When it comes to color, an easy way to get a bold look with lots of varying shades is to bring a pattern like stripes into your home. So when Kate Spade named stripes as the pattern of the month, we decided to hunt for some home decorating ideas that involve lots of color and stripes. And, well, we may have gone just a little overboard. You might be doubtful, but we ended up with fifty tips bringing color into the home with stripes. Yes, really. (Believe us, it didn't start out that way.) And the key to the power of stripes? Versatility.
First off, the possibilities with color are endless with it comes to stripes. Want to add drama to a room? Bold contrasting colors, especially in wide stripes, will instantly provide an impressive backdrop. Going for a playful vibe? Multicolored thin stripes can add excitement and fun. Leaning towards something more subtle and soothing? Monochromatic stripes are perfect since they won't be too distracting.
Additionally, stripes can create effective illusions that can greatly change the look and size of a space since the pattern is so directional (left-and-right or up-and-down). That said, vertical stripes on the walls, bold or subtle, will draw the eye up and visually help add height to a space, whereas horizontal stripes will force a side-to-side gaze that will widen a smaller room.
Stripes can also bring harmony to an otherwise busy space. Since stripes are such a simple pattern, just parallel lines, they interact with other graphics especially well. In a room full of florals, adding a striped accent will help ground the organic lines and will pull the different prints together. Even a room full of solids can be disjointed. If you have green, pink and yellow accents, one rug with all three of these colors will immediately unify the space. And one dramatic moment of stripes is often all you need to enliven a room, which means less money spent filling the space with accessories.
Click through the slideshow below for our 50 do's and don'ts of decorating with stripes. And for other color inspiration stories, check out Paint Colors That Boost Your Mood, The Dos And Don'ts Of Decorating With Red, Decorating With Yellow.
