Think you can’t balance sass with classic? Fun with sophisticated? Think again. Decorating with stripes gives your home a textural balance of timeless spunk. Here are some great ways to incorporate stripes into your décor. 

Pillow line up

Whether you’re sprucing up a sitting area or a bedroom, mingling striped pillows with floral or delicate patterned pillows is a foolproof design trick. Just stick within a one-color palette. The result will be a homey, yet cohesive design. 

Lengthen your walls

For the subtle among us, a nice muted or tone-on-tone vertical stripe on wall paper or fabric wall treatment will give more height to your room. Feeling bold? Stripes in more pronounced contrast colors make a statement. Whether you apply your striped finish to one wall as an accent or take it all the way with a roomful, make sure you get those lines hung straight and even. If you decide to paint your stripes on the wall, pull out your blue painters tape and a level to ensure crisp, clean lines.

Jazz up the floor

If you’ve got hardwood, you’ve got beautiful natural lines just waiting for a chance to shake things up! Refinish your floors using the wood slats as a natural guide. Be creative and design the pattern that best reflects your style. If you’re not ready to break out the paints for a wood floor or to create a pattern with tile flooring, area rugs offer the flexibility of a dose of pattern and color without the long-term commitment.

Go up

Make a statement with a striped ceiling. Break out the tape and paint brush! You can keep your bars of color isolated to the ceiling or you can continue the vertical lines of an accent wall up and across the overhead space. If your room has a pendant lamp or chandelier, your lines can radiate out from the light source like sun rays shining across your room.

Cushions and bedding, oh my!

Your furniture is a great place to introduce stripes. Pick a piece to spotlight instead of going all out. A single chair or ottoman in a stripe pattern demands notice. In the bedroom, bring in the lines with your bedding. A striped bed skirt paired with a floral or solid duvet can be stunning. Alternately, striped sheets can complement a more demure bedspread. Like the throw pillows, you can mix and match your patterns of your seating and bedding as long as you stay within the same color palette.

Accessorize

From lamps to mirror frames, from wall art to drapes, stripes can be an accessory's best friend. Just don’t overdo it. Pick a few items to feature lines, and intermingle them with solids and complementary patterns.

by Anjie Cho

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