Stephanie Forsythe, Todd MacAllen

This elegant space divider combines simple, modest materials in an innovative way to create a compelling and beautiful design object. The Paper Softwall is made of four hundred layers of translucent white paper in a honeycomb structure that strengthens the fragile material. The partition’s many paper layers are bound together at each end by wool felt covers, which fold to create handles for manipulating the wall while it is stretched open and create a protective covering when the wall is collapsed to be stored. Standing six feet, six inches tall, the Paper Softwall limits sight lines and dampens sounds. Lightweight and flexible, the freestanding wall can be arranged numerous ways, empowering users to reconfigure open space into more intimate provisional enclosures.
The word "soft" in the wall's name describes its delicate material composition, but it also refers to its structural capacity to be stretched and compressed to create a range of forms not possible with more rigid, fixed partitions. In addition, the multiple accordion folds of translucent paper in the wall’s surface absorb light and emit a hazy glow, imparting a subtle softness to interior space. Pliable and luminous, the Paper Softwall is an inventive and economical architectural device.