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Good Questions: Ideas for a Room Divider?

roomdivider111208.JPGVictoria is looking for some suggestions: I need a room divider idea! I'm trying to figure out how to put up a curtain in my apartment to section off my bedroom and I can't figure out how to hang out a curtain because I have a partition type wall.

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The pic illustrates a little better than I can explain. I have a soft loft - high ceilings/exposed brick. Hopefully you can help! Thanks!

Please share your ideas and suggestions with Victoria in the comments below...

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Comments (30)

What is a "Soft Loft"?

I don't exactly understand why you'd want to section it off either...

...but if you must, why not consider a sliding barn door?

http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/hi_doors/article/0,2037,DIY_13908_2757522,00.html

posted by bepsf on November 12th 2008 at 12:12pm
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i dont know if you're worried about noise, if not, maybe move the book case over? or get something else, i'd suggest a white bookshelf to blend in with the wall colour, and move it over and fill fill FILL it with books.

posted by art_brutale on November 12th 2008 at 12:17pm
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what prevents you from putting up a curtain rod on that white wall above the doorway? i'd go with white curtains if i didn't want to draw attention to it.

posted by ratgrrrl on November 12th 2008 at 12:21pm
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Hey guys thanks for the quick responses-

A soft loft is a loft with walls or partitions up as opposed to a traditional loft that just has one big room. I thought of the curtain rod thing BUT that window is right there. Will the rod damage the window?

I just want to section it off for a little more privacy in my bedroom.

Art - that is the only way into my bedroom so moving the bookcase would leave me trapped! :)

Thanks! keep the ideas coming!! :)

posted by vicmullins on November 12th 2008 at 12:25pm
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Hospital track in the ceiling???

posted by brett on November 12th 2008 at 12:26pm
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Perhaps a tension rod on the inside of the dividing wall and against the window? Then you can hang any type of fabric you want as a divider, whether it's sheer or a big bold print.

(That's also a very odd place to have a wall stop.. on a window)

posted by grafxnerd on November 12th 2008 at 12:36pm
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You could ceiling mounta curtain wire. I am not sure I'd like curtains next to the curtains, though. You could try a more standard room divider for when guests are over. You could also try something along the lines of a beaded curtain, though it is so easy to go wrong once you head in that direction.

posted by kiljoywashere on November 12th 2008 at 12:36pm
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Tell me about it! I wasn't sure about putting a tension rod against a window. Will that look funky? will it break? I have no clue! there is about an inch or two gap between that wall and the window.

posted by vicmullins on November 12th 2008 at 12:38pm
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Bolt the curtain rod holders (one's that are as close to the wall as you can get) just above the "doorway," hang long curtain panels or yards of whatever fabric you pick (with curtain clips). Another option is to hang a long, really slender bathroom towel rod (or two) from the top of the door frame or just above the doorway and hang curtains/fabric from there with hooks (possibly show curtain hooks). Use your imagination. What goes in one room can be used in another.

posted by zenxen75 on November 12th 2008 at 12:40pm
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what about one of these systems? http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/30115113

You can mount it on the ceiling or the wall, and can slide the panels like a barn door. The panels vary in opacity, so you can have something on the sheer side to let light in, or something more opaque for privacy.

posted by jazzberry on November 12th 2008 at 12:43pm
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What about a free-standing room divider set at an angle to the door, so that no one could see in but you could still walk around it. It would block as much noise as a curtain, and would block some light to darken your bedroom too

posted by Hollie on November 12th 2008 at 12:44pm
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I would either a) hang the curtain rod on the partition above the doorway, b) since there seems to be a space between the partition and the window, I would attach something to outer edge of the partition by the window extending downward whatever distance is necessary to attach a curtain rod/tension rod (6-12" long x partition width x 1/4" thick strip of steel, wood...) and then attach the curtain rod to that or c) use track curtains mounted to the underside of the doorway. Am I missing something that makes it more complicated than how I see it?

posted by Grumpy Girl on November 12th 2008 at 1:09pm
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How about metal piping? One flange on the wall one on the ceiling (in the opening) with an elbow and then a length of pipe. Hope that makes sense...

posted by jaucoin on November 12th 2008 at 1:11pm
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I just faced this same problem.

The KVARTEL system at Ikea mounts to the ceiling and has a seamless track to hang your curtians from. The track can be cut to any size, or added on to to span the entire room.

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/00079362

posted by turkey on November 12th 2008 at 1:53pm
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The KVARTEL system at Ikea.

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/00079362

The Kvartel system is mounted to the ceiling and has a seamless track that the curtain glides across. It can be cut to size, or several tracks can be added together to span an entire room.

I just used it to section off a closet space in my bedroom. Its easy breezy.

posted by turkey on November 12th 2008 at 1:55pm
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Go to your favorite local hardware store, put some pie, two 90deg turn ends and two wall fittings, and make a U shape...

so that it looks like the following:

C--\
|
C-------------/

then attach it to the wall and let it extend as far right as you want it too. It should be more than strong enough to hold up any weight curtain.

posted by TinCanFury on November 12th 2008 at 1:58pm
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ok, that didn't format correctly... so just take what it shows and mirror it....

posted by TinCanFury on November 12th 2008 at 1:59pm
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The Ikea KVARTEL system can also be wall mounted.

posted by Daily Nuance on November 12th 2008 at 2:04pm
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screw-eyes into the ceiling, curtain clips suspended from the eyes. It won't be a curtain that will open/close, but it can easily be pulled back when necessary.

posted by Rebecca_South on November 12th 2008 at 2:05pm
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I suggest mounting a swinging door. I kind of like a door there as opposed to a curtain. Too much fabric, and I just feel fabric gets a little tangled and sloppy looking. I was looking at the sliding barn door idea, but I'd go for something similar in not so heavy a material. I get the feeling the inside of that space isn't too large. Not sure how much doorway you actually have to cover either.

posted by K T G on November 12th 2008 at 2:33pm
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I have exactly the same setup at my place!

I used a Dignitet curtain wire from Ikea (http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/60075295) and curtain clips then clipped on some sheer fabric (I live alone so noise wasn't too much of an issue for me). I thought having curtains against curtains would be weird too but it actually looks quite nice.

Alternatively, mount large bookcase on wheels and use as sliding door ;)

posted by wufflebunny on November 12th 2008 at 2:56pm
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IKEA Pax wardrobe doors mounted to a barn track.

posted by quiltmaster on November 12th 2008 at 3:33pm
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I ran across an idea awhile back for something call "Safe-Snap". It's a thin track that mounts to the ceiling or wall. They sell a tape you can sew to fabric with the doodads that slide into the track. You could mount that to the header over the doorway and attach fabric to slide open and closed when desired. Here is the website for the stuff:

http://www.accentdraperies.com/safesnap.htm

Another idea is a bead curtain (not just for hippies anymore!). I love the mirror curtain the website below sells. I saw it in a designer home, and it added just the right amount of sparkle without looking too 60's/70's kitschy.

http://www.shopwildthings.com/

posted by traderdi on November 12th 2008 at 5:44pm
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I have a similar issue in my loft. We bought a heavy-duty flag stand that you attach the the wall - just make sure it's one that will enable the flag pole to hang parallel to the floor. Then i painted a flag pole to match our colors and hung a curtain.

posted by halfpint on November 13th 2008 at 2:33pm
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Why not put in a real door?

Buy a pre-hung door (comes already attached to a doorframe), screw into existing wall and ceiling, attach a 2x4 to the open side and attach it the wall and ceiling. Cut a couple pieces of drywall, luan, foam core, whatever, and finish the "wall" up to the windows. Then you'll have a real room with a door.

posted by home body on November 13th 2008 at 2:37pm
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Maybe you could move your bed so that it isn't in plain view of the doorway. Instant privacy for zero dollars.

:o)

posted by Kouklah on November 13th 2008 at 10:24pm
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With regard to putting the "real" door - the entry way is a lot wider than it looks. Plus I just kind of want something light or sheer so it doesn't make my place look super tiny. My apartment is about 900 square feet.

hehe thanks Koulah - my bedroom isnt that big so i don't have that option!

Thanks to all!

posted by vicmullins on November 14th 2008 at 2:36pm
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ok, first off, cool place.

you could do a few things depending on what look you want. i think you should preserve the shape of the doorway & either mount a curtain on the inner, top of the door frame. if you do this, i think something like hospital tracking would look best. ikea has a good one. the track is about $16.


OR on the INSIDE of the bedroom all the way to the ceiling above the door. so, inside your bedroom, it would look soft & draw attention to the high ceiling, but outside, you could still see the cool shape of the door. just make sure you get fabric that looks cool on both sides.

posted by mariegael on November 15th 2008 at 4:03pm
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Go to Grainger Industrial Supplies, Get the Box Trolley Track, for a industrial look, It only cost $129 and then get a door or a nice sheet of wood to fit.

http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/wwg/start.shtml?cm_mmc=PPC%3a Google-_-TPN - Brand-_-Grainger-_-grainger

posted by alrats on November 18th 2008 at 2:18pm
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I would use a bamboo/wooden beaded curtain but that's the old hippy creeping back.

posted by hippyvieja on August 20th 2009 at 6:17pm
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