The Best Frugal Kitchen Dividers
The best frugal kitchen dividers are stylish and comfortable without feeling inexpensive or flimsy. Determine the look you want to create. For instance, your room could be retro and playful, chic and austere or warm and masculine. Choose among affordable options to bring your look to life. If you possess DIY construction skills, save additional money by building a custom piece to your specifications using salvaged wood from a demolition or scraps from another home decor project. Does this Spark an idea?
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Textiles
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Hang a textile to create a curtain wall between the kitchen and an eat-in area or to separate the kitchen from a living space in an open studio. Choose a brightly colored woven cloth with visual interest on both sides for a focal point; go with a sheer cotton curtain for a subtle division that allows light to move between both spaces. You can layer several textiles for a dramatic, romantic effect. Suspend curtains from hardware installed on the ceiling or from a specially designed wire stretched between two walls. Find hardware options at home decorating retailers or online. Be aware that textiles can absorb aromas; if you don't want the smell of fried food to linger past dinner, curtains may not be the best choice for your home.
Wine Rack
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Wine enthusiasts can house collections in a floor-to-ceiling wine rack that provides both a kitchen divider and a conversation piece. Frugal wine racks are DIY projects; make them from recycled lumber or by stacking and securing large tin cans with their tops and bottoms removed. Spray paint the tin can wine rack white, black or a bright primary color for a bold, graphic effect. Stain the wooden rack to coordinate with cabinetry or simply varnish it, allowing the character of the various recycled woods to shine. Purchase inexpensive pine wine racks if DIY projects are not your strong point; even a half-wall provides an effective divider that can store a good size wine collection.
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Folding Screen
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Rice paper folding screens are lightweight and portable; use them to separate the kitchen from the dining table when you don't feel like doing dishes before the guests arrive. Find budget-friendly options in home decorating outlets, or make your own from pine lumber, paper from the craft shop and piano hinges. Use canvas rather than paper for a heavier-weight option; paint it to match or contrast with your kitchen decor. A cute textile, such as heavy barkcloth, is right at home adorning a folding screen in a 1950's-inspired kitchen.
Furniture
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In an open plan, the most frugal kitchen divider is your existing furniture. Place a sofa with its back to the kitchen to clearly demarcate each room without spending a cent. Place shelving behind the sofa, facing the kitchen, for an even more obvious division with room to house large pots and cookbooks. Avoid placing items with unattractive backs towards the kitchen; nobody wants to look at the back of a stereo or a computer's tangled wires while preparing appetizers. However, handsome accent chairs can function as dividers that don't block off the space; place a tall floor lamp between them to imply a division without cutting off the kitchen from the rest of the party.
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References
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