Screens and Room Dividers
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Screens and Room Dividers
Leather
1990s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Steel, Aluminum
Late 20th Century European Bohemian Screens and Room Dividers
Bamboo, Rattan
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Screens and Room Dividers
Copper
1970s North American Post-Modern Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Iron
1930s French Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Wood
1890s Belgian Romantic Antique Screens and Room Dividers
Iron
1970s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Wood
19th Century English Antique Screens and Room Dividers
Brass
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Bamboo, Wicker
1950s French Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Wood
1980s American Post-Modern Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Metal
Late 20th Century Screens and Room Dividers
Hardwood, Paint
1920s Chinese Chinoiserie Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Lacquer
2010s Scandinavian Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Canvas, Oak
1890s Antique Screens and Room Dividers
Wood
2010s British Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Stainless Steel
Early 19th Century French Empire Antique Screens and Room Dividers
Brass
1980s American Biedermeier Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Brass
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Metal, Chrome
1960s American Baroque Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Metal, Wrought Iron
1960s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Cotton, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Aluminum
19th Century English Antique Screens and Room Dividers
Brass
19th Century Italian Neoclassical Revival Antique Screens and Room Dividers
Leather, Wood, Paint
Mid-20th Century Scandinavian Mid-Century Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Iron
20th Century Screens and Room Dividers
Brass
2010s Italian Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Brass
1960s Belgian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Brass
Late 20th Century Medieval Screens and Room Dividers
Oak, Paint
Early 20th Century French Belle Époque Screens and Room Dividers
Gesso, Canvas, Wood, Paint
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Mirror
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Wood
Mid-20th Century French Art Deco Screens and Room Dividers
Bamboo, Rattan, Wood
2010s Italian Post-Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Alabaster
21st Century and Contemporary French Art Deco Screens and Room Dividers
Brass
1880s Art Nouveau Antique Screens and Room Dividers
Brass
1970s American Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Mahogany, Glass
2010s Italian Post-Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Marble
Late 20th Century Screens and Room Dividers
Wood, Paint
1970s Unknown Regency Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Oak
1960s Mid-Century Modern Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Hardwood
1950s American Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Oak
Late 20th Century Philippine Screens and Room Dividers
Rattan
Mid-19th Century Chinese Chinese Export Antique Screens and Room Dividers
Elm, Paint
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Bamboo
Late 20th Century Chinese Screens and Room Dividers
Brass
1980s American Art Deco Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Art Glass
Mid-20th Century Anglo-Japanese Screens and Room Dividers
Wood, Paint, Paper
Early 19th Century Chinese Qing Antique Screens and Room Dividers
Wood, Paint
1970s Indian Chinoiserie Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Wood, Giltwood
1960s French Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Bamboo
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Walnut
2010s Italian Modern Screens and Room Dividers
Aluminum
1960s European Organic Modern Vintage Screens and Room Dividers
Wood
20th Century European Screens and Room Dividers
Leather, Paint
1820s French Empire Antique Screens and Room Dividers
Brass, Steel
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.