Three Degrees of Separation, Rischke's business, provides homeowners with a versatile product that can be tailored to a room's décor.

Also known as room dividers, privacy screens are composed of three or more wooden-framed panels. Once Rischke has built the frames, the wood can be stained or painted according to the customer's taste. Fabric, whether it is silk or upholstery, is fastened to the frame, creating a one-of-a-kind screen. The purpose of these screens, explained Rischke, is multi-faceted.

"They can be used as room dividers, help hide room imperfections, or you can use them as portable storage," she noted.

Rischke made her first privacy screen about three years ago when her daughter, Alexis, went off to university in Halifax. Alexis's apartment, explained Rischke, was "really tiny," so she came up with the idea of making a privacy screen to divide the space in her daughter's new home.

The functional, decorative pieces produced by Three Degrees of Separation are lightweight and can be incorporated into any room of a home, said Rischke, whose background in dress-making and designing. She is called on to help her customers "pull a whole room together."

In addition to privacy screens, Rischke also makes bedding, cushions and window treatments for her clients.

"With fabric, you can do anything," she said enthusiastically, adding that she provides clients with in-home consultations to get a better feel for the task at hand.

Rischke's bubbly personality resonates through her work. She is eager to build her business and create more custom pieces to accentuate each unique living space.

Just recently, the Copetown artist has turned her talents to beautifying children's rooms.

"I would like to get into doing baby nurseries, because you can put them (the privacy screens) in front of a window to block off the light, or stack boxes and diaper pails behind it and just pull it across the corner," said Rischke.

Available in 18-inch or 24-inch sections, the privacy screens can be accentuated with tassels; if the décor of a room changes, the fabric can easily be removed and a new pattern, better suited for the space, can be installed, making privacy screens an economical way to update a room.

"Fabric is so versatile; your choices are endless," she said, adding that she enjoys working with saris, silks, upholstery, sheers and eyelets.

Privacy screens can add drama and colour to a room. Depending on the choice of fabric, the screens can also give a room a sense of freshness and serenity, explained Rischke.

It takes Rischke approximately two days to complete an order in a process she describes as fun and calming. Throughout the winter months, Rischke has been working out of her home. Come the spring, she hopes to take her work outside, where she also plans to display her creations for interested guests and customers.

She's has also looked into renting a vendor's booth at the Kitchener market to exhibit her work. "If it (the business) picks up, I can just make a lot of frames and then people can just pick their fabric and then I can just put the fabric in the frame," she explained.

EXPERIMENT

Rischke told the Review that she eventually hopes to experiment with various media, such as painting on silks, cottons and burlap. She is also looking to team up with a local artisan to structure the fabrics on rod iron frames.

"I'm an artsy person," she said. "I want to be able to have some fun with it."

For more information on what Three Degrees of Separation has to offer, please contact Ines Rischke at (289) 808-9465 or via email threedegreesofseparation@msn.com.