Room dividers were created to separate spaces within an open room and are usually a portable folding panel system that stands alone.  These days, though, room dividers are more than just utilitarian and can be used as part of your décor, even when you don’t need to divide the room for any specific purpose.  They come in a huge variety of shapes and designs to fit into just about any theme that you can imagine.

Naturally, your first consideration should be what you want the room dividers for.  Do you have an open floor plan but would like to screen off certain areas to have a bit more privacy?  Perhaps you have company coming and you need to clean up fast – set a room divider up in one corner and toss all the kids’ toys behind it for a quick fix.  Room dividers are perfect for people who live in studio apartments because they can be used to screen off the bedroom area of the apartment and give the illusion of a separate space.  Once you know the purpose of room dividers that can help you determine the size and shape you need.  At that point, the main consideration will become how you can use the divider as a decorative element within the space.

How about adding some design flair to your bathroom?  A decorative room divider goes great with an open tub or antique tub as you can relax while taking a bath and still enjoy a bit of privacy.  Some of these room divding shades are even somewhat translucent allowing light to filter through them. This can give a room a soft glow when placed strategically between an outside lighting source and the interior.

I’ve found some very excellent deals for room dividers online. I’ve tried to search in local stores in my area, but I haven’t had much luck finding something that I like and also that fits within my price range.  Ideally I try to stay at about $100 to $125 or so for these  free standing room dividing partitions. At this price range you can find decent quality products and often time if you decide to buy online, the shipping and tax won’t be charged to your account.

One final thought about these dividers is that you definitely want to make sure to not let any children play in or around them.  At times, if the kids are left unattended, there may be a tendency for the folding room divider  to accidentally fold in one of its leaves and lose its footing and fall over.   Some are made with a wide extension wing to place on the base of the wall which can greatly reduce this risk.  This isn’t to deter or scare you, but just to make you aware that these are defintely not a toy and one falling over could injure a small child or pet fairly easily.  Just take the proper precautions and use common sense and your room divider screen will provide you many years of beauty and functionality.