# Help me compartmentalize my room. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 15, 2005, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-compartmentalize-my-room/335791 "2005-12-15T20:05:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![monica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a183cd/32.png) [@monica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monica)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2005, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-compartmentalize-my-room/335791/1 "2005-12-15T20:05:52Z")
Alright, so I have just about had it with my roommate. I’m not going to go into all of the details, but one of the problems is that she’s always in our room and I have no personal space. In order to somewhat rectify this situation, and at least create a physical and mental barrier between us, my father has suggested a couple of shower curtains, suspended to separate my corner of the room. Which sounds like a great idea. Only problem is, I can’t put hooks in the walls. Any ideas for some sort of post or poles that I can use for the ends, and something to string between them to hang the curtains on? ---
**Author:** ![Binarydrone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3da27b/32.png) [@Binarydrone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Binarydrone)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2005, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-compartmentalize-my-room/335791/2 "2005-12-15T20:20:28Z")
Could you make a free standing frame of some sort using PVC pipe? ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2005, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-compartmentalize-my-room/335791/3 "2005-12-15T20:22:05Z")
> [@monica](#): > > Any ideas for some sort of post or poles that I can use for the ends, and something to string between them to hang the curtains on? Ok, can you use a long wooden dowel, with those cup-things on the ends to hold the dowel? I believe the cup-things come with very strong sticky- tape on them. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2005, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-compartmentalize-my-room/335791/4 "2005-12-15T20:24:40Z")
How long an expanse do you have to cover? Could you rearrange furniture to take care of some of it – like put bookcases back to back or something? or is everything bolted to the walls? ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2005, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-compartmentalize-my-room/335791/5 "2005-12-15T20:40:14Z")
Decorative screens. You can take 'em with you when you get your own place. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2005, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-compartmentalize-my-room/335791/6 "2005-12-15T22:19:00Z")
I second what **twickster** is asking. Can you do some creative furniuture arranging? Instead of like… |Dresser| |bed| |bed| |Dresser| Can you do … |bed| |dresser||dresser| |bed| ? Or screens. If they’re too expensive, make some! ---
**Author:** ![monica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a183cd/32.png) [@monica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monica)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2005, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-compartmentalize-my-room/335791/7 "2005-12-15T22:19:33Z")
Part of the problem is that my roommate refuses to rearrange her stuff. Which basically is what causes me to feel like she’s always almost on top of me- that’s where her desk is. Whatever this is needs to be freestanding. I thought of the divider screens, but I think I could cover more space with a couple of shower curtains for less money. ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2005, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-compartmentalize-my-room/335791/8 "2005-12-16T00:29:41Z")
Ikea has a whole set of freestanding furniture, for exactly this purpose, called [roomdividers.](http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10103&storeId=12&langId=-1&productId=11499) ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2005, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-compartmentalize-my-room/335791/9 "2005-12-16T00:33:30Z")
> [@Maastricht](#): > > Ikea has a whole set of freestanding furniture, for exactly this purpose, called [roomdividers.](http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10103&storeId=12&langId=-1&productId=11499) For a hundred bucks, you can’t beat that! You just need a ton of stuff to put on it – and make sure she doesn’t bogart all the spaces for herself. ---
**Author:** ![monica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a183cd/32.png) [@monica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monica)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2005, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-compartmentalize-my-room/335791/10 "2005-12-16T02:14:47Z")
> [@Kalhoun](#): > > For a hundred bucks, you can’t beat that! You just need a ton of stuff to put on it – and make sure she doesn’t bogart all the spaces for herself. The way the room is arranged, her desk is almost right next to the end of my bed. There’s no way place to stick one of those in between the two. It would really help if she would compromise and just move her desk… I was at dinner with one of my Dad’s friends, and he suggested using copper tubing to create the frame from which to hang the curtain. ---
**Author:** ![Motorgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2005, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-compartmentalize-my-room/335791/11 "2005-12-16T17:44:42Z")
Depending on how long the space is that you need to span, you can try a tension shower rod. They have rubber ends and you turn the rod to lengthen/shorten it. We’ve used one in our last two bathrooms. It’s unusual to get it put up right the first time. Ours falls a couple of times, and we reposition it 'til we get it right, then it stays up for months. ---
**Author:** ![zagloba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/977dab/32.png) [@zagloba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zagloba)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2005, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-compartmentalize-my-room/335791/12 "2005-12-16T18:57:55Z")
I’m assuming this is a dorm room, or one of that size? The drawback with folding screens or room dividers is that they take a fair amount of floor space. The copper pipe/tubing could be made quite artistic, I think. You could build something with standard PVC pipe and fittings for less; it may even be paintable. You could also build wooden stands or feet for the legs that support the curtain rod. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2005, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-compartmentalize-my-room/335791/13 "2005-12-16T19:07:10Z")
It might be cheaper – and faster – to just get a temporary rack for a curtain: something like [this](http://store.yahoo.com/bedbathstore/exgara.html) perhaps. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2005, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-compartmentalize-my-room/335791/14 "2005-12-16T19:21:17Z")
> [@monica](#): > > The way the room is arranged, her desk is almost right next to the end of my bed. There’s no way place to stick one of those in between the two. > > It would really help if she would compromise and just move her desk… > I was at dinner with one of my Dad’s friends, and he suggested using copper tubing to create the frame from which to hang the curtain. Or you could move her desk for her when she’s not there. If it’s at the foot of your bed, how the hell do you sleep?