Pattern Love – Stripes

The two design elements I love to play with the most in my home are color and pattern.  I don’t shy away from either, and I think both play a huge a role in the personality of a design.  Patterns can be fun and playful or add structure and depth.  One of my favorite patterns, that is repeated quite a bit around here, is stripes.  You can never go wrong with stripes, in my opinion.  A striped pattern plays well with just about every other pattern from florals to plaids.  In addition, stripes work with every design aesthetic from modern to traditional to coastal.  When in doubt, stripes are your friend!

Stripes on Stripes

I’m a big fan of mixing stripes with stripes.  The key is in using slightly different scales and varying the direction.

(diy striped wall vase – pineapple print)

I love stripes in any color, but I tend to gravitate toward black and white.  I like the edge they bring to a room.  They work well with solids, adding in a little visual interest.

(velvet – stripe)

Repeating Patterns

One question I get a lot from readers is how to create design flow in your home when you want every space to feel unique but unified.  I think repeating patterns is one way to do that, and stripes are a great pattern to repeat throughout a home.  You don’t have to go crazy with them.  Small doses can be impactful while creating cohesiveness.  Since stripes are a design classic that never go out of style or ever get overly trendy, unlike chevron for example, they are a fairly safe bet too.

The stripe pattern from my entry foyer was repeated in a small dose in the powder room off of the hallway.

(diy schoolhouse style light)

And then again there’s a little dose of stripes in my living room via throw pillows.

Ode to Stripes

Stripes are playful, yet classic.  They’re one of the easiest patterns to work with design-wise as they play so nicely with others.  In my opinion you can never have enough stripes in your life, interiors or fashion, but a little dose does go a long way!

(1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)

That striped bedding would be a nice alternative to an all-white bed yet would still leave lots of room open for color and pattern options.  Or you could go big with that gorgeous striped headboard!!   I’m a huge fan of that sweet little trinket box.  It’s perfect for a coffee table, nightstand, bookshelf……..the list is never ending!  It’s great for storing breath mints, extra buttons or loose change.

Happy Valentine’s Day friends!  I hope your day is filled with lots of love!

xoxo – C