Take time to measure your floor space and ceiling height to get the right size.
What Materials and Styles of Room Dividers Best Suit Your Needs?
Room dividers are available in different types of materials and styles to match different types of settings and purposes.
If you want a room divider that allows light to pass through, then get one made of rice paper - perfect for poorly lit rooms.
If you want solid panels for ultimate privacy, then definitely go for one made of wood, faux leather, woven fiber, or canvas.
Wood or bamboo room dividers will allow you to create an exotic Zen-like atmosphere.
Japanese styled dividers with cherry blossom prints provide a more decorative effect in traditional settings.
For privacy in living or working spaces with rustic décor, a shutter-style room divider works perfectly.
Fabric room dividers with patterns and wooden frames are also quite popular today due to their colorful and decorative effect.
There are many types of weather-resistant wrought iron room dividers designed for both indoor and outdoor uses such as on your balcony or terrace.
We recommend choosing a room divider that matches the style and décor of your room as well as the purpose you intend to use it for. The color of the room divider’s panel screen you choose should complement the overall theme and style of your room.
Here are a few suggestions to go by:
Choose a lightweight and light-colored room divider for rooms with casual and often eclectic urban interior decorating.
Heavier and darker colored panels are ideal for formal settings with traditional interior design tones such as offices and schools.
Panels decorated with colorful prints are perfect for feminine spaces, children playrooms and exhibition stands
Whichever style and color you choose, make sure the room dividers create tastefully decorated spaces and preferably match the color of your walls, curtain patterns, and furniture. Your personal preference as well as the overall style of the room will also influence your choice.
Are you planning to get a room divider for one-time use or get one that will serve you for many years to come?
If you plan to use it for a long time, then get one made of durable materials such as wood and bamboo but if you are in the market for a temporal solution, a less expensive room divider made of fabric will do.
Measure your floor space to determine the right size or number of panels required to cover the space. Room dividers are available in 3 to 6 panels.
Measure your ceiling height to get the right size
Choose room dividers designed from materials that complement your home or office décor
If privacy is a priority, go for room dividers made of solid wood or heavy-duty fabric
For more flexibility, get a shutter-style room divider
Always check the room divider’s hinges and panel connections to ensure that they fold easily.
Room dividers have many benefits. They can transform and convert office spaces into smaller usable rooms, create hidden storage rooms, and serve as visual barriers at home, classrooms, and offices.