<p>I won’t be living in the dorms next year, but I will be sharing a room with someone (actually a good friend – but that’s for another discussion at another time).</p>
<p>I very much enjoy my privacy, and love to feel that I have my own “space.” I would like to set up some kind of partition in the apartment we’re renting so that I have some approximation of this.</p>
<p>I don’t want to stick one of those ugly, clunky partition board things in the middle of the room. I saw IKEA has a utilitarian one, and potterybarn a pretentious linen-lined-matches-everything-else-in-the-set one. I don’t want those. I <em>do</em> want what pbteens had, though: a wire system that I can string up on the wall (I am allowed to drill into the wall, so no issue with the mounting), essentially dividing the room in half, and hang curtains or (more likely) bolts of fabric from.</p>
<p>What I <em>don’t</em> want is to pay $40 for what is essentially a set of spools and some wire. </p>
<p>Are there any clever, handy types around that might be able to put me in touch with a cheaper idea that would serve the same purpose? I imagine it involves buying some wire and eyelet hooks in the hardware store, but I’m a total novice when it comes to getting things to work the way I think they ought to in my mind.</p>
<p>What I need, recommendation wise:</p>
<p>[ul]
[<em>] Where can I find some good strong wire that isn’t likely to kink up too easily (ie, when I unroll it from the spool, it doesn’t want to stay curved forever no matter how taut I try to string it)?
[</em>] What kind of mounting system would work best?
[<em>] What kind of clips would I be able to suspend from the wire so that whatever I wanted to hang from it would hand parallel instead of with odd perpendicular crimps?
[</em>] About how much should this cost in materials? If it’s going to be more than $40, obviously I’ll buck up and shell out the cash for a pre-made system.
[li] Is there maybe some easier method I’m not thinking of that would work similarly without being those partition boards?[/li][/ul]</p>
<p>Thanks for whatever you can offer by way of suggestions! (And if this made no sense, please let me know and I’ll try to clarify.)</p>
<p>Instead of using fabirc and clips, you could use pretty shower curtains and their ring things to partition. I always see some really cool ones at linens and things.</p>
<p>KrazyKow: I thought of that, too. I’ll be looking.</p>
<p>Mavin: Personally, I’d like that too. The unfortunate part is that there’s only a $300 difference between the two-bedroom (3 roommates, 2 girls and 1 guy) and the studio, meaning that I’d be paying $300-$400 more (which I don’t have) to live in one, just to have my own space.</p>
<p>Okay, if you want privacy you will have to pay some extra money, you can’t have it all, unfortuenately. If I had a roommate who wanted to partition out the space, thus cutting down on my space, I would not be happy. And your roommate, while now a good friend, well if you show that you don’t want his company by partitioning everything off, that friendship may not last. </p>
<p>Picture yourself, getting up and closing off your side of the room…I would find it extremely rude</p>
<p>How big is room, who gets which side, what about entrance to bathroom, closet, window, light switches, front door, seating arrangements - sofa, chairs, tables, so picture an already small space halved, with less lighting, floor space…I have rarely seen a space that is perfectly symetrical</p>
<p>I think the partician thing can cause more problems then they are worth…</p>
<p>Basic answer: the partition isn’t permanent. It’s mostly to separate the spaces when, for example, one of us wants to study and one wants to sleep.</p>
<p>Thank you for the input, though. Very valid concerns.</p>
<p>Ikea has wire curtain rods with about 18 ft of wire for about $15. They are easy to intsall with a power screwdriver and self-drilling anchors (from any hardware store).</p>
I was wondering if maybe a homemade version would be more cost effective.</p>