Screen play - interior design tip

Movable dividers serve a variety of functions

Screens are increasingly popular in interior decoration because of their many talents. They can divide space, add ornamentation surfaces, and mask clutter. "Screens are back in a big way because of the open floor plan and minimal wall space in today's home," says Pamela Smith of Pamela Smith Interiors. "A large undivided space can make a person feel like he or she is on a wide-open plain. In a room like that, a screen can define an intimate area. It's a movable wall that won't completely block the eye because you can see over and around it."

A smaller room also benefits from a screen. In a client's guest room, Smith and Marcia Smart used a painted screen in place of a headboard. The screen looks like a window, "which brings nature and color into a nearly windowless room," says Smith. To provide maximum flexibility, Smith suggests buying a screen that has color or patterns on both sides.

Warm and modern: design tip from an interiors expert

"Minimalist spaces require constant work to keep neat. It's not fun to live in such a high-maintenance home," says renovation expert Chris Choy. This realization led him to move from a spare loftlike space to a more conventional two-story house in San Francisco, where he served as his own interior designer. "I thought I'd like everything open, but it turns out I actually like privacy," Choy says.

His new house had a straightforward layout, generous-size rooms, and a big backyard, but still needed remodeling. Choy wanted a flexible, open plan with laid-back warmth, a few doors, and the ability to tolerate a little "controlled clutter." So he and his architect, Cary Bernstein, removed walls separating the kitchen and dining room to open up the first floor, while retaining the more traditional layout upstairs for privacy. On the first floor, they installed floor-to-ceiling sliding doors at the back of the house.

Choy also looked for simple, affordable ways to add a little style. He found several furniture pieces from salvage yards and office and restaurant suppliers, including an industrial-grade kitchen island and steel cabinets with beautiful patina. He used just a few high-design splurges to give an impression of luxury: the living room's blackened-steel fireplace, with its oversize walnut-framed mirror; the dining room's custom-made light fixture wrapped in nutmeg-colored linen; and the dark walnut platform bed.