Sounds like a children’s book, doesn’t it? Well, the Golden Ratio, also known as the Golden Rectangle, is called an irrational mathematical constant that has baffled even the most brilliant mathematicians all the way back to the Ancient Greeks. It exists in architecture (the Parthenon, the Great Pyramids), in art (DaVinci’s studies of the human form and perhaps even the Mona Lisa), and nature (Fibonacci sequence in pine cones, flowers, and more). I won’t even attempt to explain the Golden Ratio, but I applied this formula to a furniture project that had been on my mind for a long time: a shoji screen.

What is an ancient Japanese design doing in a Vermont workshop? For a long time, I’ve been fascinated by the shoji screen, those beautiful dividers  with opaque panels that let the light shine through. I like the way a shoji screen can create a “sub-space” in a room. A shoji can be a sliding door, a wall, or a folding screen. Whatever the size, the goal is to partition the space rather than close it off entirely.

With the popularity of the Serenity Collection, which has an Eastern influence, I decided it was time to put my shoji ideas on the drawing board.

It took some tweaking, resizing, and working with joinery ideas. Traditional shoji screens use rice paper because of its opacity. I wanted something more durable. I chose kojo paper, which is tissue thin, and then coated and laminated.

We displayed this new screen at a fine furniture show in Woodstock, Vermont, in September, with a great response! Whether or not you incorporate Eastern culture or Japanese accents in your decor, a shoji screen can add interest as a divider or backdrop. Or create an instant guest room! Like everything else we hand-craft here, your shoji screen will be a one-of-a-kind piece, made in your choice of wood and panel material. If you’re interested in being one of the first to have a Shoji Screen from ClearLake Furniture, send me an email!