Bold Design Ideas for Stripes on the Walls

While accessories and wall art, ranging from turtle metal wall decor to metal kitchen wall plaques, is a great way to add personality to a room, adding stripes to the walls is an easy and inexpensive way to add interesting and eye-catching design. Whether you paint the stripes, use wallpaper or achieve the look using stenciling or texturing techniques, it can be the perfect way to achieve a stylish designer look. Stripes can also add height or width to the perceived size of a wall, depending on the direction of the stripes. If you've been thinking of decorating one or more walls in your house with stripes, here are some design ideas to get you started.

Bold and Beautiful

If you want to add a bold and intriguing look to a room, paint one or more wide stripes on the wall. Wide horizontal stripes in varying colors and widths can add a contemporary look. A wide stripe in one color bordered by two narrower stripes in a complementary shade can add a dash of color to a wall. If you prefer the look of vertical stripes, try painting narrow stripes of varying width in different shades of the same color. Great color combinations such as cream, pink, brown and black can also add a sophisticated touch. Or, go for a retro look with lime green and pink stripes.

Big Design Impact with Pinstripes

Pinstripes can be a great way to add style to a room. In most cases, wallpaper is the easiest way to add pinstripes to a wall. Choose a pinstripe design that complements the overall color scheme of the room. Or, use a color that provides a color contrast, such as using black and white pinstripes on one wall while painting the other three walls yellow, sage green or brick red. Pinstripes can also look great when used on the top half of a wall, while painting the bottom half of the wall a solid color.   

Daring Diagonal Designs

If you want to add an especially bold and contemporary look to a room, consider adding diagonal stripes. Diagonal stripes can be easy to paint, as long as you measure carefully. Plan your design on paper before painting on the wall. Experiment with different angles to find the pattern you like best. Once you decide on a design, use a tape measure or yardstick to mark the wall along both edges. Then, use a tape measure, straight edge or chalk line to lightly draw the diagonal lines. Use painter's tape to mask off the edges of all the stripes that will be painted a single color. After applying the tape, use a paint brush to paint the stripes. Remove the tape after the paint has dried. It is usually a good idea to wait a day or two before applying painter's tape over the previously painted areas, to avoid adhesion problems. Continue adding diagonal stripes of different colors until your design is complete.

Wavy Stripes

Painting wavy stripes on a wall can add a whimsical look to a room. These fun stripes can often be painted in a freehand fashion, and can be a great way of decorating a child's or teenage girl's room. You can also plan your design on paper before painting on the wall. Foam chisel-edged brushes can make quick work of painting a wavy striped pattern on walls.