A rendering of a gold laser-cut screen in a hotel lobby looks convincing, and that is exactly the problem. The image tells a buyer what the finished feature wall should feel like, but it says nothing about panel sizes, how the panels join, which gold tone was intended, or where the screen has to stop because a sprinkler line runs behind it. Those are the details a factory needs before it can quote, and they are the reason custom metal screens so often stall between design intent and production.

The Custom Gold Stainless Steel Laser Cut Decorative Screen Partition is made to order: pattern, size, finish and material are all set from your drawing, photograph or reference image. This guide walks through the information that turns a design brief into an enquiry a manufacturer can price and build without three rounds of clarification.

Start with the job the screen has to do

Before anyone talks about colour, write down the function. A decorative metal screen in a project usually does one or more of four jobs: it divides a space without closing it off; it screens an awkward sightline such as an entry view into a dining area; it acts as a feature wall behind a reception desk or bar; or it frames and conceals a niche, service panel or structural column.

Each job changes the build. A room divider needs a stable base condition and usually a multi-panel configuration, while an applied feature wall is fixed to a substrate and can be lighter at the edges. Screening a sightline sets how open the pattern may be; a screen used to hide equipment needs enough solid area to do that work. Write the function in one sentence per location, and put it at the top of your enquiry.

Send the reference, not just the idea

A manufacturer can fabricate from a drawing, a photograph or a mood-board reference — all three are accepted starting points. What matters is matching the reference to what you actually want reproduced.

• A dimensioned drawing is the fastest route. Elevations with overall width and height, panel divisions marked, and notes on edge conditions are enough to start a quotation.
• A photograph of an installed screen works well when you want a similar effect rather than the same geometry. Say plainly which parts you want copied: the density of the pattern, the metal tone, or the way the panels are framed.
• A motif or artwork file — a vector logo, a floral repeat, a geometric tile — is useful when the pattern carries brand or project identity. Send the editable file if you have it, and state whether the motif may be scaled to fit the panel grid.

If your reference comes from another project or supplier, treat it as inspiration rather than a specification. Pattern density that works on a small panel can look heavy once the same motif runs across a full-height panel, and a motif sized for one wall rarely transfers unchanged to another.

Fix the opening dimensions and the constraints around them

Screens are fabricated to exact dimensions, so measure the opening rather than the design intention. Record overall width and height at several points, plus the floor-to-ceiling height if the screen runs full height. Then note what sits behind and beside it: skirting, cornices, architraves, doors that must still swing, handrails, light switches, HVAC grilles and any service access you cannot block.

Two constraints come up most often and are cheapest to resolve before fabrication. The first is the floor finish — a screen set onto timber, stone or carpet behaves differently at the base, and a threshold or transition strip can change the finished height. The second is the fixing condition; a hollow partition wall needs different anchorage than a concrete or masonry wall, and that affects how the frame is detailed.

Decide how many panels and where the joints fall

Panel count is a design decision, not only a manufacturing one. Multi-panel configurations let a wide feature wall be built, transported and installed in sections, and they give you a natural place to stop the pattern at an opening or corner. Where the joints land changes how the motif reads across the wall, so mark the joint positions on your elevation and ask for them to be reflected in the shop drawing.

The Custom Bronze Stainless Steel Laser Cut Decorative Screen Partition shows how a multi-panel layout carries a single pattern across a wide wall — the same logic applies whatever finish you specify. If your screen wraps a corner or steps around a column, say so in the enquiry and provide the corner dimension.

Name the finish, and see it before production

"Gold" covers a wide range of stainless steel surface treatments. A mirror gold reflects sharply and reads as jewellery against dark stone; a brushed gold has a soft directional sheen and hides fingerprints better in a busy lobby; an antique or bronze-gold tone sits warmer and pairs with timber. Surface options on these screens include brushed gold, mirror gold and antique bronze tones, and the finish is chosen per project.

For hospitality work this choice rarely stays on paper. The Custom Gold Mirror Stainless Steel Screen with Rose Gold Decorative Accents combines a mirror gold ground with rose gold floral accents, which is the kind of mixed-finish detail worth confirming on a physical sample before the full run. Ask for a finish sample in the metal and tone you are specifying, view it under the actual lighting, and sign off on it.

Choose the substrate with the environment in mind

Stainless steel is the usual material for these laser-cut screens because it holds a cut edge well, resists corrosion and wipes clean — relevant in lobbies, clubs and F&B areas where a screen will be touched. Panel thickness is customised to the size of the panel and the openness of the pattern: fine, dense detail needs enough gauge to stay flat, while large-format open patterns can work with lighter sheet.

If the screen sits near a pool, spa or an entrance where salt air and water are part of the environment, raise that in the enquiry rather than assuming it. Finish specification and maintenance expectations should be written into your project documentation, and any performance or warranty wording should come from the manufacturer's current terms for that specific job.

Plan lighting early — it is half the effect

A laser-cut screen is a light-shaping device. Light passing through hollow patterns throws shadow onto the floor and walls beyond, which is what gives a reception screen its depth. Decide whether the screen will be lit from the front, backlit, or both, and coordinate that with your lighting design before the pattern is finalised.

Backlighting changes the build: it needs a setback from the wall, a route for wiring, and access for lamp replacement. Front lighting needs to be angled so the metal does not glare at eye level across a lobby. A quick mock-up of one panel section against a lit wall tells you more than a rendering.

Package the enquiry so it can be quoted in one pass

A complete enquiry saves weeks. Send:

• Location and function of each screen, one line per location.
• Elevations or sketches with overall dimensions, panel divisions marked, and edge conditions noted.
• The pattern reference — vector file where available — plus a note on what may be scaled or repeated.
• Finish choice, with the sample or reference you are matching to.
• Substrate and thickness preference if your specifier has one, or ask for a recommendation against panel size.
• Fixing conditions, floor finish, and anything behind the screen that must stay accessible.
• Delivery destination, site access constraints, and required on-site dates.
• Quantity of screens and whether more phases are likely later in the programme.

Because these screens are bespoke, quantity is not a fixed number — minimum order quantities are set per project, so state your scope honestly and ask how it affects unit cost. If you have several screens across a development, group them in one enquiry; matching finishes and shared packaging usually make sense.

What a good response looks like

A capable supplier replies with a shop drawing that shows the pattern scaled to your panel sizes, joint positions marked, and finish noted — not just a price. Expect questions about constraints you did not mention; those questions are a sign the drawing will be buildable. Confirm the signed shop drawing before fabrication starts, and keep it as the reference for inspection on delivery.

If the screen is one item in a wider fit-out, sourcing it alongside related work reduces coordination load. As a hotel furniture and fit-out supplier, SANTERSON fabricates decorative screens together with the surrounding interior scope — paneling, joinery, lighting and furnishings — under one production and delivery programme, which keeps a feature wall inside the main site schedule rather than turning it into a separate trade package.

Before you send it: five checks

• Does every screen have a stated function and location?
• Are dimensions taken from the opening, with obstructions noted?
• Is the pattern reference editable or at least high resolution, with scaling permission stated?
• Has a physical finish sample been requested and reviewed under site lighting?
• Are panel joints, lighting method and fixing conditions drawn rather than assumed?

Work through those five and the enquiry moves from an image to a buildable package. Send your drawings, photographs or references with the details above, and the gap between the rendering on your brief and the installed gold screen in your lobby closes to a single fabrication run.