How to earn your stripes
THERE is something jaunty and elegant about stripes. But the main reason behind their enduring appeal in our homes is their versatility. There’s a stripe for every type; they can be playful and colourful, bold and brash or delicate and feminine.
‘They work in so many different ways,’ says Sue Jones, founder of OKA. ‘Whether it’s in a classic or contemporary look, and a big or small space.’
Not only do they look fabulous, they’re clever, too. ‘Stripes are great tools for emphasising space in rooms with small proportions,’ says Sue. ‘The trick is to simply make sure the stripes are facing the direction you wish to enhance.
‘For example, if you have a room with low ceilings, vertical stripes are your friend as the pattern naturally draws the eye and gives the impression of a taller room.
Likewise, a horizontal stripe will help to make a narrower room feel more spacious.’
The gender-neutral element of stripes means they can be used in any room, and one can lean into a colour palette to emphasise the desired effect.
‘Stripes are good for mixing with other patterns such as florals and geometric ones,’ says interior designer Henriette von Stockhausen, founder of VSP Interiors.
So how should stripes be used in a space?
UP THE WALL
WALLPAPER is an impactful way to introduce stripes — and the thicker the stripe, the bolder the look. If using broad stripes stick to two colourways.
For an exuberant tent stripe effect, Cole & Son’s Glastonbury Stripe is an excellent choice (€136 per 10.05m roll, cole-and-son.com). The stronger the colours, the greater the impact.
Farrow & Ball’s Tented Stripe wallpaper, which is inspired by the Regency trend for draped textiles, combines very thin stripes around a bolder central stripe and has a lovely classic feel (€182 per 10m roll, stillorgandecor.ie).
Continuing the striped wallpaper onto the ceiling, or using a striped wallpaper just on the ceiling to complement a floral pattern, can create a modern look.
For historic interiors, Henriette suggests using muted colours ‘such as sage greens, pale pinks and warmer yellows which work so well as a backdrop to antiques’.
Don’t be scared to paint them on. ‘We painted a stripe about two-thirds of the way down a wall behind the dining table in a project where the wall needed breaking up visually,’ says interior designer Kate Guinness.
‘Handily it was also a way of stopping the chair backs from scuffing the walls. In the same project, we also painted a stripe around the top of the walls near the ceiling in different thicknesses.’
UPHOLSTERY FUN
FINE, soft stripes are brilliant for upholstering. Sue Jones suggests doing this ‘in a room abundant in florals and rich colours where you can add in a large piece like an ottoman and it won’t overwhelm the space’. Try OKA’s Crusoe Upholstered Ottoman in soft charcoal (now €1,025, oka. com).
Then, of course, one can have fun with louder pieces, such as the boldly striped Sophie Conran Coco 2.5-seater sofa in Stripes Petunia (€6,785, sophie conran.com).
Liven up a neutral space with a striped chair such as Neptune’s Madeleine Armchair in Carskiey Stripe (€975, neptune.com), which features numerous stripes in green and rusty colours, or reupholster a sofa in Robert Kime Caspian, a pattern inspired by a central Asian weave found in Kyrgyzstan (€350 per metre, robertkime.com).
FAB FABRICS
CUSHIONS are the easiest and cheapest way to introduce stripes. For thick bold stripes, M&S’s pure cotton striped cushion in green is a snip at €27 (marksandspencer.com, pictured). It’s worth experimenting with the direction of the stripes. Village London’s Two-Faced Schumacher and Guy Goodfellow cushion has a Cothay Stripe on one side and a timeless ticking stripe on the reverse, meaning you can change the look according to your mood (€220, villagelondon.co). The vertical nature of stripes naturally lends them to curtains and blinds. Cloth in Dublin has a wonderful selection of striped fabric, from the popular ticking stripes to wider and patterned stripes. Try using Ticking Fabric (€28 per metre, cloth. ie). Striped blinds inside drawing room curtains will add a sophisticated layered effect.
HIT THE FLOOR
DEPENDING on which way the stripes are running, rugs can be used to manipulate a space. Birdie Fortescue’s new striped panel rug comes in soft colours that blend with patterned prints (€700, birdiefortescue.co.uk).
To brighten up a hall, use a rug with jazzy colours and bold stripes, such as Weaver Green’s Darjeeling Rainbow Runner Rug (€205, weavergreen.com).
Stripes can be created on a floor, round a fireplace or in a bathroom or kitchen using tiles.
You can either make your own by alternating two different colours or use a striped tile such as Bert & May’s Rhubarb Wide Stripe Tile, which is a vibrant red and white (€104 per box of 14 tiles, bertandmay.com). It will immediately draw focus.
Whether opting for muted or bold, thick, or thin, stripes will always add a burst of warmth and character to your home.