SUNDAY, APRIL 29, 2007 Η TORONTO STAR Η G5

SPACE

Divide & multiply

THE MODERN DIVIDERS CREATE NEW ROOMS WITHOUT LOSING LIGHTB Y V I C K Y S A N D E R S O N

One of the biggest emerging trends in home decor has no shape, colour or texture. Despite 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 architecture and design is a trend that’s reallystronginEuropeandNew York,” says MacDonald. “I think it’s partly a reaction to an In- ternet world, in which everything is out there for everybody to see.”

It’s also partly in response to the widespread elimination of interiorwallsthatoccurredover the last few decades, as homeowners embraced the open- concept design. MacDonald thinks the same homeowners — especially ones with noisy children or a family member with a messy home office — are discovering that walls and doors have advantages.

The urge for some room of one’s own is behind a resurgence in the use of room dividers and screens, which were originally invented to prevent drafts, or to hide entranceways, especially those used by ser- vants.Now,theyhaveanewtask

— to delineate space.

While space needs to be carved intolivablechunks,mostpeople don’twanttosacrificeoneofthe grandest benefits of an open- conceptplan—lotsoflight.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 piecesareconstructedfromcast glass about an inch thick, into which she incorporates natural elements, such as large fern fronds,poppyblossomsorspent 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, homeowners 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 unadorned folding model.

Ikea offers many affordable options for dividing space: TherearetheAgen,asimplerattan room divider, about $90, and the Orgel lamp, which functions 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 option is to hang a light and pretty fabric panel from a track attached to a ceiling.

Roussel’s work is on display at Material Matters at 215 Spadina Ave. (materialmatters.caor416- 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 telephone 1-888-815-9663.

Privacy act. These glass panels by Lucy Roussel, interlock as dividers, and bring the outdoors inside.

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