I use a lot of basswood which is a very stable material and similar in characteristics to woods used in the orient for shoji. I've also used hard woods including red and white oak, ash, mahogany, teak and cherry.  And, I've built screens using teak and other exotic woods. My customers often choose artificial rice paper which is a product designed for use in shoji.  I also have a real rice paper which is laminated to a material to make it durable for use in our dry climate and a linen-type fabric.  Hardware can be simple (and often not used) or as exotic as the custom forged tansu handles I had made for a pair of screens. I have professional-grade spray equipment and use waterbased, earth-friendly finishes whenever possible. Sometimes the finish is left natural in color; sometimes it is stained. It can also be finished in a black lacquer appearance and I sometimes use a waterbourne finish to accomplish this.