Arlene's Tour: How to Best Explore Our Showroom

A floor screen can quietly change the way a room feels and functions. You do not need to break walls or start a renovation. Just place it where you need separation, and the space instantly feels more organized. It can create privacy in a shared room, define zones in an open layout, or simply hide areas you would rather keep out of sight. Before choosing a floor screen divider, take a moment to think about how you plan to use it. Consider the size of the area, the material that suits your lifestyle, and whether you need something temporary or more permanent. When you look at these details first, your floor screen divider becomes a practical addition to your space instead of just another decorative piece.   Start With Measurements Start by looking at the area you want to separate. Measure the width carefully so you know how much coverage you actually need. Floor screens usually come in connected panels, and the total width depends on how wide each panel is. A three-panel divider floor may cover a good portion of the space, but sizes vary, so you should always check the exact dimensions before you decide. Height is just as important. If your goal is simply to define an area, a medium-height screen often does the job. If you need more privacy, especially in bedrooms or shared spaces, choose a taller option. Also pay attention to nearby windows and light sources. The screen should not block natural light unless you intentionally want to create a more enclosed feel. Choose the Right Material Material affects durability, weight, and overall look. A wood floor divider feels strong and long-lasting. It suits bedrooms, living rooms, and home offices. Wood adds warmth but can be heavier to move. Fabric or green screen floor options are lighter and easier to shift. They work well in rental spaces or temporary setups. However, fabric may require more cleaning over time. Cane or rattan designs allow airflow and light to pass through. They separate space without making a room feel closed or heavy. Be Clear About the Purpose Many people choose a screen based on appearance alone. That leads to disappointment. First decide what you need it to do. If you want flexibility, choose a lightweight floor screen divider that you can reposition easily. If you want stability and a permanent visual feature, go with a solid wood floor divider. A floor screen divides space visually. It does not block sound or create full isolation. Check Stability and Build Quality Strong hinges and a stable base make a big difference. A poorly built divider floor will wobble or fall when bumped. Look for smooth finishing, durable frames, and solid panel connections. Always check weight details before buying. If it feels too light for its size, it may not stay stable. Match It With Your Interior A floor screen should blend into your space. In modern interiors, clean lines and neutral tones work best. Traditional spaces often look better with carved wood or darker finishes. If your goal is simply to divide floor space without drawing attention, choose a neutral color and simple design. Placement and Maintenance Placement changes the impact. In living rooms, use it to separate seating and dining zones. In bedrooms, place it near the bed to create a dressing area. In studio apartments, it helps divide floor space between work and sleep areas. Maintenance depends on material. Wood needs regular dusting. Fabric may require vacuuming. Natural materials should stay away from moisture. Final Thoughts A floor screen offers a simple way to divide floor areas without renovation. The right floor screen divider improves both function and appearance. Measure carefully. Choose the right material. Focus on purpose before design. When you follow these steps, your divider floor becomes a practical addition that works for your daily routine. FAQs 1. What can I use in place of a room divider? If you do not want a traditional floor screen divider, choose an option based on how you use the space. For flexible setups, curtains on a ceiling track work well and are easy to remove. If you need storage along with separation, use open shelving or a bookcase to divide floor areas while keeping the room functional. For a more structured look, sliding panels create cleaner lines but feel more permanent. Pick the alternative that matches your privacy needs, layout, and how often you plan to rearrange the space. 2. How much does a room divider cost? Room divider prices depend on quality and material. Basic fabric or lightweight panel options found online usually range from about $100 to $700. These work well for temporary setups or simple space separation. In the luxury category, the range is higher. On Grayson Luxury, a floor screen divider typically starts around $800 and can go up to $7,000. This reflects designer brands, premium finishes, and statement-level craftsmanship. 3. How to separate two rooms without making a wall? You can separate two rooms without building a wall by using flexible, non-permanent solutions that still define space clearly. A floor screen divider is one of the easiest options. It allows you to divide floor areas instantly and move the panels whenever your layout changes. A wood floor divider works well when you want stronger visual separation and a more structured look. Curtains on a ceiling track are another practical choice. They create privacy when closed and keep the space open when pulled back.  The right option depends on how much privacy you need and whether you want something temporary or more defined.

Picking a color for a new chest or a set of cabinets usually starts with excitement. That part is fun. Then it slowly turns into a low-grade headache. You look at a white storage cabinet because it feels “safe,” but a second later you’re picturing your living room looking like a doctor’s office. So you switch to brown cabinets. And now you’re worried the room might feel like a… 1970s den. Most homes are not styled sets with perfect lighting and flawless floors. They are real spaces with shadows, scuffed corners, mixed finishes, and furniture collected over time. Cabinet color has to survive all of that. Which means the decision needs to be practical, not just aesthetic. Darker pieces can make a room feel more stable People often stay away from dark furniture because they’re worried it’ll make the room feel smaller or heavy. Like the walls are going to start closing in. That can happen, sure, but it’s not the whole story. In a lot of homes, especially ones with beige carpets and off-white walls, everything already blends together. When you add a light cabinet into that mix, it just kind of disappears. Nothing feels grounded. It’s all a bit… floaty. A darker piece changes that. A charcoal cabinet, a deep gray unit, a dark wood chest. Now your eye has somewhere to land. The room feels planned instead of looking like things were added one by one with no real point. This is especially true in big living rooms. High ceilings, lots of open space, not much visual weight. Without something darker in the mix, the room can feel hollow, almost like an empty hall. One solid, dark piece against a lighter wall brings everything back down to a more human level. It makes the space feel calmer. More settled. More like somewhere you actually want to spend time. When a white storage cabinet is actually a risk We’re told that white makes everything bigger and brighter. While that’s true in a technical sense, a white storage cabinet in a high-traffic mudroom or a narrow kitchen can be a total magnet for regret. White has a way of highlighting everything. Smudges. Marks. Tiny flaws. Cooler light can also make white look a bit blue or ghostly. If you’re set on going light, warmer whites or oyster tones tend to feel softer. Still bright. Just not blinding. Another thing people forget about is finishing. Matte white is beautiful. It’s just not very forgiving. Satin or semi-gloss white tends to hold up better. Especially in bathrooms or kitchens where steam and grease are a common occurrence whether we like it or not. Cabinet colors that go beyond the obvious When you’re hunting for the best kitchen cabinet colors, you usually run into the same 'Big Four' over and over: white, gray, navy, and black. Don't get me wrong—they’re popular because they’re reliable, but they definitely aren't your only options. Sometimes the most interesting looks come from stepping just a little bit off the beaten path Muted sage or olive These behave like neutrals, but they have personality. They sit comfortably next to wood, metal, stone, and painted finishes. They’re also forgiving. Small splatters, smudges, or dust don’t jump out immediately. The “tuxedo” look Black and white kitchen cabinets, darker on the bottom and lighter on top, are popular for a reason. Keeping deeper tones low makes a room feel anchored. Lighter tones up high keep things open. There’s also a practical bonus. Most everyday mess happens on lower cabinets. Darker colors hide that reality better. Warm wood tones Brown cabinets don’t get enough credit. A lot of people still picture orange, shiny stains from years ago. That’s not really what’s happening anymore. Today’s finishes lean softer. More neutral. Think gentle wood tones or deep espresso shades. Wood also does something paint can’t quite pull off. It brings in texture. Grain. Little variations. It feels real. If your home is starting to feel a bit flat or sterile, a wood-toned chest or cabinet can warm things up fast. Another bonus is that these kinds of tones move easily from room to room. So if your storage pieces are visible across different spaces, everything still feels connected. The floor is your boss One thing I’ve noticed is that people choose a cabinet color based on a swatch they held up against the wall. That’s a mistake. You need to hold that swatch against your floor. Your cabinet and your floor are in a permanent relationship. If you have honey-oak floors and you buy a small kitchen cabinet in a similar tan or light brown, the two will "muddy" each other out. You lose the silhouette of the furniture. It just looks like a wooden lump growing out of the ground. You want a contrast of at least two shades. If the floor is light, go for mid-to-dark. If the floor is dark, that’s when your gray cabinets or white pieces really get to shine. They need that dark background to pop. If you are mixing woods, try to keep the undertones the same. A "cool" gray floor shouldn't usually be paired with a "warm" orange-brown cabinet. It will always feel a little bit "off," even if you can't quite put your finger on why. Lighting: The great deceiver Let us tell you a very frustrating reality: that "perfect" gray you saw in the showroom is going to look completely different in your house. Retail stores use high-intensity fluorescent or LED lights that are designed to make colors look crisp. Your home probably has "soft white" bulbs that lean yellow. This can turn gray cabinets into a muddy lavender or make brown cabinets look far redder than you intended. A quick tip: Tape your color samples to the wall for a full 24 hours. Check them at night when you only have your lamps on. If you still like the color when the room is "moody," then you’ve found the right one. If possible, view the sample next to both the floor and the wall so you can see how all three interact. Practicality vs. aesthetics We all love the dream of a magazine-worthy home that stays clean, perfect, and totally untouched, but let's be honest—real life usually looks a lot different. When you’re picking a color, you have to think about how you actually live in your space, not just how it looks in a photo. Dark matte finishes, like black or deep navy, show oil from your skin almost instantly. Open a drawer a few times and you’ll start seeing those faint “ghost hand” prints. If that kind of thing bothers you, darker flat finishes might not be your best match. Dust is another reality. Dark, flat surfaces make it very visible. If you live near a busy road or share your home with pets, a dark charcoal chest can feel like it’s constantly pointing out every speck in the room. This is where the middle ground shines. Mid-tone gray cabinets and wood finishes are wonderfully forgiving. They hide a lot. Pet hair. Light dust. Small marks. All the everyday stuff. And if you have kids or pets, that forgiveness becomes even more valuable. Conclusion At some point, you just have to stop overthinking the swatches and start looking at the big picture. When you really pay attention to your light, your floors, and how you actually move through your space every day, the right color usually starts to make itself obvious. Whether it’s white cabinets to brighten things up, wood tones for warmth, or a black-and-white 'tuxedo' look for some structure, there isn’t a 'wrong' answer. The best choice is simply the one that makes your home feel easier to live in—and honestly, if a space feels easy, it usually looks great too.

A console table may be slim, but its color has a big impact on how a room feels. The wrong color can make the space look disconnected. The right one quietly pulls everything together. Before choosing a console table, it helps to think about where it will sit, what surrounds it, and how much attention you want it to draw. Color plays a bigger role than shape or size when it comes to blending with your interiors. This guide breaks down the most common console table colors and explains when each one works best. Start With the Room, Not the Table Many people choose a console table color they like and try to make it work later. That often leads to a piece that feels out of place. Look at your walls, floors, and nearby furniture first. Notice whether your space feels light or dark, warm or cool, simple or layered. A console table should support what is already there, not compete with it. Once you understand the room, choosing the right color becomes easier. Black Console Table: Strong and Grounded A black console table works best when you want contrast and structure. It anchors a space and adds definition, especially in lighter rooms. Black works well with white or neutral walls, light wood floors, and modern interiors. It also pairs nicely with metal accents and bold artwork. If your room already feels dark, balance black with lighter décor on top to keep the space from feeling heavy. White Console Table: Clean and Light If your space feels tight or narrow, white is often the safest choice. A white console table reflects light and helps the room feel more open and relaxed. It blends easily into most interiors and lets artwork, lighting, or décor stand out. White works well in entryways, hallways, and minimal interiors where you want the space to feel clean rather than layered. Just make sure the finish suits the level of daily use, especially in high-traffic areas. Gold and Silver Console Tables: Subtle Statement Pieces A gold console table adds warmth and a refined glow. It works best as an accent piece rather than a background item. Gold pairs well with neutral walls, soft textures, and warm lighting. A silver console table feels cooler and more understated. It fits modern and contemporary interiors, especially spaces with gray, white, or black tones. With metallic finishes, keep the surrounding decor simple so the table does not feel overwhelming. Walnut and Dark Brown Console Tables: Warm and Timeless A walnut console table brings natural warmth into a space. It works well with both light and dark interiors and pairs easily with wood floors and neutral rugs. Dark brown console tables feel classic and grounded. They suit traditional or transitional spaces and help create a sense of depth. These colors are forgiving and practical, especially in family homes or high-use areas. Gray Console Table: Balanced and Flexible A gray console table sits comfortably between light and dark. It works well if you want a neutral look without going fully white or black. Gray pairs easily with modern interiors, soft color palettes, and layered textures. It also works well in open spaces where the console needs to blend rather than stand out. This color choice is ideal if you plan to update décor over time. Blue Console Table: Calm With Character A blue console table adds personality without feeling loud. It works well in bedrooms, living rooms, or entryways where you want a softer focal point. Lighter blues feel relaxed and airy. Deeper blues add richness and depth. Both work best when the rest of the room stays neutral. Use blue when you want color without committing to something bold. Dark Console Tables: When Depth Matters A dark console table creates visual weight. It works best in rooms with enough light and space to support it. Dark finishes pair well with light walls and open layouts. They help define areas without adding clutter. If the room feels tight, balance dark tables with mirrors or lighter décor to keep things open. Match the Finish to How You Use the Space Color choice should also match how the space functions. Entryways benefit from durable finishes that hide wear. Living rooms allow more flexibility. Hallways need lighter tones to avoid closing in the space. Think about daily use before deciding on a color. Final Thought When you choose a color that matches your interiors, the space feels balanced and complete without trying too hard. Focus on the room first, then let the console table color fall into place naturally.