Historic Bedroom Dividers

Chinese Screens

• The oldest surviving Chinese screens date to the eighth century A.D., although evidence indicates that the Chinese used these screens in the fourth century B.C. Some historic screens were made of paper, although Chinese bedroom screens commonly were made of heavy wooden panels joined with leather or cloth ties and were not as portable as the lighter-weight screens.

Historic Chinese Dividers

• A folding screen made with four carved panels from 19th century Southern China makes an excellent bedroom divider. The top section of the panel contains an open latticework pattern that tells the story of a classic Chinese tale, while the lower half of the panel is solid. The antique screen, which carries a price tag of around $16,500 at the time of publication, comprises lacquered wood with a light coating of wax and is in excellent condition, with no obvious signs of restoration.

Japanese Screens

• The Japanese made use of a wider variety of screen types to divide bedrooms and other rooms and to provide privacy during cultural activities. The famous Japanese geishas used bedroom dividers behind which to prepare themselves for their customers. The type of divider used depended on its function; for example, the “Tsuitate” is a single-panel entrance screen, used in the bedroom context in front of an open doorway for privacy. “Sugido,” on the other hand, made from cedar board, sectioned off an area of the bedroom for private use.

Walls and Headboards

• In a remodeled 19th century warehouse in Charleston, South Carolina, an exceptionally tall, historic headboard divides the sleeping area from the rest of the bedroom, which is in use as a library. In the modern era of urban living, partition walls are common to separate the bedroom from the remaining area in apartments, hotel rooms and open, free-flow areas such as lofts. These dividers are usually partial walls, often built across half of the room or to a height lower than the ceiling.