31 brilliant ideas for decorating with stripes

Decorating with stripes has become a prominent trend, with a particular emphasis on bold designs. The recent surge in popularity for nostalgic candy-striped fabrics, offered by both traditional and modern makers, highlights this trend. These contemporary stripes often feature broad color bands against a white background, evoking a cheerful, seaside-holiday aesthetic. Examples include designs seen in European homes, such as Lucinda Chambers' house in France and Camilla Guinness' painting school in Tuscany, as well as deckchair-style stripes from brands like Ottoline and Zak & Fox. While upholstery serves as an excellent medium for bold stripes, wallpaper offers a more dramatic application. Options like Adam Bray’s ‘Brown Paper Stripe’ or Cole & Son’s ‘Regatta Stripe’ can create a striking effect. Alternatively, painting walls with alternating striped colors provides a more accessible way to embrace this trend. Despite current popularity, stripes maintain timeless appeal due to their simplicity and versatility in interior design. Beyond bold contemporary patterns, traditional ticking stripes remain a perennial favorite, available in both affordable and high-end options from designers like Robert Kime and Colefax and Fowler. Similarly, the earthy tones and striped motifs of kilims and jajims consistently add warmth and texture to spaces. Various case studies from the House & Garden archive illustrate diverse applications of stripes in home decoration. For instance, designer Rachel Chudley utilized Soane’s ‘Qajar Stripe’ and Cole & Son’s ‘Cambridge Stripe’ to visually link a bedroom and its en-suite bathroom in a London house. In an 18th-century Cotswold house, Turner Pocock employed neutral walls to emphasize striped fabrics and a rug, featuring Schumacher’s ‘Zarzuela Stripe Embroidery’ on a sofa. Joanne Burgess's house in Henley-on-Thames showcases multiple striped elements, including upholstery, blinds, tiles, and a painted floor with Farrow & Ball’s ‘Mizzle’ and ‘India Yellow’ complementing ‘Cromarty’ on the walls. Interior designer Lucy Cunningham’s Hampshire cottage features a classic ticking stripe for upholstery, specifically Guy Goodfellow's ‘Olive Sacking’. Rachel Allen incorporated antique Anatolian textiles with lively red, white, and black stripes on a bespoke sofa in a Spitalfields Huguenot house. Lonika Chande’s Chelsea townhouse kitchen combines a simple striped blind from Flora Soames with a complex, colorful banquette stripe from Penny Morrison. Pernille Lind’s London home features a custom George Smith sofa upholstered in a bold blue and brown bespoke Pierre Frey fabric, anchoring a neutral room design. Suzy Hoodless used bespoke wallpaper from Adam Ellis Studio in a London townhouse staircase to create anticipation and set a lively tone. Tom Helme’s Scottish country house, Carskiey, features Fermoie’s ‘Tented Stripe’ fabric, inspired by historical military tents. Anna Haines utilized cushions made from antique jajims and Robert Kime's ‘Tynemouth Ticking’ on an ottoman in a former vicarage near Bath, demonstrating subtle striped applications. Alice Palmer’s London house employs a striped ceiling in the baby’s bedroom, painted in Farrow & Ball’s ‘Folly Green’ and ‘Slipper Satin’, creating the illusion of wider space, balanced by Colefax and Fowler’s ‘Sudbury Park’ wallpaper. Antique dealer Dorian Caffot de Fawes and designer Thomas Daviet applied bright yellow Japanese washi tape to kitchen cabinets in their south London home, inspired by hotel pool towels. Matilda Goad’s London house features striped Roman blinds in her bedroom, enhancing the soft pink walls. Natalie Tredgett’s flat in West London includes European Heritage ‘Metronome’ tiles in green and white to create a striped effect in the bathroom, reminiscent of beach towels. In a California house, David Bentheim designed a striking floor with striped zellige tiles to lighten the space and direct the eye to a navy-painted bath. Fashion stylist Sarah Corbett-Winder’s London house showcases bold striped wallpapers, including Farrow & Ball’s ‘Broad Stripe’ in her kitchen. Interiors studio Arent&Pyke; incorporated indigenous art and a broadly striped rug to anchor the deep colors of furniture in a Sydney Harbour newbuild. Miranda Alexander’s Dorset cottage features a delicately striped sofa in ‘Olive Sacking’ by Guy Goodfellow Collection, complemented by other patterned cottons. Gavin Houghton’s Tangier house highlights a red stripe on a sofa, mirrored on the ceiling to add interest to an often-overlooked area. Designer Ben Pentreath’s Arts and Crafts house includes a broadly striped rug in a wood-paneled sitting room. Camilla Guinness’ painting school in Tuscany prominently features red and white stripes in its decoration, including bespoke day beds. Lucinda Chambers’ house in France also utilizes red and white striped upholstery fabric as curtains and tablecloths. Violet Dent’s London house displays a love for florals and stripes, with broadly striped cushions and a rug enlivening the sitting room. Fashion designer Gavin Waddell’s Regency townhouse in Cheltenham features colorful striped sofas against vivid green walls, blending neoclassical and oriental styles. Henrietta Courtauld’s London home incorporates a striped stair runner in warm reds, complementing the wooden floor and adding color to the grey staircase. Christopher Howe’s barn in Gloucestershire combines brightly colored and patterned fabrics with an orange-toned striped tablecloth and green-striped cushions. Textiles dealer Susan Deliss’ house in rural Burgundy showcases a striped ottoman, linked to other furniture by the color red. Edward Bulmer’s Queen Anne house in Herefordshire features a subtle striped carpet and a bolder complementary stair-runner. An 18th-century house in Bath has walls painted in Paint & Paper Library’s ‘Slate III’ and a floor in Farrow & Ball’s ‘Slipper Satin’, providing a backdrop for a metal four-poster bed with antique drapes and cushions, alongside Turkish striped rugs. Finally, Louise Jones’ Victorian cottage includes built-in bookshelves beside walls covered in Nicole Fabre Designs' 'Abbeville' fabric, with stripes complementing the reading material. #DecoratingWithStripes #InteriorDesign #HomeDecor #Wallpaper #Upholstery #TickingStripes #Kilims #Jajims #ColorSchemes #Textiles #DecoratingWithStripes #InteriorDesign #HomeDecor #Wallpaper #Upholstery #TickingStripes #Kilims #Jajims #ColorSchemes #Textiles