Upgrade your living room with privacy divider curtains
Ceiling-mounted track sets work perfectly for blackout curtains, room dividers and home businesses
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Whenever I would visit the sister of one of my mother’s childhood friends, I’d always identify her home as “the one with the jingly door.” I didn’t know that it was called a “beaded curtain” or “doorway beads.” All I knew was me and two friends made a whole lot of noise on purpose so the beads clapped every time we went into the hallway to go to the bathroom. I also enjoyed seeing all the jewel colors.
Beaded doors were also less of a child safety hazard than other interior design options. For example, my grandfather had to take down the saloon door in his kitchen because it was constantly hitting me in the neck. By the time I was tall enough to open and close it, he'd grown used to the open doorway and never replaced the saloon door. (He and my grandmother had no problem kicking people out of the kitchen though.)
As an adult, those doorway beads and the saloon door make sense. Homeowners with a steady rotation of guests may not want observers to be able to see straight into their bedrooms, kitchens or bathrooms from the living room doorway, especially if the hallway is parallel to the front door.
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And post-pandemic, there’s another reason room dividers make sense. Whether you have an at-home business or take virtual meetings, homeowners want a certain level of privacy so strangers can’t see every inch of their homes. Editing virtual backgrounds is OK until it looks like online participants are floating around on the screen. A foldable partition could work in person or for virtual meetings, as long as it’s sturdy enough to not fall on the floor. But there’s a better, stronger option.
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Some homeowners and tenants are making upgrades in their living rooms by creating an extra room with help from a ceiling-mounted room divider with curtains. This privacy partition doesn’t take too long to install and can be used over and over again. Here’s how.
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How to install a ceiling-mounted room divider with curtains
Generally, the main supplies you’ll need to install a ceiling-mounted room divider like the ones above requires a flexible ceiling track, curtain hooks (or rollers) and curtain panels. You can choose blackout curtains or other soundproof curtains, or a more lightweight material. Either way, the track will be the rail that the divider slides on.
Standard installation (with drilling — most secure)
Measure your space in the wall-to-wall area where you want the divider.
With a pencil, mark the ceiling where the track will go.
Attach the track brackets by screwing them into ceiling joists or anchors.
Snap or screw the track into brackets.
Insert rollers or hooks into the track.
Hang the curtain panels.
Test slide the curtain to make sure it glides smoothly.
Standard installation (without drilling — less secure)
Because the ceiling-mounted divider pictured has heavier curtains, the no-drill method is not recommended, especially for curtains that may be opened and closed roughly on occasion. For no-drill options with lighter curtains, here is how to mount them with approximately 15- to 20-pound heavy-duty adhesive hooks.
Attach heavy-duty adhesive hooks along the ceiling every 6–8 inches.
Let them cure overnight.
Rest or zip-tie the track onto the hooks.
Hang the curtain panels.
Test slide the curtain to make sure it glides smoothly.
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Standard installation (without drilling — less secure, rent-friendly option #1)
Purchase a long, wood board that is the same width as your divider. (You can drill into the board.)
Mount the board using multiple command strips or wedge it tightly between walls.
Attach the curtain track to the board.
Hang the curtain panels.
Test slide the curtain to make sure it glides smoothly.
Standard installation (without drilling — less secure, rent-friendly option #2)
Purchase a heavy-duty tension rod across the space.
Hang the curtain using clip rings.
Keep in mind that this option won’t look as clean as a ceiling mount and will have a weaker guide with a less “accordion” aesthetic.
All options, whether they’re permanent or tenant-friendly, give residents a little more room for privacy, make it much easier to do two activities in the same room, often decrease the noise levels in upstairs multi-units and block wandering eyes from strangers if your living space is within viewing distance outside.
Did you enjoy this post? You’re also welcome to check out my Substack columns “AAC-PACK,” “Black Girl In a Doggone World,” “BlackTechLogy,” “Homegrown Tales,” “I Do See Color,” “One Black Woman’s Vote” and “Window Shopping” too. Subscribe to this newsletter for the monthly posts on the third Friday. Thanks for reading!