Stripe It Rich
The perfect pattern for people who think they don't like patterns
Design by Emma Jane Pilkington; photo by Erik Kvalsik.
The shelter magazines are declaring that stripes are now in vogue. Which suggests that they were at one point out of vogue.
Impossible. Declaring something as universal and timeless as stripes as outdated is like saying wood tables or cotton sheets are out of style. Certain things transcend trends. And from bold cherry-and-white awning stripes to tone-on-tone Regency stripes, multicolour bayadere stripes to tailored pinstripes, there’s a stripe (or two) for you.
Flora Soames designed both the sofa and the fabric, Sifnos. The use of the same print for the walls and the sofa is so to the manner born, no? Photo by Alexandra Shamis.
The versatility and variety of stripes makes them almost impossible to get wrong. Don’t like (or more likely, are afraid of) pattern in a room? Opt for a sofa upholstered in barely-there hairline stripes that read as solids or a buttoned-down banker-stripe duvet cover. Or go for texture as well as pattern with a fluted or reeded surface, such as drawer fronts or the sides of a kitchen island. (Fluting is where the curves of the carved stripes are concave, or indented; reeding is when they’re convex, or raised, as per this image. I still confuse them on occasion, though I also still confuse my left and my right—never ask me for directions.)
The reeded wall and the striped rug in this room by Lindye Galloway Studio add another layer of texture and straight lines to balance the myriad curves. Photo by Shade Degges Photography.
And if you want more colour and pattern in your home, go ahead and layer stripes atop stripes, or stripes atop florals, or stripes atop just about anything else.
Two types of stripes, several florals, a plaid, and a geometric motif make this bedroom by Katie Garland Designs a personality-packed one-off.
Remember how I said stripes are almost impossible to get wrong? Well, let’s talk about those almosts:
• When mixing stripes, or any patterns really, vary the scale of the motifs. Broad stripes and large-scale florals will compete for attention like Bette Davis and Joan Crawford in Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? Likewise, skinny stripes and itsy ditsy dots are like going to karaoke with a group of introverts: Nobody is going to kick-start the singing.
Designer Baptiste Bohu adroitly mixed broad stripes and narrow stripes, along with broken stripes and, on several pillows, small-scale patterns, in this spectacular space. The very curated palette of black, ivory, and bluish green heightens the impact.
• Horizontal stripes make a room feel wider; vertical stripes make a room’s ceilings feel higher.
See how the stripes on the ceiling of this home office/snug by Arior Design make it feel wider? And because they’re on the ceiling, they also draw the eye up, subtly making the space feel taller as well. So clever!
Tusk Home + Design painted horizontal stripes on the walls to make this bedroom feel more expansive—and it works. The other stripes, as well as the Hunt Slonem bunnies on the armchair, vary fabulously in scale and density. Photo by Rebecca Stern Photography.
• If you’re buying striped furniture, make sure the stripes line up. In both apparel and upholstered furniture, a sign of high quality is the stripes matching across seams. (Aligning the stripes perfectly requires “wasting” fabric and takes extra time, which is why you’ll see mismatched stripes on lower-quality goods.)
See how the stripes of the skirt don’t match up with those of the seat back and cushion? Shudder.
To get the taste of the above mismatched stripes out of the way, I’m going to leave you with two striped spaces that I hope will inspire you to stripe it rich.
Design by Studio Rhonda. So fun!
I didn't think I liked patterns.