11 room dividers that will freshen up your interiors and create clever spaces

We’ve had little choice but to adapt to our home situations over the last two years, with dining room tables turning into office desks from 9am - 5pm, bedroom chairs becoming office chairs, and sofas being the dedicated ‘break room’ come lunchtime. With that, the age of privacy has pretty much died a death. Gone are the days of escaping to another room for some quiet time - they’re now all occupied by flatmates, family members and partners on stressy Zoom calls.

There may be a solution, though: the room divider. A nifty, free-standing piece of furniture that’s actually pretty practical when you’re craving some space, a room divider (also known as room screens and partitions) is the next interior purchase you need to make.

Floating desks just might be the space-saving solution your small (but mighty) home office needs

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By Georgia Trodd

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Room dividers originated from Eastern cultures and are often ornately decorated, displayed as artwork in living spaces. Nowadays they’re used to separate areas or make large rooms feel a little cosier - i.e. they’re ideal for creating a home office in the corner of the sitting room.

If you have a smaller room, it’s wise to opt for lighter-coloured room dividers or ones that feature gaps to create a clear partition that doesn’t overwhelm a space or make things feel claustrophobic. Something like this Branch Room Divider from Maisons du Monde or this Three Panel Room Divider from Wayfair is perfect - they both allow light through while still providing a distinct separation.

Larger rooms that need a space filled will benefit from patterned or textured room dividers, such as this floral design from Amazon, this antiquated canvas style from Cox & Cox or this Modern Artistry Room Divider from Etsy. Either one of them will lend a focal point to the space that isn’t your standard wall art or funky coffee table.