Screen Team

I was instantly smitten by the 900 square foot one-bedroom Chicago apartment featured in this month's House Beautiful (right) and recalled another old favorite that used that same screen as a show-stopping backdrop, in the bedroom of actress Ione Skye (left). This little design trick, credited to the legendary Jean-Michel Frank, creates visual depth and instantly punches up the interest level. I love the way it works in Ione's California bohemian bedroom as well as it does in the casually sophisticated executive's apartment.

I drifted off to sleep last night dreaming of ways to incorporate this into one of my current projects. Have you used a screen in this way? Or seen another great example?  

P.S. To get the scale of the zig zag right on those side chairs in the Chicago apartment, they used Madeline Weinrib rugs for the upholstery. So creative!  

Left: Ione Skye feature from Domino Magazine September 2005; Photo by Paul Costello

Right: Interior Design by Richard Borries and James Shearron; Photo by Ngoc Minh Ngo