The open spaces and very large rooms have an undoubted charm: they are ideal for parties and events; they are bright and easy to keep in order. However, the absence of fixed walls also has drawbacks. Furnishing the individual rooms of the house can be a real undertaking, not to mention the almost completely absent privacy. Room dividers save goat and cabbage.
With sliding or semi-fixed partition walls you can divide large rooms even without masonry works. In this way you make the most of your open space, creating and eliminating rooms as needed. For example, during the year you can keep the kitchen and living room separate, to combine them when you want to invite friends and family for dinner.
Let’s see more specificallywhat room dividers do you have and how to use them.
- Sliding partitions: the disappearing wall
- Glass partitions
- Partition walls in wood
- Partition walls in paper
- Furniture to be used as room dividers
- Free standing shelves and bookcases
- Double-sided room dividers
- From ropes to dividers: creative partition walls
- Design room dividers: rely on the best furniture brands
Sliding partitions: the disappearing wall
Among the solutions we will examine, sliding partitions are the ones that require the most work. You have to have them installed and they consist of a self-propelled part and a semi-fixed part. When you open the doors, they slide over the fixed elements and make half or two thirds of the wall disappear.
The movable walls are more similar to real walls than to room dividers. While requiring external intervention, they are quite easy to assemble and disassemble . Therefore, they should not be declared in the land registry, as you should do for new masonry walls. A great solution, if you are looking for something semi permanent but not too demanding.
Depending on the type of furniture and the rooms to be separated, you can choose between different materials. Let’s see the main ones. Glass partitions
These are the least invasive sliding room dividers by far:
- they separate the areas of the house, however, creating continuity between them;
- they let the light pass from one room to another;
- they are almost invisible .
Let’s say you want to divide the kitchen and living area . Glass partitions prevent kitchen odors from spreading into the living room. At the same time, they allow you to see what happens in the living room if you are in the kitchen and vice versa. Simply put, you have all the benefits of two rooms without the flaws.
Glass walls are usually transparent , but you can also choose decorated or tempered glass solutions . The latter dampen some of the defects of the classic solution: halos and fingerprints that are all too visible; lack of privacy. Wooden partition walls
The wooden partition wallsthey are the best solution if you want to create a small bedroom or study. While not fixed, they offer most of the advantages of masonry walls:
- thermal and acoustic insulation ;
- privacy;
- versatilita.
You can choose from many types of wood and colors, so that the walls blend with the rest of the furniture. In addition, you can choose between classic sliding partitions and folding ones . The latter are made up of several panels fixed together with hinges. When you open them, the panels fold over each other instead of sliding.
Wood has a big flaw compared to glass: it does not let light through . If there are no windows in the section of the room you want to demarcate, you risk being left in the dark. Paper partitions
You love oriental style
These are room dividersfor you! The walls have a natural wood skeleton and can be made of:
- plain white fabric;
- laminated rice paper;
- rice paper with transparent polycarbonate or plexiglass panels.
As for the pros and cons, they are a good compromise between glass partition walls and wooden partitions . Fabric and rice paper let some of the light through, but at the same time “hide” what is happening in the room. You can therefore use them to separate the living area and the kitchen, or to create two small rooms from a single bedroom. Furniture to use as room dividers
The most versatile room dividers are furniture : you can move them back and forth, turn them, replace them. There are no doors to open and close, so they’re not good if you’re looking for some privacy. On the other hand, they are perfect fordivide the kitchen and living area or to divide the different areas of the living room.
Over the years, real accessorised partition walls have been created . They are furniture designed to act as functional and design dividers. Let’s see some examples. Free standing shelves and bookcases
We have mentioned free standing bookcases several times : they do not need walls to rest on and can stand in the middle of the room. In this way they allow you to separate the different areas of an environment, while still letting the light pass through.
You are thinking of library bookcases, functional but a little too simple
They represent just one of the many types of free standing furniture you have available. You can choose between tall and low bookcases, in wood and in metal. The basic models are made up of modules that are all the same, but you can also choose libraries with modules of varying dimensions .
Free standing bookcases are primarily designed for books. This does not mean that you cannot use them for other types of objects as well: plant libraries are an example. Double-sided room dividers Double-sided
furniture is designed precisely as room dividers for open spaces. They are movable with two faces and therefore usable from both sides. Free standing bookcases can be double-sided, if they are deep enough to accommodate two rows of books. But there are also generic shelves, living room furniture, double-sided wardrobes.
As in the case of bookcases, the double-sided furniture does not allow you to close the room obtained. Wardrobes also have a problem similar to that of wooden partitions: they allow little light to pass from one room to another. From ropes to partitions: creative partition walls
All the solutions seen above, not to mention the installation of sliding doors, they tend to be a bit challenging. Too challenging if you are looking for an easy way to separate the two parts of a room. That’s why we close the article with some ideas for creating simple and creative room dividers .
- Separate in wood, fabric or rice paper . They are the panels that you see in costume films, behind which we changed. They are lightweight and easy to store when you don’t need them anymore, making them perfect if you want to find a few hours of privacy.
- Rope partitions , made with intertwined ropes or decorated with beads. They are colorful and breezy, ideal for children’s and teen bedrooms. Try them in summer, instead of the usual terrace curtains: they will add a touch of color to your home.
- Green walls. If you have a passion for gardening and an open space to divide, this is the right opportunity to add some greenery to your home. Vegetable dividers are mainly of two types: earthen pots with small nets in the center, on which climbing plants can grow; plant walls, consisting of shelves that house many pots of plants.
Design room dividers: rely on the best furniture brands
Choosing room dividers for your home is not as simple as it seems. We advise you to rely on high design products, made with precious and resistant materials. Design room dividers are three words that can coexist perfectly together: you just need to buy products from the best furniture companies, such as Rimadesio or Movi. Complete your home, for example, with sliding partitions characterized by an impactful aesthetic and enhance your everyday space.