Screens and Room Dividers
2010s South American Screens and Room Dividers
Brass
2010s Australian Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Stainless Steel
2010s Italian Mid-Century Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Porcelain
Late 19th Century Italian Neoclassical Antique Screens and Room Dividers
Canvas, Wood, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary British Minimalist Screens and Room Dividers
Aluminum
2010s Swedish Post-Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Leather, Oak
Mid-19th Century French Louis XV Antique Screens and Room Dividers
Bronze
2010s Italian Minimalist Screens and Room Dividers
Steel
19th Century Japanese Antique Screens and Room Dividers
Wood, Paper
19th Century European Victorian Antique Screens and Room Dividers
Leather, Faux Leather
2010s Italian Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Steel
2010s Italian Organic Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Metal, Nickel, Brass, Aluminum
2010s Italian Other Screens and Room Dividers
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Mid-Century Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Cane, Wood
2010s English Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Glass
2010s Italian Other Screens and Room Dividers
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Screens and Room Dividers
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary French Mid-Century Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Stoneware
21st Century and Contemporary Mexican Screens and Room Dividers
Beech
19th Century Japanese Antique Screens and Room Dividers
2010s German Screens and Room Dividers
Lacquer
Late 19th Century British Antique Screens and Room Dividers
Pine
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Mid-Century Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Wood
2010s Ethiopian Folk Art Screens and Room Dividers
Aluminum
2010s Finnish Post-Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Ash, Cork
2010s Mexican Screens and Room Dividers
Oak, Wood, Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary American Art Deco Screens and Room Dividers
Linen
Early 2000s Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Chrome
2010s Portuguese Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Wood
2010s Italian Other Screens and Room Dividers
Wood
2010s Panamanian Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Metal
Mid-19th Century English George III Antique Screens and Room Dividers
Mahogany
2010s North American Screens and Room Dividers
Abalone, Wood
2010s Finnish Post-Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Ash, Cork
2010s North American Screens and Room Dividers
Abalone, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Wood, Lacquer
21st Century and Contemporary Mid-Century Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Mid-Century Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Cane, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Wood, Lacquer
2010s Italian Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Wool, Upholstery, Wood
Late 19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Screens and Room Dividers
Fabric, Wood, Damask
2010s Belgian Post-Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Pine
2010s Italian Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Wool, Upholstery, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Foam, Hardwood, Paint
Late 19th Century French Louis XV Antique Screens and Room Dividers
Bronze, Metal, Wire
2010s French Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Metal
Late 19th Century French Empire Antique Screens and Room Dividers
Bronze
Early 19th Century British Antique Screens and Room Dividers
Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Polish Minimalist Screens and Room Dividers
Stainless Steel
Late 19th Century French Louis XVI Antique Screens and Room Dividers
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Screens and Room Dividers
Brass
2010s French Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Metal
2010s Italian Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Screens and Room Dividers
Steel
1880s High Victorian Antique Screens and Room Dividers
Brass
2010s Polish Organic Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Stainless Steel
2010s North American Screens and Room Dividers
Abalone, Wood
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.