No home is perfect. From weird layouts to lack of space, there comes a definite point where your apartment or house can feel less like home and more like a claustrophobic mess. Defining space and separating space in your apartment, especially when it has a set layout, can feel nearly impossible when there are only so many possibilities to take advantage of.
You don’t have to get your hard hat on and start demolishing your apartment in order to utilize more space, separate rooms, and make your place feel better. Rather, you can get creative with room dividers to break up your spaces and add a unique flair to your apartment.
Are you looking to make your apartment more defined and separated in areas? Unsure of how to go about this? Read on to learn six simple room divider ideas, which will help you make the most of your space and give you some breathing room!
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1. Bring in the Curtains: You might think that curtains are solely intended to be used for maintaining privacy from the outside of your apartment or strictly with windows, but curtains can be purposed in many different ways, including room dividers! You can create a room divider with curtains in just about any place where you can hang a rod. Wherever you want to divide the room, hang a rod or hooks of some sort, and place your curtain up. This immediately adds dimension to your space, and you can even get creative with the color, pattern, and texture of the curtain to better match your overall interior design.
2. Try a Bookshelf: If you’re a book lover like me, having a bookshelf in your apartment is always a necessity. Though you may be inclined to traditionally put your bookshelf against the wall or in a corner, try using it as a room divider instead! It may be out of your comfort zone, but doing so can really make your space feel unique and appear to have intention in its decor. Your bookshelf doesn’t have to just contain books also. Make the furniture piece more personal by adding your favorite books, records and CDs, plants, pictures, and figurines. Play around with the area where you want to place your bookshelf. This might take a couple of tries, but once you have it in the right place, you’re going to be wondering why you hadn’t tried this idea sooner!
3. Get a Barn Door: Barn doors are a perfect way to separate space and divide rooms if you are wanting to take on a more immersive, bigger project. A beautiful barn door will add a rustic, farmhouse flair to your apartment while also giving you the space separation you need. Installing a barn door is not as difficult as it seems, just make sure that you have the permission to take on such a project by your landlord or property manager before leaping into the project. For all you know, they might love the idea! Hanging a barn door requires a backer board and a metal track for the door to slide on, some hardware, and obviously, the door. So get your DIY on and try out this idea!
4. Don’t Underestimate Folding Screens: Folding screens are the most traditional and common way to separate spaces and divide rooms, and for good reason too! Folding screens are inexpensive and can be customized in a number of different ways. They also come in several different materials, like wood or plastic, different colors, and different patterns, which can give you the ultimate freedom in deciding how you want to decorate (and separate your space). The best part about folding screens is that they are lightweight, easily transportable, and easily stored, so if at any point you change your mind, you can either move them around or put them away temporarily.
5. Re-Arrange Your Furniture: If you don’t have the extra money to spend on new furniture pieces, no problem! You can easily create space and divide rooms just by rearranging the existing furniture you already have. Where a space ends and another begins, try moving a larger piece of furniture along the imaginary “border” like a couch, coffee table, or even bookshelf, so make the area feel more separated. Arrange your love seats or sofa chairs in a wall-like formation to divide the rooms. There are many different ways you can play around with this, just move everything around until you feel right and you like how it feels.
6. Utilize Your Rugs: When in doubt, rugs can always have your back. Rugs don’t necessarily create a physical barrier that can separate rooms like a bookshelf or folding screen would do, but they can make designated spaces appear separate. For each area in your home, like your living space, office area, kitchen, dining area, etc., place a rug close to the size of the space and watch as the magic unfolds before your eyes. The addition of the rugs to each space will give the illusion that they are separate and help to break up what once might have blended together.
Whether you have a studio apartment or you just want to rid yourself of your current floor plan, there are simple and effective ways to separate space and divide your rooms so that you feel less claustrophobic and more at home where you live.
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