Japanese fabric dividers: a concise orientation before we get practical.
Japanese fabric dividers: Quick notes
In my former house, an old colonial, we had a servants staircase that led from the kitchen to the second floor. This is misleading in so many ways. We didn’t have servants, just the occasional babysitter. And our modest home, the smallest on our block, was certainly not fancy or large enough to warrant a second set of stairs. Tired of looking at that dark and steep liability just gathering dust (too spooky for the kids, too treacherous for the adults), one day I decided to fashion a curtain from a beloved lungi I’d purchased from Aunti Oti, and hang it in its kitchen doorway. Presto: The pretty makeshift curtain not only concealed the depressing stairway, but also created a hidden storage area in the process. I now had a place to stash random household items, like extra paper towels, dog food, and our bike helmets (I told you our house was small). Ever since, I’ve been a fan of curtains in lieu of doors as an inexpensive, fast fix for hiding and dividing.
Lately, we’ve been seeing noren curtains, in particular, popping up in projects. Noren curtains are traditional Japanese fabric panels, hung in doorways, across windows, or on walls. What we love about them, aside from their functional simplicity, is that they do double-duty as art.
Behold:
We reference Japanese fabric dividers briefly to keep the thread coherent.
A short mention of Japanese fabric dividers helps readers follow the flow.
Above: At the weekend house of Mjolk founders and Japandi enthusiasts John and Juli Baker, a traditional noren bearing the shimenawa (tied rope) motif—a symbol in the shinto religion meant to ward off evil spirits—separates the kitchen from the living room. Photograph by Titus Chan for Remodelista. For a similar style, see the Shimenawa Indigo Noren; $240 at Tenzo. For more on this home, see An Antique Stone House Revived, from John and Juli Baker of Mjolk in Toronto. 
Above: Designer Katie Lockhart sourced this handmade noren from Tokyo. “I love this idea of defining ‘public’ & ‘private’ spaces in a home,” she wrote in an Instagram caption. For a similar vibe, this embroidered noren on Etsy is equally sweet; from $61. Photograph via @katielockhartstudio.
Quick thought — Loved this about “The Japanese Fabric Dividers Are Perfect” — such a pleasant idea. Will try it.