How Do You Feel About Stripes?

Do you like stripes? Would you put them in your home? On your walls? Bedding? Dishes? If you really love stripes you may consider them for your walls but sometimes stripes can be scary so keeping them “in line” and in small doses, will do the trick.

Stripes gone wrong. Do you want your home to look like a candy cane?

There are vertical stripes and then there are horizontal stripes. I think it's safe to say that when most of us think about stripes, we think of vertical stripes. 

We all know that using vertical stripes elongates or lengthens a room so you really need to keep in mind all the other vertical elements before you add your stripes. Look at this hallway. I've circled a few of the vertical elements that contribute to making this area look really tall. The planking in the floor, the doorway and the wallpaper - everything is just a little to stripy.

Apartment Therapy

I can see that the whole room is not all stripes (look in the mirror) so having stripes on just one wall MAY be ok but clearly, this look is just not working. Don't you think it's a bit too much? I'd love for the stripes to be on the back burner and highlight that chair. Right now when I look at this room, my eyes go from the wallpaper to the chair to the dresser and back again. With a mellow stripe and overall less “accessories” this would be one smacking room.

I may have used a softer color and a much wider pattern in this room such as the paper I've shown here. In this case, less is more with the stripes.

Throw pillows are always a great way to introduce a design element in our rooms if we're not to sure of it. Be it a strong color or an usual pattern, use accents to ease into your design. Really love these Crate & Barrel pillows.

Crate & Barrel

You can also test out your stripes in the kitchen with dishes and tableware. These cups come in a variety of colors so pick the color that matches your kitchen and enjoy the stripes. 

DESIGN TIP:

Have a bright green kitchen like this mug? Paint some white stripes here and there on one accent wall to give your room a very contemporary look - and it'll match your mugs!

Kitchen wall.

If you need help with stripes in your home, in large doses or just a little, contact me for help. You really can have a lot of fun with stripes but don't get carried away!

Helpful article on wallpaper you'll want to read:
Secrets to Hanging and Removing