DIY Room Divider Ideas

Room divider ideas are one of my top favorite decor discussions simply because with so many people either living on a tight budget and/or cramped space, they immediately provide a relief from both. Look for inspiration in discarded doors, photos, bookcases, strips of cloth, unique fabrications, brilliant colors and strategic placement within the home. These pieces are also great for those with big spaces i.e., lofts or for kids rooms or when you need to divvy up a home office from the main living room space.

DIY room dividers are perfect way to maximize a small space, and also are great as decorating focus point. They offer privacy, boundaries, and aesthetic elements all without altering structural components of a space. If you’re looking for some more imaginative room divider ideas to create different living areas in a small space or to section off a large room, then you will get answer from this roundup of spectacular ideas. Get inspired!

Curtains: Hanging a curtain is probably the best way to create DIY room dividers. Curtains are cheap and take up little space. The hard part comes in hanging them. Options include hanging up a curtain rod or fixing a wire across the room from one wall to another. Picture (2) shows a curtain rail that is fitted to the ceiling instead of the wall - which is great if you don’t want the divider to cut across the entire room. Go for the traditional style curtain (a single sheet of fabric) or there are the more modern IKEA style panels as seen in picture (4).

Book Cases: The good thing with using a book case is that you can have a full height one or a half height one. If you are using a half height book case like an IKEA Expedit, then you won’t have to worry about the lighting when you divide the room. When it comes to curtains or a full height book case, depending on the placement of the lights and the divider, part of the room might be cut off from the lighting. A table or floor lamp can easily solve this.

Small homes afford few ways to configure space, and it's up to you to carve out designated areas that function differently, based on your needs. The goal is to find solutions that are flexible, and don't take up too much valuable space. Here are ten ways to partition off parts of your home:

1. These folding screens, from VT Wonen, take up little visual weight. They are also on casters, making them easy to move around.

2. Use wallpaper to signal the "end" of one room and the start of another. Ellie covered her small entryway in Cole & Son's Palm Leaves pattern - a stark contrast to the black paint in the hallway. As seen in Lonny.

3. Jay used a series of stacked Expedit shelves (framed with millwork) to create a functional entryway with lots of storage.

4. Instead of visually closing things off, play with different levels within a room instead. This child's room, with its elevated bed, was created by Studio Oink.

5. This Moroccan riad uses an alcove as a bedroom space, and curtains add a little bit of privacy.

6. Even without a nook, curtains can split a room in half. Willa Kammerer devised a way to hang curtains from conduit pipe in her 300 square foot studio.

7. Narrow walls are sometimes all you need, and mirrored ones keep the space light and feeling open. If you're confident with your DIY skills, Better Homes and Gardens shows you how to build a freestanding one.

8. A pony wall keeps spaces more open, but provides enough of a barrier. This bedroom/office was designed by Damon Liss.

9. Your headboard can do double-duty as a wall, turning one space into two. This apartment in Madrid, from Mi Casa Spain, cleverly partitions bedroom from bath.

10. And lastly, outdoors spaces can be flexible too, as with these freestanding green walls, from Studio Pepe, that create an intimate seating area while entertaining.

What have you found that works in small apartments? Have you tried any like these?