Screens and Room Dividers
1990s American Post-Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Patent Leather
Late 20th Century French Screens and Room Dividers
Iron
Late 20th Century Chinese Chinoiserie Screens and Room Dividers
Brass, Metal
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Burl
Late 20th Century Bohemian Screens and Room Dividers
Metal
1970s French Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Teak
Late 20th Century Screens and Room Dividers
Leather, Wood
1970s Czech Mid-Century Modern Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Wood, Ash
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Rattan
1980s American Post-Modern Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Metal
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Lacquer
1970s European Other Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Plywood, Paint
Late 20th Century American Regency Screens and Room Dividers
Canvas, Wood, Paint
1970s Czech Mid-Century Modern Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Metal
1970s Italian Modern Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Chrome
1990s French Screens and Room Dividers
Glass, Wood
1970s French Modern Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Lacquer
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Brass
Late 20th Century Other Screens and Room Dividers
Wood
Late 20th Century Chinese Screens and Room Dividers
Wood
Late 20th Century Chinese Screens and Room Dividers
Wood
1970s European Adam Style Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Bamboo, Rattan
1970s Unknown Organic Modern Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Metal
1970s Brazilian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Leather, Rosewood
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Bamboo
1970s Mexican Organic Modern Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Rattan, Hardwood
Late 20th Century American Screens and Room Dividers
Acrylic, Wood
1970s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Brass
Late 20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Wood
Late 20th Century Japanese Screens and Room Dividers
Paper
Late 20th Century American Screens and Room Dividers
Sheet Metal
1990s British Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Maple
1970s Philippine Post-Modern Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Bamboo, Rattan
1990s North American Aesthetic Movement Screens and Room Dividers
Plexiglass, Wood
1980s American Industrial Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Plexiglass
1970s Unknown Rustic Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Wood, Paint
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Brass
Late 20th Century Unknown Chinoiserie Screens and Room Dividers
Wood
1970s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Aluminum
1970s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Iron, Wrought Iron
1970s Art Deco Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Brass
1980s Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Leather
Late 20th Century American Screens and Room Dividers
Wood, Paint
1970s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Giltwood
1980s American Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
1930s Austrian Art Deco Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Walnut, Spruce
Late 20th Century Chinese Screens and Room Dividers
Canvas, Wood
Late 20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Metal
1980s American Regency Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Cane
1970s American Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Silver
Late 20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Metal
Late 20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Rattan
1970s French Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Mirror, Wood
1980s American Post-Modern Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Plywood, Lacquer
Late 20th Century Unknown Hollywood Regency Screens and Room Dividers
Wood, Paint
1990s Italian Post-Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Fabric
1970s French Art Deco Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Lacquer
Late 20th Century Japanese Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Iron
Vintage Screens and Antique Room Dividers on 1stDibs: Japanese Screens, Chinese Screens and Art Deco Screens for Sale
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.