Divide and Conquer : Transform your Space with a Screen!

We’ve seen a noticeable rise in demand for our screens and room dividers over recent years, and particularly over the last twelve months as many of us spend more and more time at home. With foreign travel and trips away being difficult at best, and with the huge increase in home working during the pandemic, many of us have focused on making the most of the space we live in, giving our interiors a refresh and creating a welcoming refuge from uncertain times. Our homes have become multi-purpose spaces – offices, gyms and cinemas – rather than just somewhere we return to rest at the end of a working day.

Room dividers offer a simple, portable solution for creating distinct areas for different activities. For those working at home but without the luxury of a dedicated home office, they are a great way to separate off a section of a bedroom or living room as a work space. It may not be quite the same as a 45 minute commute to an office (thankfully), but they can act as a useful aid to keep our work and home lives apart. They are also great for dividing a large space into living and dining areas, or perhaps to provide a separate play area for the children.

None of this is new to the Chinese, who have used screens and partitions to section off parts of their homes for centuries. Our antique screens were originally used in this way and our reproduction screens are based on the old internal dividers used in Chinese homes. The wonderful antique folding screen shown here in our showroom has been made by fitting four old panels together.  Each panel is exquisitely carved, showing various animals and flowers in the upper and lower sections, with beautiful details of flower vases, bronzes, books and calligraphy brushes on the main upper sections.

Our reproduction screens are available in our warm elm and black lacquer finishes and include the wonderful carved Ming screen shown top and right, with it's lattice panels produced with traditional mitred mortise and tenon joints. Or if you want more of a solid divider our gorgeous butterfly screens are available in red or black lacquer, decorated with gold leaf and hand painted with dancing butterflies - a symbol in China for long life and marital happiness.

Lastly, our large circular shelves, based on the traditional 'moongate' entrances seen in Chinese gardens and architecture, are a fantastic way to section off a large living space, with plenty of shelf space for books or for displaying favourite vases and ornaments. The shelves are identical on each side, so they work perfectly not only against a wall but also set in the middle of a room to section off different areas, with the multi-layer shelves making an unusual, eye-catching satement piece.

With the pandemic seeing us reassess how we live in and use our homes, we are increasingly recognising the value of screens and room dividers as versatile items of furniture. Once viewed as traditional, luxury items, they are increasingly popular as a useful feature in modern interiors.

View our full range of Chinese screens and room dividers online, along with a wide selection of antique and newly carved panels that make wonderful wall decoration.