Classic Oriental Screens

An ancient home furnishings tradition of well crafted, cleverly designed Asian screens, or to use the old time European term, oriental screens, goes back at least twenty five hundred years. The original purpose was practical, though over time, hinged panel screens came to serve as large canvases for artistic expression. East Asian culture values modesty, privacy, and solitude, and Asian room dividers were designed to help provide all three. Naturally, with population density high in the far East, an accessory designed for efficient use of floor space became a product in great demand.

In European and American interior decorating vernacular, an oriental room divider usually refers to a decorative rather than practical design, often a beautiful piece of intricate art- hand painted, hand lacquered, some with coromandel or gold leaf appliqué, some with carved stone or mother of pearl inlay. Home decorators in western countries often choose oriental screens for formal living and dining rooms, to add a unique, exotic, elegant beauty to comparatively conservative occidental, e.g. western home décor.

At the other end of the Asian screens spectrum, shoji screens are usually thought of as a more practical than decorative accessory- light, portable, and in particular, great for diffusing harsh direct sunlight, hard on the eyes and potentially damaging to rugs and furniture. Yet, in contemporary America, as simple, spare interior design trends have emerged on the both coasts, Japanese style Asian screens have become much more popular, both for practical uses like dividing space, hiding areas, and redirecting foot traffic, as well as for the modern "Zen" decorating aesthetic these accents impart to a room.

Our huge selection of Asian screens ranges from simple Rattan-like woven plant fiber designs and shoji (soji) wood and rice paper designs, to more ornate, hand painted silk, lacquer, and hand carved designs sometimes seen in Architectural Digest and similar home décor magazines.

Whether shopping for purely practical or purely decorative purposes, or some combination the two, we think you will find what you are looking for in our large, well organized, attractive collection of furniture accessories designed to, above all else, divide a room.