Living in a small space (read: any apartment that’s Manhattan-sized or similar) may be better for the environment, but it doesn’t always feel great. Maybe you want to separate yourself from your roommates—two in a one-bedroom seemed like such a good (and cost-effective) idea when you moved in—or maybe you just don’t want to look at your kitchen sink while you’re in bed in your studio apartment. Either way, being a renter means you’re limited on renovation options. And if your trying to save a little cash with your small space, chances are you’re limited in the budget sense as well. Enter the Bamboo Screen from Gaiam.

We’ll admit that at $299 the bamboo room divider isn’t the cheapest thing on the market—especially if most of your furniture was picked up by the cheap and green method of scouring the sidewalk—but it’s worth the extra money. This room divider is made from eco-friendly, pesticide-free bamboo stalks and can conform to any space, meaning you can curve it around that any weird features of your apartment or just arch it to create a pseudo-bedroom. And because the bamboo screen is so flexible (and strong, like bamboo itself) you can roll it up and store it if you want a break from the look.

Bamboo has long been a buzzword when it comes to green materials, but there’s also been a lot of debate about how green it truly is when heavily processed (as is the case with some bamboo fabrics and bamboo furnishings), and that’s another reason this bamboo room divider gets our approval: The bamboo stalks that are used to create it remain relatively un-processed (if in doubt, just look at the screen up close!) and are sealed with a non-toxic water-based finish, so you’re not getting unhealthy offgassing with your new find.

So, yes, Gaiam’s bamboo screen may cost a bit, but for a truly green piece of furniture that gives you a little privacy and separation and adds an element of grown-up, modern decor to your pad, we’d say it’s money well spent.

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