Let's Explore Summer-y Stripes
How and where to use stripes at home
Ah, the timeless allure of a Summer stripe – a combination as classic as sunsets on the beach and cold lemonade. Picture yourself strolling with a yummy gelato in hand along a cobblestone street in a quaint Italian seaside village, wearing your favorite leather sandals with your lovely blue and white striped dress…
Summer promises adventure, relaxation, and endless style possibilities for your wardrobe but also YOUR HOME, where you can also incorporate the timeless charm of the iconic stripe.
In fashion and interior design, stripes can be cleverly used to visually expand (or extend) either your silhouette or a space as they’ll stretch the appearance of walls, ceilings and floors either vertically or horizontally, depending on the direction in which you apply them.
They also can do this with your hips and height, so you want to consider where you place a stripe in order to allow it to work for you, and not against you! It’s the same in a room. A stripe can expand or shrink.
Let’s talk specifically about stripes for your lovely home, shall we? And get some inspiration for how to use them…
Remember:
Horizontal stripes elongate the room and make it feel wider or longer.
Vertical stripes make ceilings appear taller and create the illusion of height and drama.
Stripes add personality and, depending on color, bring in a specific mood - they can feel super classy and posh (think black and white stripes), sophisticated and rich (metallic gold and cream stripes), playful and fun (rainbow stripes or yellow and white for example) or like a day spent at the beach (think blue and white Italian holidays).
Stripes are great for minimalists since they help to break up a monochromatic space and add some warmth - so the room goes from clinical to cozy. Minimalists can usually commit to a stripe as well, since it’s still technically a pattern but stripes can go extremely understated and barely noticeable if you find the right ones for your decor - for instance pinstripes in beige and cream as a throw rug or cream stripes that are visible in a cord sofa.
They also work wonderfully for the maximalist, since they inject power, joy, and confidence depending on how you combine them with other patterns and colors, and how bold you go with their application (all four walls in red/white striped wallpaper for instance. When I think of a circus, I see nothing but stripes! A stripe can go very big and very, very bold.
Here are some ways to use stripes in your home decor - stripes that are both bold and subdued. Let me know which looks catch your eye from the images below.
WALLS/CEILINGS. Stripes in your art work, painted on walls, as wallpaper… is a nice way to incorporate them in a fresh, modern way. They can even be part of the architecture such as wood paneling for your lakeside cottage. Of course, add them to your ceilings as well. Painted stripes overheard, ceiling beams… Get creative!
FLOORS. Wood floors are generally laid to resemble stripes, right? And you can find lots of rugs with stripes. (Even the paper lantern has stripes and the ceiling.) Lines and stripes are everywhere in this room - even the window frames and doors. We have all seen plenty of examples of stripes in rugs and flooring though, so let’s move on…
SEATING. Add stripes on the sofa. It can even be a topper on a sofa seat, a few cushions, or the entire sofa. Reupholster chairs or find interesting chairs with stripes. What a terrific accent to any room but they can also be a dominate focal point (such as an entire sofa). You can also easily DIY a good stripe as with fabric paint on linen to create a pillow if you don’t want to commit to an entire chair or sofa.
OUTDOORS. For your patio, porch, by the swimming pool, stripes REALLY look great. They add character in natural environments since they are such a strong contrast. Stripes bring a cozy vibe and feel very welcoming.
BEDROOMS. For headboards, walls, throw pillows, bedding, rugs, art… Go for it!
BATHROOM TILES. Go bold or subdued, but stripes work perfectly in the bathroom as towels or shower curtains, or in the tile work as they are classic and make the space feel both luxurious and tidy.
For loads of visual inspiration on stripes, visit my Pinterest STRIPES board - I put it together just for you!
There are clearly a MILLION ways to use a stripe in the home.
How do you use them?
Do you love a good stripe, too?
Love,
Holly
I’m from the Palm Beach area, which is known for its colorful stripes and rich-girl-lounging-by-the-pool vibe. Alas, I was not said girl, hence my obsessive desire to own a pink and white striped pool umbrella. Someday. ANY DAY.