Custom Room Separator Feature - How to do it?

[puntloos]

Take a look at the attached picture:

 

Obviously(?) the big wooden feature in the center. I think I might be in love. Because it:

 

1/ Provides a nice separation of 'areas' in the livingroom. While fairly open/airy it clearly separates the room into comfy spaces.

2/ Allows sound and vision to pass through everywhere

3/ Provides a bit of a 'thing in your back' which gives Psychological Safety of not being too exposed

4/ Can actually house a projector (making a "fake compartment" near the ceiling.) for my home cinema

5/ Doesn't block walking ways, especially if the couch is backed up against it anyway

6/ Storage, Lighting, a Place to put stuff perhaps.

7/ The posts near the far walls can house more speakers (you need side speakers for cool surround!)

8/ Place for a subwoofer. (yep, ideally a sub should be near your seating area..)

9/ Power sockets are helpful near a couch (charger for phone/laptop)

 

I'm not sure about the color/material. Our house design is more modern, but wood might still be fine, perhaps painted white with a darker 'countertop'..

 

Can someone outline what I'd need to do to get this built, just so I can get an idea of cost, challenges etc? Other thoughts?

 

One more similar image below:

 

 

 

 

 

[Temp]

Depends on your budget. I think IKEA have simpler room dividers. At the other end of the scale a good carpentry company can make anything you want. Show them photos and have them  come measure up and quote. If I had to guess I'd say a full custom job in expensive wood might be £4-6k but I'm no expert. Perhaps go visit som carpentry firms and ask to see their photo album of previous jobs.

Edited September 28, 2019 by Temp

[Temp]

I think if you went down the painted route Pear wood and MDF would be ok. Might save money painting it yourself. Minimise the number of drawers and doors, open shelves will be cheaper.

Edited September 28, 2019 by Temp

[Onoff]

55 minutes ago, puntloos said:

 

I'm not sure about the color/material. Our house design is more modern, but wood might still be fine, perhaps painted white with a darker 'countertop'.

 

This one's sure to divide opinion...

[puntloos]

1 minute ago, Onoff said:

 

This one's sure to divide opinion...

 

Badum-tish. - But yes I haven't deeply thought on the full look, mainly the shape and functionality. 

And in fact, the cost of the various options (hardwood vs plastic vs MDF.) could well play a big role in what I want it to look like?

Good shout by Temp about the doors etc, yes that would be costly (ish) but open spaces will attract dust.. choices..

 

Would love to hear from experienced joiners on what to look for, details etc.. and ideally an idea of cost.. 6000 is quite a bit of cash but for a major feature.

[Onoff]

Sliding doors?

 

I've a How To Make Loudspeakers book here from years back. You could even maybe design proper, bassy, speaker enclosures within the construction.

[puntloos]

1 minute ago, Onoff said:

Sliding doors?

 

I've a How To Make Loudspeakers book here from years back. You could even maybe design proper, bassy, speaker enclosures within the construction.

 

My dad built his own loudspeaker enclosure, bass reflex is the hardest bit.. but nah I'm thinking more of really just a tiny shelf for side speakers with a cable popping out in the right place. 

 

Don't get me wrong it would be reallyreally cool to have it deeply integrated but the downside is that you better get it perfect and never want to replace/upgrade the speaker cause that speaker space is not going to get any bigger once you've designed it..

[Onoff]

3 minutes ago, puntloos said:

 

My dad built his own loudspeaker enclosure, bass reflex is the hardest bit.. but nah I'm thinking more of really just a tiny shelf for side speakers with a cable popping out in the right place. 

 

Don't get me wrong it would be reallyreally cool to have it deeply integrated but the downside is that you better get it perfect and never want to replace/upgrade the speaker cause that speaker space is not going to get any bigger once you've designed it..

 

And your ornaments might vibrate! ?

[puntloos]

1 minute ago, Onoff said:

 

And your ornaments might vibrate! ?

Good point. Perhaps not make the subwoofer part of the thing.

But indeed regardless, it has to be *SOLID*.

[Onoff]

Don't have ornaments. "We" have loads. I keep referring to them as "hard core" much to SWMBO'S displeasure.

 

Was thinking this sort of thing for sliding doors:

 

https://www.ironmongerydirect.co.uk/product/hush-sliding-door-gear-600x1200mm-maximum-door-size-407687?

 

Can you CAD something up in 3D? Thinking MDF with pinned on mouldings if going for painted. 

 

Pinterest is probably your friend for ideas.

[puntloos]

Ah I think I read ornaments as small loose trinkets like a statue or a novelty glass. (and agreed: no). But maybe you're thinking more of like a gargoyle etched in wood. (also: no)

 

Indeed sliding doors could work a bit better! 3D.. I guess so, but eh, I'm a bit of an amateur. Would a good joiner be able to design this themselves if I give them basically the room dimensions at the spot it has to fit in? Also, would this effectively be a loose standing thing, or would you want to deeply integrate it with the house structure, perhaps almost literally make it loadbearing etc?

[Onoff]

I'd be integrating it I think, fixed at floor and ceiling.

 

As an aside would you want to not have UFH pipes running under it if they're planned?

 

Must sleep now...MDF dreams I'm sure!

[puntloos]

15 minutes ago, Onoff said:

I'd be integrating it I think, fixed at floor and ceiling.

 

As an aside would you want to not have UFH pipes running under it if they're planned?

Not sure I understand the question. I guess though if the thing is integrated in the house then the UFH would go around it?

 

15 minutes ago, Onoff said:

 

Must sleep now...MDF dreams I'm sure!

 

Electric Sheep Dreams mostly.

[Ferdinand]

To me the first one in the piccie is a bit Dynasty or Heart to Heart, even aspirational of being Bertie Wooster’s mother in her Edwardian Vicarage (, old thing). Very good place to listen to back episodes of TMS, involving Boycott or Tavare scoring one run per 10 overs, whilst snoozing through the long, dark teatime of the soul. ?

 

But I think it would be a cross between a stud wall for the fixings top and bottom and a kitchen island for the thing itself. Could be done using an industrial feel should you wish, or industrial fittings, or freestanding. If you wanted to play with it first, could use something like Ikea IVAR 2.26m version simply claD to see how it feels *. I suppose it could be done in cloth, or murals.

 

Upcycle a really big Victorian furniture item? May be cheaper than MDF.

 

Would it be difficult to stop it sounding hollow? Integrated desk?

 

F

 

(Play that right and you get a storage system for your workshop past the Management *)

 

Edited September 29, 2019 by Ferdinand

[Ferdinand]

Final thought ... could you repurpose a secondhand kitchen off eBay for this ... say real wood or slab doors?

[Lesgrandepotato]

I think I’d be trying to built it from Ikea billy units. They can get close to the ceiling and  put them on a simple angle iron frame with castors. If it rolls then your brain doesn’t expect it to touch the roof 

[Russell griffiths]

Can you build it out of studwork and plasterboard it, I will include a pic of something I did which isn’t exactly the same but you could pinch some ideas from it. 

like these walls that where used to separate off the front door from the living room, also the book shelf thingy, you could incorporate this on the ends to store junk that women collect. 

[Onoff]

3 hours ago, Russell griffiths said:

ends to store junk that women collect

 

Base the design on whatever capacity you end up with it won't be enough.

[Lesgrandepotato]

3 hours ago, Onoff said:

 

Base the design on whatever capacity you end up with it won't be enough.

 Are you suggesting he needs a larger capacity woman?

[puntloos]

Junk in the trunk, clearly. 

10 hours ago, Russell griffiths said:

Can you build it out of studwork and plasterboard it, I will include a pic of something I did which isn’t exactly the same but you could pinch some ideas from it. 

like these walls that where used to separate off the front door from the living room, also the book shelf thingy, you could incorporate this on the ends to store junk that women collect. 

That's quite interesting, I could imagine it would be some sort of solution to my projector issue at least. And store some junk from the trunk too.

It's pretty but a bit non-functional, ornamental-only.

 

 

 

[puntloos]

Reviving this topic a little, with one question:

 

What are the options on building 'pillars' - in particular, in wood this seems doable enough, but is that the only material available for such custom work?

Or could people make this with concrete? Bricks&plaster?

 

Reason I ask: I'd like to attach, or possibly insert speakers into the pillars (for surround audio, ideally you'd want speakers straight from your side), but really carving out space for the speaker probably would make the pillar not strong enough to be supporting?

 

-M