Skip Traditional Room Dividers: Add Privacy To Any Space With A Beautiful DIY

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Defining an area — or just adding some privacy within a larger space — typically involves a visual barrier of some sort. This may mean putting up drywall (or its eco-friendly alternative MgO), buying a freestanding room divider, or strategically positioning a piece of furniture such as a tall bookcase. But what if you want something that allows you to walk through freely, or see beyond it more clearly so you don't feel confined? There's a beautiful option that addresses one or both of these preferences and it's DIY-able: a macrame divider. 

You might think macrame began as a 1960s-to-70s boho aesthetic, but it's actually a centuries-old craft using knots to create textiles and decorations. It came back in style over the past decade and, so far, it doesn't seem to be going anywhere. Today, people are creating all sorts of macrame home accessories, from plant hangers to hammocks — and now curtains that you can turn into dividers. The beauty of this craft is that it produces something that looks like art, and that artwork can provide the right balance of privacy with translucency. If you're feeling crafty, you can create the divider using a few rolls of macrame cord. However, if you don't want to make it from scratch, you can always find suitable premade or custom macrame pieces on Etsy and Amazon, such as the floor-length Osunnus boho macrame curtain.

For those who don't want to DIY macrame into a folding screen, try one of these easy hanging methods. Typical macrame curtains and the like are already attached to a dowel that you can remove or keep in. If keeping it, simply install a curtain rod bracket, as you would when hanging a curtain rod. You can also use a tension rod if the space you're defining is separated by a doorway or bound between two parallel walls. Note: Super-long rods may cost more because many are marketed for outdoor patio curtains. You can find matching rope to suspend the dowel from the rod, or insert the tension rod in place of the dowel, through the same loops. One other tension-rod option sans the dowel is to use open or clip-on curtain rings.

Alternatives to tension rods are adhesives. Consider using 3M Command hooks or self-adhesive ceiling tracks or brackets. Since tracks usually come with their own curtain hangers, you can either suspend the dowel by tying it with matching rope to the hangers, or by attaching open/clip-on curtain rings to the hangers. 

Once you're done, consider enhancing the look of your new divider by adding similarly boho decor to the space. For instance, a textured, earth-toned rug would pair well with the macrame hanging. Or, if using a dowel, complement it with wooden accents and furnishings. You could even incorporate other easy macrame projects into the space.