Screens and Room Dividers
2010s Italian Other Screens and Room Dividers
Leather, Wood
Mid-20th Century European Scandinavian Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Pine
1960s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Pine
Mid-20th Century Swedish Scandinavian Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Leather, Pine
19th Century Italian Other Antique Screens and Room Dividers
Poplar
Mid-19th Century Portuguese Other Antique Screens and Room Dividers
Wood
2010s Danish Scandinavian Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Brass
1940s Italian Other Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Brass
1990s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Steel, Aluminum
2010s Italian Other Screens and Room Dividers
Wood
Mid-20th Century French Other Screens and Room Dividers
Bronze, Brass
Mid-20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Pine
Mid-20th Century Indonesian Other Screens and Room Dividers
Teak
1950s American Other Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Wood
2010s Italian Other Screens and Room Dividers
Wood
1980s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Copper
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Rattan, Beech
2010s Italian Other Screens and Room Dividers
Wood
Mid-20th Century Other Screens and Room Dividers
Jade
Mid-20th Century Swedish Scandinavian Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Rattan
1960s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Iron
2010s Italian Other Screens and Room Dividers
Wood
1940s Scandinavian Scandinavian Modern Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Beech
1940s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Pine
2010s Italian Other Screens and Room Dividers
Wood
1930s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Pine
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Other Screens and Room Dividers
Brass, Other
1960s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Pine
2010s Mexican Scandinavian Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Hardwood, Wood, Oak
2010s French Other Screens and Room Dividers
Oak
1960s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Pine
1950s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Pine
2010s Scandinavian Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Canvas, Oak
Late 20th Century Other Screens and Room Dividers
Wood
19th Century Tibetan Other Antique Screens and Room Dividers
Wood
Mid-20th Century Balinese Other Screens and Room Dividers
Hardwood
1960s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Steel
2010s French Other Screens and Room Dividers
Other, Gold Leaf
1950s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Suede, Pine
Early 20th Century Italian Other Screens and Room Dividers
Bamboo, Rattan
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.