Stripes ..... Yikes!

Stripes.....
such a  classic pattern that has been used in interior design for eons.

How to make it look fresh and new?

Turn it on it's side and go horizontal !!

I'm sure this wasn't the first time I had seen horizontal stripes, but this cover really left an impression on me because they had turned the wallpaper sideways to install.  I was in love!

 Since I'm really into mixing the classic with the modern, I think this play on the stripe brings those two elements together unlike a traditional vertical stripe could have.

Here's a few more examples of how the horizontal stripe marries the traditional with the more modern style.

Better Homes and Gardens

Mary McDonald, Interior Designer

Caroline Paterson, Interior Designer

Nathan Turner, Interior Designer

Even on a lampshade!  Love the attention to detail, don't you?

Robert Passal, Interior Designer

Can you see the door in this one?  How fun is that!  I love the mix of the traditional architectural drawings with the contemporary elements....hide chair, parson's table, graphic rug....

Victoria Hagan, Interior Designer - Holly Hunt fabric

So, how many repeats in this space? 

Belle Maison

Here's an interesting play on the stripe....vertical stripes in the bead board and the chair juxtaposed with the metallic horizontal lines painted on the wall.  Because they are all neutral, they don't fight each other.  Very clever...and very well thought out.

The more expected place to find horizontal stripes  is in a more contemporary space.  Since these spaces can sometimes look more sterile and cold, check out how the horizontal stripes in vibrant colors can warm them up .

 Watergate Condo    Ponte-Mellor Architects

 Have you noticed that when the stripe is so predominant, it's important to tone down everything else?  The neutral furniture and accessories allow the stripe to take center stage. 

Decor pad

Mary McDonald as see in Domino Magazine

Dolly Howarth, Interior Designer

Isn't this just more fun than a plain red entry?

Lee Klienfelter as seen in Lonny Magazine

Classic black and white is energized when it's run horizontally in varying widths. 

I think it takes a certain degree of "chutzpah" ( or "cajones", as we often say in Texas!) to run with the horizontal stripes. 

Can you do it?