French Iron Screen

Made of nothing but scrolled iron, this screen divides a room without ever closing it off, a wall you can see straight through. Found in Normandy and dating to the early 20th century, it folds across three arched panels, every inch filled with hand-forged scrolls locked together into one dense pattern. Each of those curls was bent by hand at a forge, patient ironwork that took a blacksmith weeks, its arabesques carrying a distinctly Moorish flourish. Sylvie stands it in a bedroom or a bath to add height and a little drama, or sets it behind a bed as an airy iron headboard.