The 10 Best Room Dividers of 2022

Table of Content

• Cool Room Divider Ideas to Carve Up Open Spaces
• Questions to ask home media designers or home automation companies:
• Open bookshelves = cool room divider idea
• Oriental Furniture 8-Panel Window Pane Shoji Screen Room Divider
• Red Barrel Studio Niemann Solid Wood Folding Room Divider
• A screen for better focus

If you're just looking for something decorative, you have more flexibility to choose a divider for its aesthetics. Many options today are upholstered in colorful fabrics, or finished in trendy materials like rattan. Tension rod screens are useful room dividers for small homes, due to their practical folding design that allows them occupy minimal space when not in use.

The room divider panels can be easily rolled sideways to allow entry or exit from the room, and they slide away completely to turn this room into an open multi-purpose space when desired. Contemporary room dividers don’t have to be elaborate to serve their purpose; they just need to divide space while offering privacy at the same time. This room divider by Tom Stringer simply hangs from a ceiling-mounted bar and comprises sturdy wooden panels that provide great privacy for bathrooms and living rooms alike. Typically they are thick, sometimes up to 12 inches when unfolded, because they need to have a stable frame to stand. If you have limited space, you may not be able to fit a folding divider.

Cool Room Divider Ideas to Carve Up Open Spaces

The GoDear Deluxe Sliding Panel is 96 inches tall, a perfect floor-to-ceiling option for spaces with 8-foot walls. Available in five neutral hues, it has a sturdy metal frame and light-filtering screens woven from a blend of polyester and paper. Available in six neutral colors, the traditional Japanese design features shoji-style window panes with a Scandinavian spruce wood frame and thick rice paper screens. The room dividers are simple room partitions made of room dividers mounted on ceiling rails, which allows them to seamlessly blend into the room’s existing decor.

If you want a slightly see-through option to let in more light, use bookshelves without a back panel—a particularly elegant option for dividing a large room into a bedroom and an office. Good room divider ideas can make a huge difference in tiny studios and large, open-floor-plan homes alike. It’s wonderful to be able to keep an eye on the kids watching TV while you’re cooking dinner—but without any separation, the space might feel like a confusing mess. "There are so many options on the market for a room divider that suits your space and style—whether modern organic, cottage cozy, or ultra-luxe," says Goerzen. A room divider can be anything that helps chop up a space that isn’t a solid wall.

Questions to ask home media designers or home automation companies:

Tall, narrow bookcases may be prone to falling and need to be stabilized and secured to an adjacent wall with anchors or brackets if possible to eliminate any problems. If you choose to buy a bookcase-style divider, look for second-hand options or expect higher price tags at a retailer. A bookcase room divider is a highly functional piece that is essentially a piece of furniture. You may already have a tall shelf that you can move into place to act as a room divider. This type of privacy solution is a perfect divider and storage piece that holds books, curios, pictures, artwork, ceramics, and more. The divider can also offer some sound-blocking abilities if you fill it solidly with books.

This partition filters light without blocking it completely, offering ambient illumination and privacy wherever you need it. But unless you keep it entirely straight, there'll be a small gap between each panel. Available in green or brown, the acacia hardwood frame features mortise-and-tenon joinery for enhanced stability.

Open bookshelves = cool room divider idea

Twigs, indoor shrubs, or hanging plants create an eco-friendly room divider—and may evenpurify the air. No, they won’t completely block your view of the dining room, but plant-based solutions are perfect for open-concept homes that can benefit from a little separation. IKEA’s white, five-by-fiveKallax is the classic choice for this simple, unobtrusive room divider idea.

This room divider also comes in six sizes, with the option of three, four, five, six, eight, or 10 panels. The Neimann is reasonably priced, especially considering the quality of the solid wood frame—and unlike many other dividers, it arrives fully assembled. For instance, the 10-panel option is 42 pounds, whereas the three-panel model is just 11 pounds. Few bookcase-style dividers will extend close to the ceiling, which may leave a large gap at the top unless you fill it with items, such as plants.

Oriental Furniture 8-Panel Window Pane Shoji Screen Room Divider

People with small homes often resort to room dividers for functionally dividing up the room and making it appear roomier than it actually is. While room dividers come in many different forms, such as folding screens and room partitions, there are unique Ingenious Room Dividers designs conceived specifically for tight spaces. But as with any piece of furniture, you need to consider a few other things before buying.

Often, these types of room dividers can be ganged for long expanses of privacy. Curtain or paper dividers can be hung from hanging systems that can be either a ceiling track with hooks or from a long pole that attaches to opposite walls, just like window curtains. Hanging room dividers from the ceiling will require some type of ceiling hardware.

Flea markets and thrift stores are a goldmine for vintage glass, which often goes unnoticed by homeowners who are more concerned about their energy bills than funky room divider ideas. If the windows are only dividing a room, there’s no need to worry about single or double panes—you’re shopping just for looks, and can pick anything that strikes your fancy and fits your decor. The first order of business is to identify the right size divider for your space.

Retailers and installers who focus on audio/visual, smart automation and home security. An industrial touch is brought into this room divider by Peter Niemeyer, which cleverly doubles as room storage. The room divider can be rolled to the side and out of sight when not in use. A room-dividing curtain is an easy way to get a well-defined workspace. Just swoosh them aside when you feel like opening up the place again.

This type of room divider can cost more than freestanding floor dividers because they not only require ceiling hardware, but the panels may be heavier or larger, depending on the design. Room dividers are made in a number of different materials, such as cardboard, rattan, bamboo, wood, and upholstered fabric. It’s easier to knock over a room divider with fewer panels made from a lightweight material. And placing your room divider in a high traffic area increases its chances of getting bumped and possibly knocked over by kids, animals, or party guests. Room dividers aren't cheap, and you should expect to spend at least $50 on a free-standing one—although most are closer to $100. Prices go higher based on the construction and size, with six-paneled options costing more than three-paneled models.

This partition arrives fully assembled, but we should note it weighs 65 pounds, so you might need to recruit a buddy when setting it up and moving it around. If you can swing the price, you might consider a design-forward option like this beauty from Anthropologie. Reminiscent of a painted art canvas, the floral upholstered screen is a sturdy blend of cotton and linen.

A screen for better focus

There are many gorgeous room dividers on the market, but when it comes to aesthetics, functionality, and versatility, the Niemann is tough to beat. Inspired by traditional Japanese shojis, it features semi-translucent sheets of thick rice paper on a solid pine wood lattice-style frame. The perfect balance of practical and elegant, this piece boasts durable construction and an elegant appeal. Creatively repurposed from ordinary materials found at home, this room divider is made out of plastic pipe that can easily be mounted on the wall.

The room divisions allow him to use the room divider as a room divider or room partition for privacy, and he can still utilize the shelves on one wall by simply sliding them away when needed. Room dividers that are made of fabric or paper act more like curtains that divide a space. This type of divider may be less physically substantial and sometimes most affordable, yet other times they can be heavy-duty and costly depending on the material. However, the complexity of the rod or ceiling track system that you need for installation will add to the cost of the divider.