Room screens offer decorative appeal, add privacy
Screens are so multipurpose that there is always a place for one in your home. You can hide a section of the room that you are not using, camouflage a not-so-attractive corner or create a private nook that’s just for you.
As practical as they are, screens also provide a perfect canvas for decorating.
You’ll find new room screens at home stores and discover hand-me-downs at flea markets. These screens come in different shapes and sizes and a variety of materials and styles — plain or carved wood, rattan and fiber weaves, wrought iron and fabric.
Look around your home — at a bedroom, den or living room — and think, “Where would I like to add some character?”
I have made room screens for various decorating projects, and I enjoy the freedom that doing it myself offers.
The simplest method for making a room screen is to paint two wood panels that have been cut to the height you want, and hinge them together.
You can treat each side of the screen to a unique finish — one that complements the space it is facing, and the other an inspiring blast of color to liven up the area behind the screen.
Attach a cork board for notes, or you might add a lightweight mirror to reflect light into your new nook. Always be sure the screen is balanced — you don’t want it to topple over unexpectedly.
Screens can be intricately designed with paint and paper. They stand alone as a work of art.
Shown here is a screen I created for a homeowner who wanted an Asian aesthetic. I put aside my paintbrushes and tried my hand at paper collage.
Collage is the artistic technique of building a pattern of overlapping pieces of paper, fabric and other materials that can be adhered to a flat surface.
Your pattern can be realistic, geometric or whimsically eclectic.
You can use any paper or fabric you choose. Look for scraps around the house — old newspapers and magazines, scraps of wrapping paper, seasonal leaves and flower petals, bits of colored string or embroidery thread.
For my project, I shopped for watercolor paper, Japanese rice paper, tissue paper, brown paper and ginkgo leaves. Here’s how to re-create my screen: Soak the watercolor paper in water until it is saturated. Lay individual sheets onto a wood frame that has been primed and painted. Lay the sheets of paper down smoothly, overlapping about 1/2 inch, until the frame is filled; then staple the sheets in place (as the paper dries it will tighten up).
Dampen and arrange your bits of decorative rice paper and leaves on the top of the wet watercolor paper in any pattern you choose. Use acrylic matte varnish or Mod Podge to adhere the pieces to the background. Brush your chosen adhesive over the watercolor paper, and over and under the papers and leaves.
Layer sheets of tissue paper over the screen, overlapping to fill in the entire area of the screen. Apply a thin layer of varnish over the tissue paper.
To finish the edges, tear the brown paper into strips, soak them in water, add varnish and press the paper down over staples, seams and around corners. While the papers are still wet, turn the screen over and varnish the back of the watercolor paper.
Working with damp paper and varnish makes the screen become tighter and tighter, just like a drum. Using these materials creates a transparent piece of art that changes with the different light in the room.