Don’t you want an open floor plan, but aren’t quite sold on having all your rooms closed off from each other? Well, welcome to your happy medium: lining up a wall (with interior windows) or an architectural room divider. I think it’s only a matter of time when spacious, open concept homes with no specific spaces will get a little tired, especially because they can be challenging to figure out a furniture plan for if you’re not a professional.
And while I can agree that there’s an appeal to having no interruptions to the flow in your home (especially with kids who want to roam wild), there’s no denying that many rooms actually work better – or are at least 100% more attractive – when they’re broken back up. The main thing is to ensure that light can still pass between rooms and that there is visibility between spaces. This way, you get visual—and actual—separation that allows you to carve out areas with a specific function in mind, but doesn’t feel closed off. bonus points? Your home may get the Nancy Meyers-like upgrade you’ve always wanted.
If you’re struggling to imagine what I mean when I say adding a room divider — because I’m not talking about a folding screen — keep reading, because I’m explaining four ways to do it and sharing lots of inspiration to give you a creative jumpstart.
interior windows and windows walls
We first touched on our love of interior windows in this post three years ago. This is by far my favorite way to partially close off an open-concept home, because light can still pass through, but you gift yourself separate rooms. It can be done as an entire wall with doors, as a partial side divider to create a pass-through, or literally as a vertical window wall in the middle of a space (see Gene Stouffer’s designs below).
Gene Stauffer specializes in assembling these types of architectural room dividers. There’s no denying that the homes she works on, either for clients or herself, are on a much larger scale, where adding walls won’t cut the square footage nearly as much as something like, say, 1,400 square feet. But I still think it’s safe to say that it’s easy to admire and be inspired by the work he and his team do.
I’m especially intrigued by the idea of a window wall for a little seating area in the middle of the room. That, and the entry vestibule below, which was common in homes in cold climates in the 1800s and 1900s to control interior air temperatures. Although I’m guessing this may have already existed, it still blows my mind how putting up walls around the entryway can create a very cozy little lobby.
i have that kitchen and bedroom brian graybill Saved in my folders for the most part of two years, and I constantly refer to it to appreciate the beautiful use of interior windows to separate spaces and place them alongside each other. The café curtains are a charming touch.
i remember when Pretty’s Shelby in the Pines She was planning this window room divider in her long living room. If you click above, you can see what she looked like when she came in. Now, she has a good-sized but cozy living room, and she was able to create an attractive breakfast nook and set aside her kitchen space.
Not all built-in room dividers have to be big and in charge. Sometimes, one piece of division is all it takes to make a difference.
We’re all too quick to think that a room needs to be enclosed in solid drywall, but window walls (and French doors) keep rooms semi-private, yet still visually part of the living space or main thoroughfares. Setting it in a refreshing environment gives me an A+.
Even a narrow section of a large space can be transformed into a compact but effective office or studio room. Think about it… how many of us have open loft space on our second floor, or a large room that we can’t quite figure out? All you need is — I’m guessing here — five by 10 feet of unused floor space to create a bonus area that you can turn into something useful.
If you’ve come this far thinking the idea is good but too formal or traditional, don’t worry, there are other ways. Take for inspiration the two images above and below that are more metal-forward, each giving off more contemporary vibes. White, visible in the image shared above organized homeIs surprisingly light and unobtrusive…
…while the black finish on the mesh makes it more noticeable.
There must be something about floor-to-ceiling bookshelves behind such a latticed glass enclosure, but wow, this sure is the way to create a studio bedroom, isn’t it?
I really like the work of Colombo StudioAnd this circular, windowed room transformation is so amazing.
Floor to ceiling room dividers and decor
Next, something not as lavish that requires less construction: free-standing or installed dividers and larger furnishings. This approach appears to be more contemporary, and was a common strategy at mid-century. If you love any excuse to display your treasures and books, this might be for you.
The rounded edge is a nice touch with a shelving unit like this, as it encourages flow a little better and prevents someone from accidentally nicking their ribs on a sharp corner.
Reeded glass and canning at the other end keep things semi-private, but still open and airy. I like this approach for a more decorative and interesting take on room division.
This shelving unit appears to be attached (or tensioned) to both the floor and ceiling beams, which is, of course, safer than something high and narrow that is free-standing.
Working with a designer or expert woodworker (unless you’re incredibly skilled yourself) can render a useful and beautiful entryway cabinet-slash-bench-slash-room divider like the one above. four blocks south,
Just a darling vintage room divider (and another one if you flip over), in a time capsule-esque home Dana and Colin of Un.Flipping,
And here, a reminder that it is not necessary to install everything. Cabinet with a sturdier, heavier bottom like the one above kerf design (which have hooks on one side and plant shelves on the other) may be the perfect solution for you to separate a living space that’s directly opposite the front door.
Bookcases and Passthroughs
Can you believe Style It Pretty Home’s Xenia Olivares made a room divider for herself?!? You can see the before and some of the process this reel He posted on his Instagram. Just wow!
My heart has no choice but to swoon when I see a transom window anywhere in a house, especially when it’s inset into a gorgeous slate blue millwork opening like the one above. Timber Trails HomeThe house has no imposing character as such, especially not some long expanse of openness.
I love finding little corners hidden behind other rooms, and this room, in a shared shot Block Shop Textiles To promote their new clothing line with Sunbrella last spring, it got top marks because of that bentwood arch and shelving room divider. ::Applause::
The work Alice Gaskell has done on her clean, cool and contemporary new home is astonishing and I love this bookcase room divider she designed. Click HereAnd swipe up on the second photo to see how it looked before. Be prepared to be surprised and inspired.
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So…how are we feeling? If you have a super open floor plan and you love it, great! It is not my intention to run a defamatory campaign against him. They certainly have their merits, and when you indulge in them, you can heave a sigh of relief. And while open-concept homes these days may tempt a lot of people’s opinions about how we live, what they aren’t, at least for me, is memorable. What is memorable? Beautiful architecture, even if it’s not original, because we don’t all get the chance to live in soulful 20th century homes; It’s like the turn of the 21st century. If you want to bring some flair to your home and make better use of space, I hope this post will be encouraging to you.
Until next time, friends…
Opening Image Credit: Design by Emily Henderson | photo by sarah ligoria-trump From: Mountain House “revealed”: the dilemma created in the dining room (+ 3 mistakes we made)
