Stars of the silver screen

To celebrate the opening of the Cannes Film Festival, I thought it was time to devote some space to "screens". Used to divide up rooms or give a decorative focal point, there is a wealth of folding partitions out there made from all manner of materials be it cloth, wood, felt or metal. I had a look around and below is a pick of a few of my finds:

The French site Little Circus sell this lovely carboard screen made by the Italian designer Enzo Mari. Great for children's rooms it's perhaps the most original piece I came across:

In the US, stacksandstacks sell literally HEAPS of folding screens - it's really the place to go if you want a large choice - my favourite is this lightweight, reversible canvas screen that has an old-world elegance to it:

In the UK, Selina Rose produces fabulous felt panels in greys, pinks and browns which are modern and unusual, making for simple contemporary elegance :

I came across the Guigon Olson Studios on Etsy. They make this sheet steel divider that can be customized in terms of colour and size, the hand-cut pattern making for interesting play between light and shadow.




A big "Thank You" to Design Sponge for this tip about Kif and Katast who produce these beautiful screens that can be either free-standing or mounted as panels. Using Ginko trees and Orchids as inspiration, the designs are sophisticated and fresh, reminding me of the Indian screens of James Plumb (see The Poppy Club blog post of March 14th : There's Life in the Old Dog Yet ).



I love this gently undulating "Swell" poplar screen that I found at madeindesign. It's designed by LN Boul of Marseille and produced by the Belgian VANGE group and I think the appeal lies in the very natural look and soft curves. Very contemporary and probably better suited to tall, open spaces.

I just had to mention this little number by Daniel Milchtein Peltsverger which can be found at various vendors including freshome,  because it is so brilliantly original and ingenious. I'm always a fan of anything that helps to save space which is what is so clever about the Biombo chair - it doubles up as a wall panel / partition. I can't vouch for the comfort or robustness of it, but the concept is really quite cunning!

And to finish with a classic, this smoothly moulded plywood screen designed by the great American team Charles and Ray Eames in 1946 and now sold via hivemodern amongst others. It's classy, elegant and functional - the basis of its designers' great reputation.

Looking forward to seeing what the big screen in Cannes has to offer over the next few days!