Freeze Frame

A closer look at the hottest solutions from September

Staff -- Interior Design, 9/1/2003 12:00:00 AM

Walls on wheels

At Chelsea's 4,000-square-foot Kashya Hildebrand Gallery, Blue Architects principal Thomas Hildebrand doubled the display surface—despite the presence of 12 cast-iron columns. He did this by building four 32-inch-thick, 10-foot-high hollow plasterboard walls and setting them on castors. Just push to form an enclosed room, an interconnected space, or a labyrinth. Hildebrand calls them "skateboard" walls. We call them ingenious. "Where Push Comes to Shove," page 88. —S.K.

Divide and conquer

To divide this TriBeCa loft's 2,000 square feet into zones, Atlas Industries partner Joseph Fratesi designed screens of walnut slats and stainless-steel poles. Sleeping quarters, however, required more privacy. The screen between the bedroom and living area works in conjunction with a custom sliding door of laminated translucent glass. It overlaps the screen by 18 inches, just enough to hide the bed. "Home Screening Rooms," page 130. —S.K.

Screen saver

The namesake principal of Bruce Bierman Design, a Flatiron District firm, works at a custom desk topped in white plastic laminate, and the adjacent conference room's table is identical. For larger presentations, Bierman can easily push the two pieces together. That's because the dividing "wall" is actually a frosted-acrylic screen. Detached at both ends, the screen runs on ceiling and floor tracks, folding accordion-style. "Open Sesame," page 170. —S.K.