The iconic native Australian flower named after a kangaroo's paw is the design of QAQ's 'Kangaroo Paw' decorative screen, a design that we unfortunately lack in photos though it has always been very popular with our customers. Fortunately, the one photo I do have here to show you does a good job at showing how beautiful this design is when panels are placed side by side. A beautiful, larger arabesque design emerges, creating a stunning wall-- a bit like a wallpaper mural on the side of a building.
These are blue-painted compressed hardwood panels installed on the outside of an urban building.
Kangaroo Paw flowers are too be found in almost every neighborhood street in Australia, hence this is a very popular design to install as a decorative garden screen. Here are some examples of beautiful Australian gardens with Kangaroo Paw flowers that this screen design would sit alongside perfectly well:
Since the 'Kangaroo Paw' design suits the Australian native landscape and aesthetic so well, let's look at a few more Australian icons and products that are to be found in almost every home in Australia--perhaps to the amusement of our overseas readers! These are all Australia-made things, just like all QAQ's decorative screens!
1. Start Ya Bastard - this is a for-real starter fluid for ya' engines, mate. Found in almost every single Aussie's garage.
2. Aboriginal boomerang - Though most of the souvenir shops sell Chinese-made reproductions, this is still an original native Australian hunting tool that almost every Aussie child owns and doesn't really know how to throw.
3. Arnott's Tim Tam's - a delicious biscuit (cookie in American) made of chocolate covered wafers. The original plain chocolate is best but it now comes in a million different flavors as well!
4. Ugg Boots - The original sheep-skin slippers made to be worn indoors yet often worn outdoors by the fashion un-conscious.
5. A sheep skin rug - these luxuriously soft rugs make any room look quite glamorous, come in many colors, and are amazing to dig your toes into first thing when you step out of bed in the morning.
6. Vegemite - a black, butter-like salty yeast extract spread for crackers and bread. An acquired taste that foreigners will never understand.
7. The iconic Kangaroo Paw flower in a red variety.
Hope you enjoyed this little foray into all things Australian inspired by our very Australian decorative screen design, the lovely 'Kangaroo Paw'. For more Australiana and to see photos of some of the most stunning places to visit around our great country, see QAQ's Pinterest board on this designs: 'Kangaroo Paw', alongside pin boards focusing on many other of our screen designs, with a new one each week!
~Christine
One of the most well-known practical uses of a decorative screen is as a room divider, as screen designs instantly create elegant and airy alcoves without totally blocking out light or making a space feel small and enclosed as would a solid wall partition. It's a perfect solution to mark the private and non-private living areas, or simply to demarcate which area serves a particular purpose, such as dining or sleeping, whether in a tiny apartment or spacious, open studio. Most QAQ screens that have been used to divide rooms have been installed as permanent fixtures, though some have been mounted on stands in order to be easily moved about when needed. Beyond decorative screens, there are other elegant ways to divide a room, with each option having various pros and cons to consider. Here are just a few:
This style of room divide is for the space that changes on a daily basis: easily opened up or closed with just a pull, no furniture lining the temporary divide. It merely requires the installation of a tight wire and fabric on runners. It's both a practical and romantic way to divide a room, especially if the fabric is allowed to pool on the floor or is of a sheer style fabric, as in the lower right picture.
QAQ's 'Kyoto' decorative screen design was used as a room divider here at a cafe between dining booths.
The most classic of all room dividers is a tri-fold screen that is lightwweight and easy to pick up and move, close up, or open out when needed. It suits rental homes where installing curtains is not an option, as it works in a room like a large piece of furniture. Somewhat more permanent than curtains once it is placed, this kind of screen is best for arranging around furniture, creating spaces and directing walking paths through an open space. There are endless varieties of this classic style screen, from the ornatly carved Oriental varieties, the plush satin-ruched French varieties, the modern printed canvas style, to thatched garden screens.
Another example of a QAQ screen diving a room: here is the 'Cayman' design in 6 mm thick white acrylic.
A very practical, yet still very chic way to divide a room is with a large bookshelf unit. These serve both as space-makers and space-savers, and the size and style options are endless. The closed-back shelving units create a much more permanent and solid divide than any other option. On the other hand, the open-backed units divide space yet still allow for light and visual spaciousness.
QAQ's 'Istanbul' screen designs were used to divide this hair salon's cutting and washing areas. Not only do they look modern and exotic, they create just enough privacy to make the guests feel they are in a comfortable space for the intimacy of having their head massaged and hair shampooed for them in a public place full or strangers.
Anything can be used to divide a space, ultimately, but the question is, just how elegant will whatever is used look, and will it work with the interior decor? These spaces pictured have been divided in vastly different ways, yet each divide suits the style of the decor perfectly: a beaded curtain for the romantic, eclectic parlor; cut PVC tubes glued together and hung by the toilet for a modern bathroom; natural trees lined from a natural, thatched-style ceiling to the floor in a modern lounge; round acrylic disks hung string-style in a 60'd mod style home; and vintage scarves stitched together for a bohemian-style home. These are all DIY style room dividers that have strong character and make dramatic impacts in each of these rooms, yet all work exceptionally well as they are perfectly matched to the decor and style aesthetic.
For DIY tutorials on how to install or make from scratch these various types of dividers, Pinterest is a fantastic resource of ideas and inspiration. You can find blog tutorials through Pinterest that will show you how to create a wooden folding screen from scratch, how to hang curtains on a rod, and even how to create a divider using odd-shaped objects found around the house! Who would have guessed cut PVC tubing could look so chic?
And of course, for QAQ decorative screens as dividers, you need only ask and we can advise you on all the various methods of installation or installation services in your area. In time, I may even get to the nuts and bolts of the how-to myself and write a post to share it with you here!
~Christine
QAQ's 'Tokyo' decorative screen design reflects traditional design elements of Japan with its exquisitely simple, emotionally calming symmetry and order. We rate it at a low sun and privacy block-out of 55%, as this screen is more about its elegant aesthetic appeal, suited more to gently enclosing or diving spaces.
On this beautiful porch, 'Tokyo' screens cut in compressed hardwood enclose the open sides, allowing for a little shade and a lot of enchanting beauty.
'Tokyo' makes excellent background wall decor in this oriental-style garden in a Maison Design house in South Australia.
The Japanese design aesthetic is completely unique from any other country in the world, and isn't always an easy one to get right, as it often requires genuine Japanese architectural elements like shouji, the traditional paper and wood doors, windows, and room dividers, or tatami, the floor matting made of rice straw that gives an authentic Japanese home its wonderful dried grass aroma. Yet, it can be represented in a modern style by using a neutral color palette, minimal decor, simple, geometric shapes, and a touch of nature, such as a carefully shaped bonsai, miniature tree, or beautiful ikebana, flower arrangement.
One of the best places in Melbourne that has a traditional tatami room with real tatami is the Japanese Bath House in Collingwood. Not only can you experience what a real Japanese onsen is like, you can also have a shiatsu massage and relax on the tatami in your robe after a long hot bath, and have a bowl of udon or just a pot of sencha green tea. Though men and women bath separately, you are required to thoroughly wash yourself and bath nude, just as they do in a real Japanese bath house. It is a bone-warming, wonderfully relaxing experience, and while you visit you'll get a good sense of the Japanese aesthetic!
For more inspiring decor ideas around the 'Tokyo' design, see our Pinterest board collection. Any new decorative installation projects we my do with this design will be added to this board alongside more decor inspiration!
And if this beautiful design has piqued your interest, please don't hesitate to contact us to find a distributor near you.
~Christine
Whether you would like to paint a decorative screen yourself or have it finished in the color of your choice, there are several options as to how to get the screen in the color that best suits your home decorative needs. Here is a run-down of which materials QAQ offers to get you started with making the best choice for your color, budget, and practical requirements.
This is the least expensive option for a decorative screen that can be finished in a color. Though another material, compressed hardwood, is cheaper, it is both an indoor and outdoor material with a surface that is not near as smooth, whereas MDF, an indoor only material, has no recognizable surface grain as it is made up of fine particles, so the resulting surface is extremely smooth and lends itself to being satin painted quite beautifully. MDF can be purchased raw so that you may paint it yourself, or for a bit extra it can be ordered in any color from the Dulux paint brand range. Orders for QAQ painted screens take on average 14 days and are finished with a smooth and glossy satin finish.
If you choose to paint the MDF yourself, we advise that before commencing you make sure the raw screen is free of dirt or debris, then, following the manufacturer’s directions, apply a coat of quality external primer to the surfaces. Once the primer has been allowed to dry, apply two coats of an exterior grade 100% acrylic or solvent-based paint. For acrylic and solvent-based finishes we recommend you follow the manufacturer's instructions, or consult a painting professional.
Another two material options for a colored screen are aluminium and mild steel. Both of these materials can be installed indoor or outdoors and can come in any of the Dulux paint range color choices in a powder coating. Though both materials can also be purchased raw, the powder coating must be done professionally as an additional service at extra cost, with a processing time of 14 days. Powder coating aluminium is slightly less costly than the mild steel.
Not to be confused with aluminium, ACM is a lightweight material consisting of two pre-finished, heat-bonded sheets of aluminium that typically has a gloss color on one side and a matte color of the same shade on the other. Here is a color chart showing all the two sides of colors available for this type of material:
As with aluminium and mild steel, QAQ's ACM screens take 14 days to process.
If you are interested to learn more about colored decorative screens, email our screen guru Sam at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or give us a ring. We are always happy to help you in getting just the right screen to make your dream home a reality!
~Christine
By far, the most popular decorative screen design that we sell here at QAQ is the 'Cayman' decorative screen design, named after the beautiful, tropical, pristine Cayman Islands in the Caribbean Sea. Its casual, modern, organic look suits the Australian design aesthetic exceptionally well, and it serves the very practical function of a 75% sun and privacy block-out rating.
This design works well inside a modern home with casual, even eclectic style decor, as it does here, custom cut at a diagonal in Weathertex (compressed hardwood). Installed outside, its leaf and pebble-like cutouts harmoniously reflect nature while also providing a high level of privacy and sun protection.
'Cayman' installed as a gate, cut in mild steel.
A rare curved installation of a 'Cayman' screen installed over a light fixture in a covered patio, cut in aluminium composite.
In white 6 mm acrylic, used as a room divider in a casual, colorful lounge room.
Though this screen can work well in any style decor, it lends itself well to tropical style interior decorating as it has an airy, natural, relaxed feel about it, which is what much of the tropical style entails. This style of decorating is light, crisp, colorful, uncluttered, and has playful elements of the tropics about it, from pineapple lamps to flamingo patterned linens.
1. Porcelain Golden Pineapple by Katherine Houston
2. Pirate Ship Art by Lotus Leaf Creations on Etsy
3. Pineapple Lamp with White Shade by Temple and Webster
4. 'Artique' Cane Chair by Eco Chic
5. Tropical Summer Luau Party Glass on eBay
6. Tropical Plant Pillow by Back to Basics on Etsy
For more inspiring decor ideas around the 'Cayman' design, see our Pinterest board collection. Any new decorative installation projects we my do with this design will be added to this board alongside more decor inspiration!
And if this beautiful design has piqued your interest, please don't hesitate to contact us to find a distributor near you.
~Christine
If you've seen many of the decorative screen designs available but nothing has quite tickled your fancy, or if you are after something completely unique that no one else will ever have, consider having a custom designed screen made just for you.
By far the easier, less expensive option is to choose your favourite QAQ decorative screen design and have it changed to suit your needs. This may mean cutting the screen smaller or larger to fit a certain installation space, increasing or decreasing the privacy level of the screen by closing or opening up the design, or removing entire sections of the design. Screens can be cut on diagonals, in circles, or in whatever unusual shape you require. For this option, the customising cost on top of the basic costs of the screen is $100 an hour, and usually requires, on average, around 1.5 hours for the large majority of customised screens we produce.
Though this option is a greater investment, it can be the more personally fulfilling option, as you can choose your own design or create your very own artwork and know that you have a completely unique screen that exactly suits the style of your home and more fully expresses and reflects your individual taste. The crucial element of having a custom design made in this way is the quality of the image or file that you choose to send in to our design team. You may send us either a ready-to-cut vector file, or you could simply send a picture of what you desire and we will turn it into a ready-to-cut file. The custom design fee here is, again, $100 per hour, but the average time for this option is around 8 hours. However, you can dramatically reduce the time required to make your file workable by:
• Sending vector files that are 'clean' and have no broken links, overlapping paths, stray points, and that consider the strengths of the design's connective points. It would be a good idea to have a friend or family member who is adept at using vector software to peruse the file and catch-out any irregularities. File types to send us are: dwg., eps., and dxf.
• Sending images that are clear, with as high resolution as possible, minimum 300 gpi, and that show either the complete design you desire or the complete pattern to be repeated in your design.
In addition, try to imagine how the design will work as one piece when it is cut out. Will all the connecting points be strong enough to hold the weight of the inner pieces? Will any inner pieces need to be connected to the larger whole? Will there be areas that allow too much or too little privacy or light? Generally, the simpler the design, the easier and less expensive the total design to production process.
Lastly, a critical issue you must not forget is copyright. We cannot reproduce another artist's or company's designs legally unless you own the rights to the design and can produce proof of ownership. If you love a design but do not own the rights to it, you may create something similar but never exactly the same. The law requires 40% of the total design be altered or completely changed in order to legally reproduce something similar.
1. Email our quotes guru Samantha at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or give her a call and tell her what your dream screen details are, from what you'll be using it for, your budget if you have one, the size you require, the material and if you would like it sealed or painted. If you are not sure about these details, Sam will help you get clear on what will work best for the project you have in mind within whatever budget you are working within.
2. You will receive a quote and estimated design time required.
3. You send through 50% of the payment before we can begin working on your design.
4. When we have the design finished, we send you a proof to approve. Sometimes this process requires a bit of email ping-pong so that we can provide you with exactly what you after and what we know will work well when cut by our machines.
5. When we have your final approval, we then begin the production of the screen.
The customizing of an existing design usually requires 14 business days while the creation of a unique design requires 21 business days.
Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call us at (03) 8390-0306 and we can help you get started on making your dream decorative screen.
Hope this answers most of the questions you may have been wondering on how the whole custom design process works with QAQ decorative screens!
~Christine
The 'Cairo' screen is a minimalist, modern, orderly design that could accommodate almost any contemporary decorating style quite easily, but just for the fun of it--and because of its namesake--let's indulge in a little ancient North African decor, and take a walk like an Egyptian through some of the QAQ projects that have installed 'Cairo' decorative screens!
Here a 'Cairo' cut in mild steel and powder coated a beige color has been installed as a room divider between an open lounge and a foyer, installed by QAQ's installation partner, Installation Works.
This serene pool side wall needed some kind of decorative lift to add interest, and by painting the wall dark and installing multiple 'Cairo' screens cut in ACM (aluminium composite material), not only does this space look less closed-in and boring, it has been given real character.Another view from the same poolside project from the lounge. You can see why the wall, which is a central focal point from the lounge window, was in much need of added interest. No plain painted wall could serve this home so beautifully as the installment of decorative screens.
Though the 'Cairo' design could flexibly suit many decor styles, here is a collection of Egyptian-themed interiors that it would also be right at home alongside. Many QAQ screen materials can be painted any color to match any interior decorating color scheme.If you've ever taken a fancy to the Egyptian ethnic style, finding tasteful decor and fashion products can be a challenge, as the cheap and kitschy endlessly abound, but stylish exceptions do exist, and with a little moderation on the overly-representative, a good mix of just the right number of Egyptian-themed accents can evoke this beautiful, ancient culture. Here is a selection available online at this time:
For more inspiring decor ideas around the 'Cairo' design, see our Pinterest board collection. Any new decorative installation projects we my do with this design will be added to this board alongside more decor inspiration!
And if this beautiful design has piqued your interest, please don't hesitate to contact us to find a distributor near you.
Decorative screens can create a dramatic visual impact when used in a garden setting, making it more inviting, more interesting, more physically comfortable, and more exotic, depending upon the style and how it is installed. Beautiful designs evoke emotional responses in us, and every design has it's own unique character, evoking a different feeling within us, just like the design of a particular style of garden, from modern and tightly manicured Zen garden to a luscious lavender and wisteria-overflowing English cottage style. A well-matched screen and garden can harmoniously create a truly luxurious garden space that you never want to leave on those days when the weather is a kind and accommodating host.
Here are 10 creative ways you can add a decorative garden to screen to your home garden, starting from the rather common ways many of us already know, to a few that perhaps haven't occurred to you, and just might be the answer to an eye-sore or issue you may have with your outdoor space.
One of the most obvious uses of a decorative screen is as a shield from prying eyes. To be able to have a smoke in private, eat a big weekend breakfasts with your partner in your bathrobes, BBQ with your mates and consume a slight overabundance of alcohol, or simply to be downright silly while playing with your pets or children. You need privacy to feel relaxed, comfortable, and to enjoy your garden to its full potential. Decorative screens can offer this, in various percentages of block-out to suit your needs.
2. Prevent Skin Cancer
Nobody needs the full hellishly scorching rays of the Australian summer sun on their skin for more than a few minutes at a time. If you don't have any shield from the sun in your garden, you risk the frying up of all your hard yard work and the cell-imploding cancerous aftermath of an unnaturally ozone-depleted sun on those few but unforgettably-apocalyptic hot days we must endure each year. Get a decorative screen and protect yourself and your precious greenery.
Adding decorative screens across the top of an existing fence is a great way to increase the privacy of your garden when what you have just doesn't quite make you comfortable enough. Perhaps a new development in your neighborhood now aligns a view of your garden with a neighbor's window, or the trellis work atop your fence is rotting and got partially destroyed by an overweight possum. Decorative screens are a cheaper answer to the problem than having to install an entirely new fence.
The inviting charm of a decorative screen installed as a gate door with a bucolic garden setting behind it is irresistibly motivating for a green thumb, and a large metal gate with a bold design on it is intimidating to an intruder. Gates set the mood for what kind of garden you enclose, and decorative screens can really make this a clear statement. They will also deter thieves, stray dogs, juvenile delinquents, and angry ex-partners from accessing your private property, conveniently.
When your little patch of land is overflowing with plants but you would like to continue planting, use the space of your garden wall enclosure to grow your garden vertically! This is an especially popular way to have a larger garden if you live in an urban area with limited outdoor space. Decorative screens placed in strategic positions can keep each wall 'patch' separate while beautifully decorating the spaces in between. We love the green walls at Pap's Vertical Gardens, a QAQ screen distributor in Caulfield, Victoria.
6. Make Your Garden Walls Less Boring
As outdoor decorative art, nothing beats a beautiful screen design placed along a wood fence, rendered walls, bricks walls, or any other large surface that would otherwise go bare and be boring. All QAQ screen designs can be cut in a variety of materials to suit the outdoors, and some, such as aluminium composite material (ACM), can be powder-coated in a number of colors. But the creative aspect does not stop there! You can create your own design, become the artist, and have your own custom screen made up to exactly suit the dream wall art you've always wanted.
7. Replace a Pen or Shed Door
Often shed or pen doors are haphazard, dilapidated affairs put together by somebody's half-blind grandpa, with rusty hinges and bolts that never meet the latches evenly, and rotting wood. Replace those doors with lightweight decorative screens! They will give the old shed or pen a face lift, let more light into that unlit shed, and best of all, they cost a lot less than a heavy wooden door.
8. Create Sunlit Shelving
Raise pot plants and gardening gear off the floor and organize your possessions with shelving created from decorative screens. The advantage over a solid shelving unit is that a decorative screen will allow sunlight to flow through the spaces, keeping any plant life underneath alive and thriving. Screens can be made in metal or wood in any custom size for installation in any size nook or cranny.
9. Build a Pergola
With a number of screens, you could create an island oasis in a larger backyard. There's no need to start from scratch either; you could buy the basic wooden frame of a pergola and clad it with decorative screens to create more shade or privacy. If you have an event planned, such a wedding, you could have the entire thing designed and painted exactly to your taste.
Decorative screens can be nailed along the bottom or backside of porch benches or even made into table tops, cabinet doors, or along the porch railing. Not only do screens beautify the otherwise boring wooden porch, they are especially useful to keep young kids from squeezing their heads through porch railings!
So there you have it! 10 creative uses for QAQ screens you might not have previously known.
If you can think of any creative ways you've seen decorative screens used, tell me how in the comments section!
Named after the beautiful city of Pretoria in South Africa, the 'Pretoria' screen design evokes the feeling of a wild, energetic natural landscape with a unifying harmony that suits contemporary decor especially well.
This decorative screen design is popular in darker colors, as bolder colors seem to suit its bold design.
A similar design with thinner inter-crossing lines is its sister design, 'Utah', seen here on the right.
Two 'Pretoria' screens line the walls here at QAQ Headquarters.
The irregular, strong lines and rough shapes of this design give it an almost intimidating, forbidding feeling, which makes it an ideal decorative statement piece when installed as a gate or in an entrance way in an urban street setting.
Here are some modern, African decorating schemes that a 'Pretoria' screen would work alongside with well:
For more inspiring decor ideas around the 'Pretoria' design, see our Pinterest board collection. Any new decorative installation projects we my do with this design will be added to this board alongside more decor inspiration!
And if this beautiful design has piqued your interest, please don't hesitate to contact us to find a distributor near you.
If you have just had a new compressed hardwood screen installed in an exterior area of your home, or if you have owned one for a while and would like to make sure that it will continue to look good for years to come, here are our professional maintenance tips.
As with the health of our bodies, the best way to keep your screens in optimum condition starts with...
After some time outside, your screen will be due for a good cleaning with clean water to remove dirt and grime and improve the performance of the protective sealants. If there is any mould, remove as much as possible with a stiff brush and then apply a mould remover. Rinse the remover off thoroughly with clean water and allow it to completely dry.
Generally, the exterior surface coatings deteriorate by chalking rather than flaking, so when it is time to re-seal, first prepare the surface of the wood by giving it a good clean, then remove all the loose chalk, dirt, and dust with fine grit sandpaper. Dust the wood off thoroughly and apply a minimum of two coats of your choice of sealant in accordance with the manufacturer's directions. We recommend Cabot's Aquadeck or equivalent. Be sure to give your sealant a good thorough stir with a flat stirrer to achieve the optimum chemical effectiveness. Pay particular attention to the most exposed parts of the screen or wood grain, and use smooth even brush strokes in the same direction. Wait no longer than 15 minutes between coats, as you want to apply the additional coats on before the previous coat has dried; this creates a stronger, more cohesive seal. There is no need to apply more than two coats in most cases, as once the wood is penetrated and sealed, excess coats will simply remain on the surface.
Every four years at least. This will maximise your investment and help your screen to look its best for years to come.
I hope that this post has helped you with maintaining your QAQ screen. If you have any questions about maintenance not answered here, please don't hesitate to contact us! :)
Sincerely,
Christine & The QAQ Staff