Try Slatted Wood Walls to Define Spaces and Add Privacy
Use these stylish, beautiful structures to define a hallway, replace a banister or hide a room
Sean Lewis
January 7, 2018
Houzz Contributor. Lewis is a designer and blogger who runs Airy Kitchens (https://www.airykitchens.com) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Previously, he owned a garden design firm in Brooklyn, New York. Lewis is currently renovating a 1930s stone row house in Mt Airy Philadelphia, where he lives with his husband and black lab.
Houzz Contributor. Lewis is a designer and blogger who runs Airy Kitchens... More
There are many reasons to add a slatted wood wall to your home. It can help solve problems with flow, privacy and sunlight. It is a great way to add character and charm to your home, without sacrificing light or views. These unique structures make for an interesting, contemporary way to define spaces within a home — and yet they can work well with many decor styles. Read on for six ways to use a slatted wood wall in your home.
1. Create an entryway. Lots of homebuyers prefer an open floor plan, but it’s not ideal, for privacy reasons, to have the whole house visible from the front door. A slatted wall can create privacy, safety, and a sense of surprise. Giving guests a peek (through the slats) of rooms beyond the entry will intrigue them and make them want to explore further. But the barrier will also cause visitors to think twice about passing these thresholds into your personal space, therefore helping to create privacy.
This pulled-back shot shows how the slatted wall separates the dining and kitchen space visually from the aqua front door. Behind it, you can just see the outline of the staircase leading to the next level.
2. Define or create a hallway. A wood slat wall can break up a large space into a smaller room with an adjoining hallway. Both spaces will benefit from continued airflow and light, but the newly defined room will now have a sense of enclosure that creates a cozy feel. In this home in Russia, the slatted wall on the left provides privacy. This vertical wood slat wall feels contemporary but would work well with traditional or eclectic styles too. Using two different flooring materials also helps to define the spaces as a room and a separate hallway.
3. Replace your banister. Using a wooden slat wall is a great way to camouflage stairs or, conversely, to show them off. Using thin slats with wider spacing, as seen in this photo, creates an interesting focal point and also increases safety. Older row homes often have a skylight above the stairs, and using a slat wall instead of a solid wall allows more light to flow from the skylight into the lower rooms. The designer of this home in Rome used open stair risers along with airy blond wood slats for a Scandinavian-modern look.
This staircase is hidden by wide slats with thin spacing. The white painted slats look fresh, even beachy, and help the dining room feel cozier than it would have been with open stairs. Although the slats create a wall to hide the stairs, the spaces between the slats keep the staircase and the room somewhat open to each other. The slats also make both the room and the staircase more visually interesting.
4. Divide a large room. Whether you have an overwhelmingly large great room, or you live in a one-room apartment, slat walls can separate spaces and help define areas. In this home in Barcelona, Spain, a wooden screen separates the dining space from the kitchen, while allowing the chef to still see and hear guests. The screen also adds an interesting texture to both spaces, giving the home a Zen-bohemian vibe.
Here, a slat wall divides a large bedroom into a sleeping area and television area. The floor-to-ceiling wood slats lend a contemporary look that contrasts with and complements the rustic beams. Thin slats give the feel of grass or small trees when backlit, offering a naturalistic touch.
5. Create a focal point. Although slat walls offer a functional, practical way to separate spaces, they can also be an artistic way to make a decorative statement. Wooden slats create interesting light patterns and shadows, and are generally unexpected in homes. Consider using slats in unanticipated ways: for hanging pots in a kitchen or creating a bedroom headboard, for instance. Here, art and everyday items are mixed on wide wooden slats. With alternating slats on both sides, this type of wall could also hide coats or a small office behind it — easy to access but out of sight.
6. Hide a room. Do you have a bedroom, bathroom or garage right off your great room? A wooden slat wall can create a visual barrier to block guests’ views of your more personal spaces. The vertical slat wall in the room beyond the doorway here hides the laundry room from the main living space. The dark stain of this slat wall helps it stand out as an important architectural feature.
Bonus idea: Slats outside. Although this story focuses on interior slat walls, I couldn’t help but include this striking exterior slat wall. The thinly spaced and thin wood exterior slats read almost as a solid wall. Slat walls can be used on a facade to unify a wall of asymmetrical windows or balconies. The slats provide privacy from passers-by as well as shade. And imagine this home at night. Interior lights would reveal the window and room placement through the slat wall — it’s hard to compete with the visual interest and playfulness that slat walls can offer when backlit.
More
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Find a professional to help you add slatted walls to your home
More
Wood Slats in Design: Repetition, Scale and Light
These Ideas for Outdoor Screens Prove Privacy Can Be Beautiful
Find a professional to help you add slatted walls to your home
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I remember slatted wood dividers, doors, railings, wood screens in the backyard and all sorts of things popping up a few decades ago. And I also remember, they disappeared just as fast. It's more of an arty thang. Goes nicely with mid century modern. Get out the feather duster! :)
celestina89, I agree with you about the duster, its such a shame as they look beautiful. Just a thought maybe perspex between the slats would solve the dust issue