Room Divider Buying Guide

When shopping for a room divider, there is an incredible variety of styles to consider. Japanese style screens are by far the most popular and mostly have rice paper shades. While traditional American style screens have wood slats in the frames, and look like window shutters joined by hinges. Most traditional decor style room dividers can be broken into 4 distinct categories:

1. Japanese Design Wood Frame & Paper Shoji Screens

Wide Range Available: This category is by far the largest, with the widest range of design, number of panels, height and color options. This category also has the widest range of price points, depending on the quality of the design, materials, construction and finish. These room dividers (or shoji screens) are reproductions of original classic Edo period Japanese designs built from carefully kiln dried lumber with traditional Asian style joints and fine wood finishes.

Extra Light & Portable: Paper panels are the lightest material available, easiest to open, close, and move. This is particularly important for 4, 5, & 6, panels screens & 7 foot tall panel screens as they are heavier.

Translucent Panel Screens: Unlike heavier solid wood, fiber, fabric, faux leather, or bamboo panels, only the rice paper panels allow light to pass though, & diffuse the light beautifully throughout the room.

Simple Designs, Amazing Color Choices: The classic Japanese style lattice work offers interior decorators a blank slate of sorts, unlikely to clash with furnishings in the room, and the huge range of color options still offer the opportunity for unique decorative accent.

2. Wood Slat – Shutter Style Room Divider

Comparatively Heavy Room Dividers: Though these are still quite portable, wooden room dividers are definitely heavier than paper screens, and so less prone to blow over or get knocked over. Some designs with offset wood slats, or adjustable blinds will allow air to flow though.

An Effective Folding Privacy Screen: There are designs with staggered wood slats that let some light through, and some have adjustable blinds, offering the choice to keep out or let in the sunshine. Thick & substantial, this category works well for creating a sense of privacy.

Simple, Neutral Design Floor Screen: With traditional European and American design elements, these screens won’t clash with either eclectic, modern, contemporary interior décor, or more formal traditional decorating. Great for urban apartments or cabins in the woods.

A Solid & Durable Folding Screen: These designs require a somewhat heavier wood frame, extra rigid, making for a stronger, sturdier piece of furniture, and can provide inexpensive office partition alternative, compared to commercial room dividers or cubicle systems.

3. Asian Style Woven Plant Fiber Folding Room Divider

Comparatively Light, Portable Room Dividers: These room divider screens are generally as practical and convenient as Japanese style wood & paper screens. Available in woven grass, rattan, wicker, or spun plant fiber panel shades. They’re somewhat heavier and more substantial than shoji paper screens, but lighter than the all wood screen category.

Mostly Opaque Privacy Screens: With a few exceptions, woven grass, rattan, wicker, or spun plant fiber panel shades are woven tight, in a variety of patterns. Designed to block light and sound, providing more privacy to create a more effective room partition, compared to Japanese style paper screens.

Simple, Neutral Design Floor Screens: Though there is a tropical design influence, they don’t clash with traditional European and American interior design elements, urban shabby chic, and work well with modern eclectic, contemporary Asian influenced décor.

Solid, Durable Folding Panel Screens: Frames are kiln dried soft wood, the panel shades are woven fiber wrapped around the frame, creating more solid, rigid panels. The woven plant fiber is much more difficult to damage than paper, so a better choice for constant use for either commercial or consumer purposes.

4. European Style Faux Leather Folding Screens

Heavier, More Substantial, But Very Portable Room Dividers: These faux leather room dividers are covered front back and all edges with a relatively thick textured vinyl faux animal skin, making for a heavier and more substantial folding panel floor screens. Certainly the 3 panel six foot versions are still pretty easy to fold up and move around for most customers.

Entirely Opaque, Sound Damping Privacy Screens: The faux snake skin, alligator skin, leather, crocodile skin and even Zebra skin vinyl is absolutely opaque, no light comes through whatsoever. Also, the vinyl is somewhat helpful in blocking and absorbing sound; vinyl is known for it’s sound deadening properties. Great choice for roommates in a dorm, or studio apartment.

Striking, Colorful Design Floor Screens: Real leather, and other animal skin covered panel screens come from Europe originally. The dark colors work very well with formal and traditional American and European interior design motifs. But this category also offers remarkably beautiful, even glamorous, decorative finishes – arctic white and ivory, shiny silver and gold, and a rich red snake skin.

Solid, Durable Folding Panel Screens: The frames of these faux leather screens are also kiln dried Pine or Spruce, same as the fiber, fabric, and graphic art screens. The center cross member is meant to reinforce the strength and rigidity of the panel. The faux animal skin is wrapped around the panel frame giving the panel even greater structural integrity. For commercial purposes, these are probably the most long rugged, long lasting category, where a room divider may be in constant use.

OrientalFurniture.com offers a wide variety of Room Dividers as well as fine Asian home furnishings to fit most all decorating styles.