Unique, Alternate Uses for Room Divider Screens

About 10 years ago, one of my teen sons bought a room divider screen to camoflage an unattractive HVAC system in his basement studio apartment. He's moved on but the divider screen stayed behind and has since seen all sorts of unique uses in our home.

Room screens, or divider screens are three fold screens that are used to divide a room into sections. Divider screens can provide privacy, cover up a bad section of wall, or provide a dramatic back drop to a plain piece of furniture. If you have a room divider screen that has outlived it's usefulness in your home, think again. These practical pieces of furniture have all sorts of unique uses that may surprise you.

Great for sick rooms.

When we moved Mom in to live with us, she was installed in a first floor bedroom where I could keep an eye on her during the day. I set up a divider screen in a zigzag fashion just outside the bedroom door which gave her privacy without feeling "cut off" from help while giving me instant access in case of any problems.

Can be used to uniquely display a collection of pictures or small artwork.

Room dividers made of natural reeds are ideal for displaying a collection of nicely framed pictures or small artwork. We used our room divider in a corner of the living room for several years where it showcased a number of vintage family portraits.

Great for blocking entry into other rooms.

When you have a house full of guests, sometimes it's nice to restrict certain areas of the house as "off limits". A divider screen can be used to temporarily close off a staircase, laundry room, messy offices (!), and other areas of the house. When our home is open for neighborhood meetings or Christmas parties, we use a divider screen to block off access to the upstairs to discourage people from wandering around where they shouldn't.

Makes a unique scarf rack or necklace holder.

Now that's winter is is here, our room divider screen is set up in the corner of our master bedroom as a unique way to display and store winter scarves and necklaces. Room divider screens are ideally suited for draping long, slender accessories such as ties, belts, and scarves.

Can be used to create a private office space in the living areas of your home.

With more and more people working out of their homes, having an designated office space to conduct business is a must. A room divider screen can be set up at one end of a living room to create a small niche suitable for working at home. The screen not only creates a private space, but will hide things like computer monitors and messy desktops.