Product:SUNDAY Date:04-29-2007Desk: SPC-0005-CMYK/20-04-07/14:19:46
One of the biggest emerging
trends in home decor has no
shape, colour or texture. De-
spite that, it’s going to have a
huge influence on the way we
live in our homes, says William
MacDonald, a Toronto-based
interior designer.
“Creating privacy in architec-
ture and design is a trend that’s
really strong in Europe and New
York,” says MacDonald. “I think
it’s partly a reaction to an In-
ternet world, in which every-
thing is out there for everybody
to see.”
It’s also partly in response to
the widespread elimination of
interior walls that occurred over
the last few decades, as home-
owners embraced the open-
concept design. MacDonald
thinks the same homeowners —
especially ones with noisy chil-
dren or a family member with a
messy home office — are discov-
ering that walls and doors have
advantages.
The urge for some room of
one’s own is behind a resur-
gence in the use of room divid-
ers and screens, which were
originally invented to prevent
drafts, or to hide entranceways,
especially those used by ser-
vants. Now, they have a new task
— to delineate space.
While space needs to be carved
into livable chunks, most people
don’t want to sacrifice one of the
grandest benefits of an open-
concept plan — lots of light. That
means unlike their sturdy an-
cestors, room dividers are now
showing up in semi-opaque ma-
terials, such as glass and paper.
Toronto glass artist Lucy
Roussel has already noticed
growing interest in the glass
panels she makes. Frequently
used as room dividers, Roussel’s
pieces are constructed from cast
glass about an inch thick, into
which she incorporates natural
elements, such as large fern
fronds, poppy blossoms or spent
milkweed pods, or industrial
materials, such as steel mesh or
sheeting. Available in a variety
of dimensions, from countertop
height up, prices start at about
$800 for smaller pieces and
about $3,000 for larger.
They’re especially popular
with those living in lofts.
“People want to create room
divisions without obstructing
the light,” says Roussel. In
smaller condominiums and
apartments, she adds, home-
owners want to define areas
without producing a maze-like
effect.
Furniture maker Rob Brown
makes room screens inspired by
Japanese shoji screens, which
are typically constructed with a
wooden grid frame, to which a
layer of handmade paper is at-
tached.
The paper can be left plain or
decorated with calligraphy,
paintings or other material,
such as paper collage. Brown
combines both methods in his
Mosaic Shoji, prices for which
start at about $77 for an un-
adorned folding model
.
Ikea offers many affordable
options for dividing space:
There are the Agen, a simple rat-
tan room divider, about $90,
and the Orgel lamp, which func-
tions as a short, semi-opaque
room divider by day and accent
lighting in the evening.
It features a paper shade and
sells for about $60. Another op-
tion is to hang a light and pretty
fabric panel from a track at-
tached to a ceiling.
Roussel’s work is on display at
Material Matters at 215 Spadina
Ave. (materialmatters.ca or 416-
977-3387), and the Living Arts
Centre in Mississauga (1-888-
805-8888 or livingartscentre.ca.
You can also get further details
on lucyroussel.com.
For more information about
Rob Brown’s work, check out
equinoxinteriors.ca or tele-
phone 1-888-815-9663.
Divide & multiply
THE MODERN
DIVIDERS
CREATE NEW
ROOMS
WITHOUT
LOSING LIGHT
B Y V I C K Y S A N D E R S O N
Privacy act. These glass
panels by Lucy Roussel,
interlock as dividers, and
bring the outdoors inside.
COMPOSITECMYK
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SUNDAY, APRIL 29, 2007
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