10 DIY Room Dividers to Help You Stylishly Define Any Space

Wallpaper Room Divider

A pair of sturdy bifold closet doors was the basis for this brilliant decorative screen. Join them with extra hinges, then cover the unfinished wood with wallpaper of your choice—you need only a few strips, so even a designer price will be right. (For a faster result, use the paste-free, peel-and-stick kind.) To finish the raw edges, use hot glue to attach ribbon in a contrasting color.

Upholstered Gingham Screen

This fun, easy-to-make gingham folding panel breaks apart an open room while adding some dynamic pattern to an otherwise quiet space. Follow these steps to make the screen:

1. From the plywood, cut three 2 x 6 1/2-foot pieces.

2. Sink pilot holes for bifold hinges: Attach the left-hand panel to the center panel by screwing hinges 6 inches from the top and bottom, and 1/3 in the center. Repeat to attach the center panel to the right-hand panel. Remove hinges; they will be reattached in the same holes in step seven. (If you're using an existing screen, simply remove the hinges.)

3. Cut six pieces of fabric into 2 feet 1 1/2 inches x 6 feet 7 1/2 inches; press.

4. Place one panel flat, and lay a piece of batting over it. Stretch a piece of fabric over the panel, so its four edges just cover the edge of the plywood. Staple the top side, then the bottom, then the sides. Trim any excess fabric. Repeat with the panel's reverse side. Trim again.

5. Repeat step four to cover the other two panels.

6. Cover the staples: Using glue, attach ribbon along the perimeter of each panel.

7. Reattach hinges.

8. Screw two stabilizing feet into the bottom edges of each panel.

Screen Headboard

This pretty floral-print screen looks just as good dividing up a room as it does leaning against a wall as a decorative headboard. Add it behind a basic bed frame to create a plush and personalized effect. Recast one you already own with a favorite print—then all you have to do is put your custom piece in place and dream on.

Stenciled Lace-Print Folding Screen

The delicate lace design on this screen only looks complicated. In a reversal of stenciling norms, the central motif is unpainted; light-gold paper is accentuated by a dappled coat of copper-pink paint. Here's how to make the folding screen:

1. Lay panels side by side on a covered surface. Mix paints in a jar. Prepare palette with some paint, leaving the remainder covered in the jar. Place stencil in the upper-right corner.

2. Use a sponge to apply paint to the stencil. Let it dry for three minutes.

3. Shift the stencil to the left, using the transparent pattern on stencil as a placement guide. Paint as in step two.

4. Below the first painted area, stagger stencil to the right, so its left edge aligns with the center of the pattern above it. Paint as in step two.

5. Continue painting, alternating placement across and down to create staggered, brick-like rows (to minimize lag time as paint dries).

6. Reattach hinges.

Office Space Folding Screen

Struggling to section off a workspace in your home? This DIY room divider not only makes it easy to create a cozy, isolated space for a desk and chair, but it actually functions as part of your office, thanks to a chalkboard panel for your brainstorms and a bulletin board panel for your important papers and reminders.

Drop-Cloth Patio Divider

If your problem area is your patio, you can section off an intimate sitting area in an otherwise open layout by adding a few hanging drop cloths that you can easily roll right up when it's time to head inside.

Sheer Curtain Room Divider

If you want to break up a room but are afraid an opaque folding screen or other divider will be too dramatic for your small space, try for a sheer curtain, instead. This DIY room divider helps make different parts of your room feel a little more private without really making each individual space feel smaller or too-closed off.

Leaf-Motif Screen

Keep this leaf-motif screen perpetually in season by easily rotating out the leaves to coincide with the time of year.

1. Paint screen and picture frames one color. Photocopy real or artificial leaves to desired size. Adhere copies to card stock with spray adhesive. Cut out silhouettes with utility knife.

2. Disassemble each frame, and place cardboard backing over a botanical-print fabric; cut around cardboard, leaving a 2-inch fabric border. Wrap cardboard in fabric, adhering with double-sided tape. Glue leaf silhouette to center, and reassemble frame.

3. Add grosgrain ribbon to frame edges with a glue gun.

4. Hang frames at equal intervals.

Entertainment Center Screen

Sometimes all it takes is tucking away a small component of a room, like a TV, to make it feel like a slightly converted space. So, even if the area you're working with is too tight for a full-on room divider (or if you're just not a fan) consider inserting openable screens where possible to make any room in your home feel a little more versatile.

Momento Screen

Personalize a screen by criss-crossing ribbon to create a lattice pattern that can be used to tuck in favorite photos. Use it to memorialize iconic life moments or as a revolving display for special occasions—you can even use it as a step-and-repeat at your next party.