Trend alert - Stripes
We've been seeing stripes pop up everywhere at the moment and we are big fans of the trend! Stripes can be cleverly used to suggest altered proportions of a room, or added here and there for a fun splash of pattern and colour. Whether you prefer bold or refined, there is a stripe for everyone and we hope this blog post will inspire you to try them out.
1- Striped Walls
You can use striped walls, whether painted or wallpapered, to completely transform a room depending on their placement. Vertical stripes draw your eyes up and can make a room appear as though it has more height than it does, whereas horizontal stripes can make a room appear wider. Be cautious if your walls are not level because stripes will emphasise this and can make the room look wonky. We are big fans of these striped wallpapers from Rapture and Wright (centre and right images above) which come in multiple colours.
Left image
2- Striped Kitchen Accessories
Accessories are the finishing touches to any interior and a fun way to experiment with trends without the stress and expense of redecorating. Try a cute striped jug, like the one above from Casacarta, filled with flowers for a gorgeous centre piece. Or how about adding these beautiful hand-blown water glasses from Rebecca Udall to your table setting. These are available in a range or colours to match, or contrast, with your existing colour scheme and are a great way to add fun to the otherwise mundane necessities of dining.
3 - Striped Bedding
New bedding is a really quick and easy way to freshen up the bedroom, and the perfect way to experiment with new patterns! We love the colours in the bedding from Bluebellgray (left image) and think this would look great paired with a couple of plain cushions, that pull out one or two of the colours from the stripes, to break up the pattern a little. Striped bedding can also work great In a slightly more neutral scheme (centre image). Just add a couple of subtle striped cushions, or a striped headboard (or both!) to an otherwise neutral room to add visual interest and prevent the scheme from falling flat.
4 - Striped Furniture and Rugs
Striped furniture can either take centre stage and act as a bold focal point for the room (eg. the sofa above), or, with a smaller, more refined stripe, can add a subtle, traditional feel (for example, the chair on the far left) which can be easily worked into your existing decor. Rugs are another great option for introducing stripes into your home. We love using striped rugs in our schemes; similarly to striped wallpapers, they can create the illusion of a larger room and, depending on scale and colour, can work amazingly in both bold, and more neutral spaces.
5- Striped Tiles
Tiles are a good option for introducing stripes into kitchens or bathrooms. Bathrooms can often be tight spaces so utilising horizontal or vertical stripes, as we've mentioned before, can be a good way to make a space like this feel larger. Tiles serve a functional purpose in wet spaces and on surfaces that need to be easy to clean. Given their grid-like layout, it is super easy to incorporate stripes into your bathroom scheme or kitchen splash-back design. Don't be afraid to continue your striped tiles onto the floor for a bold, contemporary look.
6- Mixing Stripes!
Don't be afraid to layer your stripes! Although this sounds intimidating, being bold and embracing 'the stripe' can result in some amazing looking spaces. Our advice would be to mix stripes of different scale and pattern to avoid the room blurring into one. Combine this with the use of solid blocks of colour to break up the space allowing somewhere for the eye to rest. We think the central picture above is a really good example of this technique. The bold striped carpet looks great mixed with the chevron striped wallpaper and traditional striped chairs. This array of stripes is then broken up by solid blocks of colour in the art work, cushions and bed covers.