Screens and Room Dividers
1980s Organic Modern Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Rattan, Reed
Early 20th Century Screens and Room Dividers
Wood, Paper
1950s Mexican Mid-Century Modern Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Brass
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Wood
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Bamboo
1970s French Art Deco Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Lacquer
Late 19th Century British Antique Screens and Room Dividers
Pine
19th Century Japanese Antique Screens and Room Dividers
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Wood, Paper, Paint
Mid-18th Century German Rococo Antique Screens and Room Dividers
Canvas
Early 20th Century French Art Deco Screens and Room Dividers
Aluminum
1960s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Iron
Mid-20th Century Organic Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Wicker, Wood
Mid-20th Century Chinese Screens and Room Dividers
Gold Leaf
Mid-20th Century Other Screens and Room Dividers
Jade
Early 1900s French Art Nouveau Antique Screens and Room Dividers
Copper
Mid-19th Century English George III Antique Screens and Room Dividers
Mahogany
20th Century Japanese Showa Screens and Room Dividers
Brass
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Iron
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Crystal
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Maple
Mid-20th Century French Provincial Screens and Room Dividers
Fabric
1970s French Art Deco Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Wood
20th Century Spanish Mid-Century Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Wood
Late 19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Screens and Room Dividers
Fabric, Wood, Damask
1970s Czech Mid-Century Modern Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Wood
20th Century Indian Anglo-Indian Screens and Room Dividers
Teak
1960s French Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Bronze
20th Century European Art Deco Screens and Room Dividers
Wrought Iron
Early 20th Century Art Deco Screens and Room Dividers
Wood
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Ash
1920s Japanese Japonisme Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Bronze
20th Century French American Classical Screens and Room Dividers
Canvas, Wood, Paper
1920s Italian Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Wood
Late 19th Century French Louis XV Antique Screens and Room Dividers
Bronze, Metal, Wire
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Plexiglass, Wood, Paint
Mid-20th Century Czech Mid-Century Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Bentwood, Plywood
1940s French Regency Revival Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Fabric, Mirror, Wood
Late 19th Century French Empire Antique Screens and Room Dividers
Bronze
1780s French Country Antique Screens and Room Dividers
Steel, Iron
Early 19th Century British Antique Screens and Room Dividers
Walnut
Late 19th Century French Louis XVI Antique Screens and Room Dividers
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Screens and Room Dividers
Brass
Late 20th Century Screens and Room Dividers
Paper
1970s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Leather
1970s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Wood, Lacquer, Paint
Late 20th Century German Mid-Century Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Iron
20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Screens and Room Dividers
Brass, Gold Leaf
20th Century French Hollywood Regency Screens and Room Dividers
Mirror, Wood
1880s High Victorian Antique Screens and Room Dividers
Brass
20th Century Chinese Screens and Room Dividers
Wood
Late 19th Century Chinese Qing Antique Screens and Room Dividers
Elm
20th Century French Art Deco Screens and Room Dividers
Iron
1970s European Mid-Century Modern Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Beech
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Mahogany
Mid-20th Century Screens and Room Dividers
Oak, Bentwood
1790s English Regency Antique Screens and Room Dividers
Giltwood, Paint
Early 20th Century European Arts and Crafts Screens and Room Dividers
Wrought Iron
Antique and Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Whether they are implemented as decorative accents or makeshift partitions to ensure privacy, antique and vintage folding screens and room dividers easily introduce sophistication and depth to any space in your home.
The earliest examples of folding screens are said to have originated in China and go back at least as far as the Han dynasty. Screens of the era were heavy structures made of wood and had hinges of cloth or leather. They were adorned with elaborate landscape paintings that were typically created on silk or paper canvases and applied directly to the screen’s panels afterward. Just as they had been in the 20th century and today, the folding screens then were recognized for both their practical and purely decorative properties.
Japanese room-divider screens were also decorated with paintings but constructed to be lightweight and mobile. They took on considerable event-based importance when the structures gained popularity in the East Asian country, as the folding screens were used in performing arts such as concerts, tea ceremonies and more. Later, artists elsewhere warmed to folding screens and sought to create their own.
In European countries such as France, where they were known as paravent, folding screens began to materialize in apartments in Paris, gaining favor with the likes of pioneering couturier Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel, who is said to have accrued more than 30 and used them as a precursor to what we now know as wallpaper.
On 1stDibs, find a wide range of antique and vintage folding screens and room dividers, which, given their history, may do a better job of bringing people and cultures together in your home than sectioning off a space. Search by material to find options in metal, fabric or wood, or browse by style for mid-century modern designs and examples from the Art Deco era.