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How do I Choose the Best Curtain Room Dividers?

Sheri Cyprus
Sheri Cyprus

The best curtain room dividers for your home are the ones that will transform your living space both attractively and practically. Before choosing a curtain room divider, you should determine how much privacy you want to create, as this will guide you in selecting material of the appropriate thickness. It's a good idea to research all your options before deciding on particular curtain room dividers.

For instance, a curtain room divider doesn't have to be softly pleated fabric folds hung from hardware on the ceiling to open and close it. While this look is certainly a viable option in many cases, it can also have a hospital or recreational vehicle (RV) kind of feeling to it. If you are considering this type of curtain room dividers in your home, it's usually best to choose a sheer or semi-sheer fabric rather than a thick cloth. Since these curtain dividers hang from the ceiling to the floor, opaque material will block out the light which may make the room appear small and dark. Softly gathered semi-sheer or sheer curtains to divide your living space will still allow light as well as give at least a partial view of other living areas which may help add the illusion of spaciousness.

Woman holding a book
Woman holding a book

A wooden or metal frame design with sheer gathered fabric inside can add both drama and a spacious, sophisticated look to your home. The smallest and oldest of these curtain room dividers are the three sectioned, rectangular folding screens. The more modern versions often have only two sections, but each one may be larger than the entire older style. The only drawback to this large, hinged curtain-filled frame room dividers could be the cost, as you may have to get them custom made. Usually, the frame is either made of dark wood or silver-colored metal, while the gathered, sheer curtains inside may be white or off-white fabric or lace.

Freestanding, single-curtain panels that stand together in rows and each contain part of a full graphic design are another modern option for dividing a large room into separate spaces. These types of curtain room dividers are typically stretched, screen-printed or hand-painted cloth that aren't accented with frames, but rather feature wooden or metal feet. If you choose this type of curtain room divider, it can give you the chance to express your artistic side, as well as personalize, your living space.

Discussion Comments

myharley

If you are looking for some creative room divider ideas, you can find a lot of them online. I have also seen some great ideas on some home improvement shows.

I love to browse furniture stores and saw some great room dividers at Ikea the last time I was there.

One that I found really practical was for a closet area. This really helped keep your closet looking neat and tidy.

It was not a curtain, but more of a wooden divider to separate off different areas. I would love something like this in my closet to keep my area separate from my husband.

We share a closet space, and I like my area to be kept neat and he has things scattered all over the place. Even if I used something as simple as a hanging curtain, it might help define the space a little bit better.

John57

@golf07 - The freestanding panels sound so much nicer than the old, cheap room divider I had when I lived in a studio apartment.

While a studio can be an inexpensive place to live, you don't have much in the way of space or privacy.

I had a folding divider that would separate the kitchen area from the rest of the living space. Since I was the only one living there, I seldom closed off this space.

The only door I had in this apartment was the one going to the hallway and the bathroom. I thought about buying a hanging curtain room divider to create some kind of separate space for the bed.

I was on a tight budget though, and just decided not to spend my money on it. Between school and work I wasn't there very often, so just lived with my bed in the living room for a couple of years.

golf07

When my son lived in a small studio apartment, there was a wall that separated the bedroom from the living room area.

There was some space on each side of the wall where he wanted some kind of room divider partition.

He didn't want to be sitting in the living area and be able to look right into his bedroom. He ended up going with some freestanding panels that were the perfect solution.

They were easy to move around and he had several different choices of styles and colors. He also didn't have to worry about installing any hardware, and they added some privacy and personalization to his space.

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