Decorating Ideas to Divide Living & Office Spaces

Furnish It

• Place your furniture in such a way so that it can function as a dividing wall. Use larger pieces that have a lot of visual weight, such as a shelving unit or an entertainment center. A couple of bookcases would work well in this application, as they can be stocked with textbooks or workbooks on the office side and novels for pleasure reading on the living room side.

  Another good option is a folding screen. Shop in furniture stores or look online to see the many styles available, from plain to ornate Japanese shoji screens. Or try your hand at making your own by simply attaching three or four panels or doors to each other using hinges.

Get Quirky

• Think outside of the dividing box and try more imaginative separation solutions. Spray paint tall decorative sticks or branches, place them in several tall, narrow vases, and line them up in a row between the living room space and office space. Install a ceiling-mount track from which you can hang opaque curtains between the two zones. Bring in some greenery to create a boundary with a row of big potted plants or trees; use artificial ones if you don’t have a green thumb.

Be Conceptual

• Go for a less literal approach instead of using a physical border between the spaces. An abstract, visual separation requires less furniture, so it’s good in smaller spaces, and it’s also ideal if the living and office space will be divided for only a short while and not permanently. Paint the walls in each area conspicuously different colors to enhance the appearance of division. Then, create two separate spaces by strategically arranging furniture and area rugs.

Wall Off

• Divide the two spaces by using a temporary wall. These structures not only provide the division you require but also are sturdy and attractive. You can find a style of these moveable walls, made of materials such as glass, acrylic or wood, to fit with the decor of any room. Some temporary walls you put together yourself; others, the manufacturer will send someone to put together for you in your home or apartment.