The Best Room Divider
Our Review Process
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Our Picks For The Top Room Dividers
- 1. FDW Woven Wood Mesh Room Divider, 4-Panel
- 2. Sorbus Double-Hinged Wood Room Divider, 8-Panel
- 3. Kernorv Hanging Non-Toxic PVC Room Divider, 12-Panel
- 4. NICETOWN Triple-Weave Polyester Curtain Room Divider
- 5. Proman Products Fabric & Metal Frame Room Divider, 2-Panel
- 6. Premium Home Distressed Wood Room Divider, 4-Panel
- 7. Roundhill Furniture White Rice Paper Room Divider, 4-Panel
- 8. RYB HOME Machine Washable Curtain Room Divider
- 9. Legacy Decor Shoji Style Pine Wood Room Divider, 3-Panel
- 10. Umbra Adjustable Tension Curtain Rod Room Divider
- 11. Premium Home Distressed Wood Room Divider, 4-Panel
Featuring four 71” x 18” panels, this room divider has a neutral design that helps it blend with a wide range of décor styles. Choose from six different designs, as well as multiple sizes. The materials are environmentally-friendly wood to give you the solution you need.
Customizable OptionThe design of this four-panel room divider makes it easy to fold up panels to create the width you need.
The simple basket weave design of this room designer make it a great fit for any space. You can choose from multiple color options and fold a panel or two in to customize your space. It features two-way hinges that let you fold it in either direction, and each panel measures 19.50” x 69”.
Easy SetupSet up this room divider in seconds, thanks to a slide-in design.
With an overall dimension of 15.7” x 15.7”, this room divider features an ornamental design that works as a wall hanging or divider. The panel screens can be separated into 12 pieces to combine as you need. You can hang them from hooks and screws or attach them using adhesive wall hangers.
Attractive DesignThe classy design of this room divider will enhance any décor.
Divide your spaces with a curtain, available in several different colors. It includes 14 grommets, but you’ll need to purchase the rod separately and set it up. You can pull the curtains back when you aren’t using them or take them down, fold them up, and store them. The thickness of the curtain can block sound better than other room-dividing o...
Great for Larger HomesSeparate your spaces with this room divider, which gives you a curtain that hangs from a curtain rod.
Buying Guide
As open-plan concepts have taken over both residential and commercial real estate, people have found themselves longing for the privacy found in past design trends. While many homes feature plenty of privacy in the bedrooms and bathrooms, open living areas are all the rage. In fact, in many houses, the living room and kitchen are joined, offering fewer places for household members to escape for a little “me time.”
But sometimes, a wall is exactly what you need. If you can create privacy zones, you can enjoy the benefits of an open-plan home while keeping your household members comfortable. You can do that in the way you arrange your furniture, but if that isn’t an option or you need something a little more tangible, a room divider can create a visual divider. Best of all, when you’re finished, you can fold it up and store it.
Another great use for room dividers is to hide a messy area from houseguests. If you’ve set an area aside as a home office or simply to do paperwork, a room divider lets you cover that area as needed. The same can work in reverse. A room divider can come in handy for those work videoconferences. Set it up as a background to keep eyes off the interior of your home.
It’s important to note that most room dividers are designed to set one area apart from another visually. If you’re looking for soundproofing, you might be disappointed. Thick curtains can provide more sound insulation than other types, so consider that if you’re looking for some peace and quiet.
Occasionally, you’ll need to clean your room divider. Different material types come with different cleaning requirements, so it’s important to look into the construction of your divider. Cloth-based dividers like curtains can likely be washed, but if your partition is wood, you’ll probably need specialized cleaning material.
What to Look For
- Unless you intend to keep your partition in place full-time, make sure you have a place to store it. Check the dimensions when folded up and measure the space ahead of time.
- In addition to letting you tuck a panel in to shorten it, accordion-style room dividers can be bunched up and expanded to fill exactly the width you need.
- Pay close attention to the height of any room divider you choose. You may want to make sure it conceals the tallest person you expect to have in your house.
- Most room dividers are designed as visual blocks. You won’t get the sound insulation you’d get from a permanent wall.
- Barn doors can be another way to close off areas that need to sometimes be open. This can be more expensive, however, and require a more intensive installation process.
- Wall dividers can be great to create a changing area in a room. You’ll only need to place it far enough from the wall to keep you comfortable while you’re changing clothes. Best of all, you may be able to hang some items from it.
- For non-permanent room divider options, also keep in mind portability. You’ll have to be able to fold it up, but it also should be lightweight enough for you to carry it around.
- If you opt for a lighter option, make sure your room divider is sturdy enough to remain in place once you’ve set it up.
- The room-facing side of your divider can be valuable real estate, depending on the style you choose. You could hang pictures or other decorative items from it to liven up your space.
- Some room dividers can be painted to match your décor. Look for a material that’s paintable. Woods and fabrics can be painted. Plastics aren’t quite as easy to paint, but you can find specialized paints if you want to go that route.
More to Explore
Room dividers may seem like a new invention, but they borrow from a design that dates all the way back to the 4th century BC. They got their start in China, where they were used both to provide privacy and to serve as a work of art. Two centuries later, Japan created its own version of the design, and the adaptation was foldable, making it more portable.
It took a while for room dividers to make their way to America. In fact, they didn’t even show up in European décor until the 15th to 17th century. Over time, American and European crafters began making their own version of the Eastern innovation, using materials like silk, leather and wood. These versions tended to be limited to wealthier classes at first, but over time, they expanded to the wider consumer market.