Pattern for a Homemade Room Divider

Fit Your Architecture

• You want the divider to blend well with your room’s architecture. For example, if you live in a 1930s bungalow house, the divider should harmonize with wide baseboards and sturdy architecture. If you live in a tropical bungalow, your divider could be made of bamboo and fabric. Installing a room divider that clashes with your architecture can devalue your home’s appearance.

Build the Frame

• To construct framework for the divider, build a wall from floor-to-ceiling. Use 2 x 4-inch boards to construct the wall framing. Nail boards along the ceiling and the floor to outline the divider space. Install wood studs every 18 inches. A divider should be no more than one-half of the room’s length or width in most cases. A longer divider will block light and create a barrier versus a practical divider.

Review Design Books

• Design the room divider after you review lots of options. A stationary room divider made of wood framing will need to be covered with drywall or plywood. Plywood works best for covering with tiles, upholstery fabric or stone. Drywall is fine for covering with upholstery fabric. Wood flooring can be used to cover the divider directly over the framing studs. The heaviness of the covering will depend on personal taste and how long you want the divider to last. For example, if you divide a large room with a natural stone fireplace, installing stone veneer to cover the divider is totally appropriate.

Build a Short Divider

• Certain rooms can be divided with a wall only four or five feet high. For example, you can create privacy for two children who share a room by building a divider four feet high between twin beds. Kids can use their own side of the divider wall for a chalk board, bookshelves or hanging art. A shorter divider wall works well between an entrance door and a living area, too. A five-foot-high divider wall will accommodate a coat closet for the entrance. The space left above the divider wall allows more light into the entryway and the living area.

Make a Double-Duty Divider

• Any floor-to-ceiling room divider can work as a wall unit on one or both sides. Build out the framework to accommodate storage space and bookshelves, plus sections to hold media players. A divider between a living area and the kitchen can hold glass shelves to display special dishes. If you need more storage space in an open area, a divider wall can be a good place to install cabinets, a closet or storage shelves.

Use Transparent Materials

• A room divider can be built to accommodate a physical barrier but create no loss of light. Install glass bricks for a divider that allows lots of light for separated areas. No wooden framework is needed; however, you will need to take a class in installing the bricks or hire someone to do it. Glass brick dividers work in older homes as well as newly built ones. This building material provides a nice design that never goes out of style.