This news just out: Crestview Doors announced just this morning that they have introduced six styles of mid-century inspired decorative wall screens to the market.
“Redi-Screens™ may be used as doors, partitions, or room dividers, but it is their striking and luxurious look that sets them apart from anything else on the market,” says Christiane Erwin, President and CEO of Crestview Doors. “Crestview Doors recognizes the demand for home décor that is functional and classically beautiful. Redi Screens™ can separate spaces and create privacy while enhancing the overall visual aesthetic of the interior landscape.”
Crestview — which is well known for its doorlite kits — launched the new line today. These pre-assembled decorative screens feature six modern patterns inspired by vintage textile designs. They are made in Austin, Texas — carved into stain-grade maple and bound by hand into a maple frame. Redi-Screens™ are available for purchase at Crestview’s website and start at $213.00 each.
Redi-Screens™ may be ordered online in any of three standard widths (24”, 28”, 32”) and two standard heights (80”, 96”). Each screen measures 1-3/8” deep and, if privacy is required, also can be ordered with a translucent resin backing that transmits light yet offers full privacy. Redi-Screens™ can be installed as sliding doors, pocket doors, articulating doors, room partitions, room dividers, hanging or mounted screens.
I also asked owner Christiane Erwin for more of the “back story” about how this product came about. She writes:
“Sure! The story is kind of fun, actually.
There was a mid-century homes tour here in Austin in 2008, hosted by the Heritage Society, and they were hosting lectures on MCM architecture and interior design in conjunction with the tour. David (my husband and co-owner of Crestview Doors) attended a lecture by Dwayne Johnson, executive director of the Galveston Historic Foundation, and was intrigued by a photo of sliding wood room dividers with a unique organic pattern. (Later an antiques appraisal would suggest they were a Herman Miller design; we have never been able to verify this claim.)
Dwayne allowed David to digitize a version of the pattern hoping for an opportunity to reproduce it someday. In fact, Dwayne hoped to have the screens reproduced for his own 1960’s-era home, but soon after we began to gather the materials for the project, Dwayne’s coastal home was destroyed by Hurricane Rita.
Here is the digitized version of Dwayne’s photo:
When customer Celeste Poston approached us about putting period-appropriate doors on her wet bar, we sent her a few mockups, and she chose this pattern. Here is the before/after shot:
She loved them so much that she came back to us later to request additional doors for her media room. Here are the photos:
Of course, we were floored by the results and so were our fans! They told us that they needed screens like this too: to be used as hinged room dividers, sliding doors, or mounted space separators. We decided to offer the option of a white resin backing for uses where privacy is a concern (we’re replacing our own bathroom and closet doors with the “Casbah” pattern, for example).
Standard sizes are available on the website, but you know how retro homes are – everything was custom created back then, so we offer custom sizes when “standard” just won’t do. We can’t wait to see how people use them!
Christiane
Thank you, Christiane — and good luck with the new-product launch — I think this fills a real niche in our mid century marketplace today.
Disclosure: Crestview Doors is currently an advertiser. This story was not part of the deal, though.
Yay!!!! Those are fantasitc!
Love, love, love these! A great way to divide but not separate portions of a room.
link doesnt appear to work: Crestview’s website
Thanks, Scott – I fixed it. I was moving fast to get this published! “Breaking News” just announced today.
Man, I’m surprised there aren’t more comments on here about this. This is one of those “Now how am I going to find something like this?” problem-solvers!
I’m excited and I don’t even have anywhere to USE these!
I posted this after noon, Shane — “Breaking News” just out today!
OMG I want!!! I wonder if they can be cut so that they’re not so tall. We have been thinking about cutting an passthrough in the wall that separates the kitchen from the living room and wanted to have a screen like this put in on each side of the passthrough. But it would start about halfway up the wall, just above the sofa, and go to the ceiling.
Um….hello! Did anyone mention headboards??!! These are just wonderful and I know I’ll be using them in the future! It is soooo encouraging to see companies like Crestview understanding that there is a market for designs that are authentic to mid-century homes.
I’m looking for the AMAZING screens shown in Star Trek in the 1960s. Not the small grill covers but the larger geometric screens used as room dividers and other parts of the ship. The earlier episodes, season one and two, seemed to show the ones I like the most.
Joe, can you find any pictures? I’d love to see those.
Those are FANTASTIC! I love them all! And really, there are so many possibilities for them…I agree with Tikimama, these would make swank headboards. They’d be pretty fab as wall art, too. So, so cool! Will definitely be looking for an excuse to use them in our new home. Thanks for the heads-up, Pam!
I have wondered for years whether any company out there produced interior wall screens. Alas, my current house has no place for something like this, but I would have killed for a wall screen (or 4) in a couple of my previous homes.
Love, love, love the designs, but I wish Crestview would produce a screen with the same pattern as the screen in Trudy & Peter Campbell’s apartment on Mad Men!
I’m excited too! I have been pondering what to do with our (ugly) mirrored closet door & this might be the solution! A headboard might also do the trick too! Thanks!
OMG, these are awesome! I recently googled for something like this with no leads, we are so lacking here in Australia, I’m also looking for a front door & again you have to get something custom made which poses to be very expensive. We are so far behind you guys here in Australia when it comes to this kind of thing!
I agree with everything said above. For a few years, I’ve been dreaming of building my own room divider. Now I don’t have to!!!! Yay!!!!! Thanks for sharing this info.
Ok, NOW, I am totally happy! These are FABULOUS!
Darn, I just did a measurment of where I’d love to have just one panel separating the kitchen from the LR but still leaving an open area…..The widest we’d want is 18″, and the most narrow on the site is 24″. BUMMER! I was all ready to save up!
Still, a wonderful thing to FINALLY have come around – I’ve been searching for a year off and on for something like this.
Bonus for any buyers, they take PayPal – makes it so much easier if you have a PP account.
Thanks Pam, for keeping us current on all the great goods available.
hannah
hannah — christiane points out that Crestview can work with you to make them to your custom side — so give them a call — and keep saving!
These are so wonderful that I almost cried with joy! I LOVE this Facebook page/website. Thanks again for an uplifting, beautiful story (with photos!)
I love these! There must be a way to fit them into my house. The organic design is so beautiful!
Another item to add to my MCM Wish List……
I love these, I was just about to make a screen for between my living room and dining area. These would be great for so many other applications too! Thanks for sharing!
Beautiful! I currently have those ugly shutter closet doors seperating my kitchen from my living room and those would be a perfect replacement. Now to just save a couple hundred dollars!
Been looking for something like this for several months for our entry area in our 1964 split-level. Glad the good folks at Crestview pulled it off!
Holy mid-century madness, Batman, those are among the most fantastic things I’ve ever seen! I was planning to use some of that Acurio latticework Pam found to build a room divider, but I may have to upgrade my plans. Swoon!
Really cool stuff. I especially like the linked rectangles.
OMG! Just yesterday(who knows, maybe the same time Pam, you were posting this) I was thinking how I would LOVE a mcm design floor to ceiling partition/room divider. Voila! You ask and you shall receive! Thanks Pam & Crestview Doors!
Amazing. Crestview was nice enough to make a custom size of their mod millwork (love beads pattern) last year. My carpenter fit it into a space between my living/dining area. A huge improvement for less than $100…however, it’s not real wood, but works positioned high with trim around it!
Too bad they just won’t go with my 1940s house! They’re very eye catching and daring, really, considering most people would trying to “modernize.”
WOW! Just found this website and it is kick butt! I just bought a Streng Atrium Home and these panels would make sweet closet doors!!
Thank you, Bruce, and welcome!
When I saw these it immediately made me wonder if they (particularly the geometrics) could be used to create mid-century style molding on garage doors similar to examples that Pam’s posted in the past about Crawford Garage Doors. Would they work for exterior applications, I wonder? I have a 1950′s era detached garage that is blah plain, and I’m looking for do-it-yourself jazz-ups.
For SURE I’ll be using these either as a headboard design or living room decor behind my couch AND kitchen/dining room divider.
I LOVE THIS!!
Wow! I’ve been looking, like for 5 years for retro room dividers – and now I can just buy them? Sorry I’m late to this ‘link’ – guess I was travelling when this was originally posted – so happy I found it!! Yipee!!!
I can’t wait to get these for my Moroccan inspired lounge area in my home. I was going to separate that area from the other living room area with curtains…now I will be able to combine them for an even better aesthetic. Can’t wait!!!