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I live in a 1 bedroom apartment in NYC and I would like to put up a wall to separate the living room and make that into another bedroom for when my sister comes to visit (and she comes to visit quite often). Is there an inexpensive way for me to put up this wall (no more than about $500)? I did a search online for different options and most things cost between $1000-$2000. I have a few of those cheap chinese room dividers but I hate how those look and they're so cheap and flimsy. I thought about buying a big bookcase from IKEA and using that up as a wall but then I would have to buy 2 of them because 1 wont cover the living room. Does anyone know what I should be looking for to put up this wall/divider?
Forget the wall. Keep simplicity in mind- and dollars in your wallet.
NYC tenant laws, building codes, and union labor can turn that "little" project into a nightmare!
Probably the least expensive would be a ceiling mounted track for drapes- floor to ceiling. When not needed they can be pushed back against the wall and held in place with a tieback.
I really like the bookcase idea. Ikea has the "Billy" system which would work great in your scenario. There are several different sizes and colors. Depending on the run you would need you could possibly turn some units the other way to accommodate storage on both sides of the "wall". And with the different sizes you can stack to the ceiling or use varying heights to create interest.
I was going to suggest the Ikea Expedit bookcase/room divider. It's 6 feet high, which is high enough to not be able to see over it, plus it's finished on both sides and has drawer and door inserts you can add to customize it for your needs.
Another vote for the Expedit, though I do suggest bolting the end to a wall with the included bracket. Being wide open, it can rack like a parallelogram.
The Billy bookcases are too shallow to be stable when freestanding, not to mention the backside is unfinished.
How do you two think you're going to get any privacy with a bookcase that has no back? The purpose for the "wall" was privacy.
The "Billy" back may not be furniture finish- but that can be easily achieved with veneer plywood.
K'ledgeBldr: The Billy is too shallow to be stable (the base is even shallower to allow the bookcase to fit against the wall over moldings). I suggested putting in the drawers and doors to solidify some or all of the Expedit (and filling with books, if necessary). I can't imagine you're going to get much sound privacy in a 1BR NYC apartment, anyway, but at least it would provide some visual privacy and a psychological barrier. Another suggestion would be to search the ikeafans.com site for some ideas. There are some really great hacks over there using ikea parts. The biggest obstacle then might be the OP's access to tools if going that route.
Alternatively, you could take the same idea with the veneer plywood (or some other finished substrate) and put it on the back of the Expedit bookcase to make it solid (would be cheaper than adding in all of those drawers and doors, as well).
Thanks guys for all the information. I went with what K'ledgeBldr suggested and got the celing track and put up a long drape.
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