I Spy Stripes

Striped walls may provide you with memories of Victorian parlor wallpaper, but in today's world painted stripes can add some serious drama to your home.  Whether you enjoy the boldness of sharp color contrast or the tranquility of tonal contrast, there is a style and color scheme perfectly fitting for your style.  You can create vertical stripes to make your spaces feel taller.  You can paint horizontal stripes to make your space feel wider.  Even the width of each individual stripe can visually manipulate your spaces into feeling more cozy or stark.

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The use of narrow, vertical stripes adds instant height to this sitting room.  The muted paint color choices add a vintage feeling without becoming outdated.

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For a more modern aesthetic, over scale stripes are paired with thin horizontal stripes to add interest to the walls of this bedroom.  The graphic pattern definitely has a personality, but not so much that the stripes compete with the quatrefoil headboard and starburst mirror.

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This office creates a subtle striped wall effect by using rectangular elements to form both vertical and horizontal stripes depending on how you look at the walls.  By not having sharp lines delineating each visual stripe, this treatment is more subtle and highly textural.  The subtlety of the walls allows for the mix of a bold striped rug without feeling like you are at the circus.

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Many times we associate blue and white stripes with a nautical theme, and this room fits that description.  I enjoy the unexpected use of horizontal stripes to decorate the underside of a chair rail.  The serene blue and gray stripes allow the rustic wood furniture to pop while the walls seem to recede into the background.