For those who have a small home, or live in a studio apartment, one of the best and easiest methods to make their home appear larger and to make more efficient use of the available space is to divide some of the larger open plan rooms. For instance you can separate the kitchen into a cooking area and a dining area.



There may be other reasons for dividing a room as well, such as to direct attention to a particular area of the room, to hide clutter created by children, and to manage the light inside the room. If correctly and tastefully handled, this division will add a unique distinguishing characteristic to that house. You can make the house cozier and warm as well as elegant and classical using room dividers.

It can be done in numerous ways and number of room dividers can be used. Some of which we will list below, however you shouldn't be limited by them but should try to use your imagination creatively.

Types of Room Dividers

Room dividers can be permanent, improvised or flexible. Which type of room dividers to use, will depend on the house owner's needs and requirements.

A half height or half width wall can be considered a permanent room divider. Such a wall will go half way across the room and half way up to the roof creating a division in the room. You should opt for a permanent divider only if you are not going to change the room arrangement in the near future. It can be used with other sorts of room dividers to completely separate the room. Such a wall combined with shelves mounted on it will give you more storage space as well. For instance you may want to divide a bedroom into a sleeping area with bed on one side and a study area on the other side. You can then put your books and other study materials on the shelves on the wall.

Shelves, cupboards, and other furniture can be used as improvised room dividers. They can be used in a similar way to a low wall to divide a bedroom or any other room. Large book shelves are commercially available for this very purpose.

You can also use large plants as improvised room dividers. Plants that can be used include palm trees, bamboos, and various crotons, among others. Using exotic, rare and expensive plants can make this kind of division extremely attractive as a decorative method. Wooden frames containing potted plants are commercially available for this purpose. You too can create similar framed pots. Wooden or metal trellis with plants and vines on them can also be used. Some of the plant pots can be hung from the roof. They will create an impression of division when correctly placed even if you can easily communicate between the two sides.

Flexible Room Dividers

Panels and screens are popular flexible room dividers. These panels can be made of various materials and can be moved in to position by sliding or folding. Using their flexibility you can gain a large degree of control over the space in the room. They can be made to match any decorative ideas you have. For instance, by using bamboo and paper screens you can give your rooms an Asian look. Bamboo or fiber glass sticks placed together can be used to create a modern looking attractive room divider screens as well.

If you have the money you can buy some antiques or pseudo antique screens made of wood to add a touch of history and age to your rooms. Using embroidered fabrics mounted on screens is another good idea. The design of the embroidery can be made to match the design of the rest of the room's wall hangings and upholstery. Since they can be taken down and replaced with other designs, available variety in decoration is endless. Screens and panels also allow you to control the amount of light that filters to each side of the partition.

Curtains are another great flexible room divider. They are easy to install. You have to install the hanging rods on the ceiling. Once installed you just have open or close the curtain to separate or unite the room. The large curtain will then become one of the main decorative items in the both parts of the room. It could set the tone for the whole room. You can vary the curtain's material, design, and color, to create that tone.

Other types of room dividers include glass dividers, which can be used to create a physical division while maintaining contact between the separate halves of the room. Glass room dividers also create an illusion of extra space by making the rooms appear larger than they are.

You can also create your own room dividers suing everyday materials. For instance using painted cardboard, pictures, or any other material, you can easily create a screen, a panel, or even a sculpture, that is attractive to look at, which can then be used as a room divider.

You can also use lamps to divide a room. Floor lamps placed strategically can do this alone or in combination with other improvised room dividers. The way the light is filtered to each side of the rooms can be used to create an impression of division as well.