- Use a decorative screen or beads. Decorative screens typically come in three or four sections that have folding hinges. They can be placed anywhere in the room because they do not require any installation aside from simply standing the screen on end. They are a good option if you do not want a large division, since they typically extend only a few feet. You can also hang strings of beads from the ceiling to create a division that is more fluid. These usually are hung in doorways as replacements for doors and screens, but they work well in larger areas, too.
- Divide the room with furniture. Mentally, a person divides a room based on what the person sees within it. Placing a couch, table or other furniture item in a strategic point in a room creates a visual division for the room even though the room is still technically one area. You can try to accentuate the effect of using furniture to divide the room by choosing colors that contrast. For instance, if you have a white carpet and a red couch, the difference in colors will create a line for the eye.
- Change what is underfoot. Just as furniture can create lines of division in a room, so can carpeting and rugs. Try dividing the room by having carpeting only on one side of the room, or by placing a large area rug over an area of carpeting to one side. Area rugs and carpeting can run a few hundred dollars, depending on the size and the materials from which they are made, but this is a much cheaper means of room division than remodeling the room with the installation of another wall or island. It also is more reversible, so if you want to change the way the room is laid out later, you can do it without too much of a headache.
