When laying out an office space or retail area, perhaps within a mall, using dividers to create walkways helps to optimise space. For example, an open plan office with lots of people passing through commonly means that 'pinch points' are generated, usually close to entrance and exits. With the addition of dividers, the space becomes broken up so people walk around in different ways or are directed in the correct way. As a result, fewer congested areas are created and disturbance for workers is kept to a minimum.

Room dividers can fashion private, or semi-private, areas too. Whether you want to cut a walkway off from workstations in an office, make a private consulting area, or create a physical division between products lines in a shop, internal dividers are for you. But do they always have to look so dull? Not with some of the architecturally pleasing materials on the market these days, they don't.

Glazed Partitions

Glazed partitioning systems are ideal for offices and creating smaller retail units within larger units. Single-glazed room dividers can be as little as 6 mm thick but extend up to 14.5 mm if acoustic noise cancelling is important. Basically, the thicker the glazed partition, the more noise is absorbed by the product when fitted. The chief advantage of a glazed divider is that you can still see everywhere in what appears to be an open plan environment but without the space being truly open any longer.

Mesh Dividers

Utterly modern looking, pre-crimped woven mesh, stainless steel mesh and cable mesh are all excellent choices for room dividers. When fabricated into lightweight metal frames, they can be easily shifted around for a completely flexible partitioning system. Mesh dividers might not stop sound coming through, but they immediately create a visual barrier between areas for two distinctly separate zones. When they are not needed, metal mesh dividers can be easily stacked up together out of the way.

Laminated Screens

With so many finishes and colours to choose from, laminated screens are the perfect choice when you want room dividers to fit in with the existing interior decoration rather than stand out visually. Ideal for places with a strident corporate identity, they look great in showrooms and boardrooms. Just three, placed at right angles to one another, will create a private miniature office space within a larger room. Alternatively, they can be lined up side by side to create walkways and channels so that people pass by and only access the side you want them to be on.