The Stripe, Reconsidered

There is more to this most classical of patterns than the feature wall. Here, five ways to use striped wallpaper that feel genuinely fresh.

The stripe has never really gone away. It has, however, been somewhat misused — relegated to the occasional Regency revival or the overly cautious bedroom refresh, hung vertically on a single wall and left to do very little. Which is a shame, because in the right hands, a stripe is one of the most architecturally powerful patterns available to an interior.

The designers who understand this tend to use it in ways that surprise. Not loudly — there is nothing gratuitous about a well-placed stripe — but with a quiet confidence that transforms the logic of a room entirely.

Look up

The most compelling argument for stripes right now is not on your walls at all, but on your ceiling. What designers have long referred to as 'the fifth wall' remains the most consistently overlooked surface in the home, and yet it offers enormous potential. A stripe run across the ceiling draws the eye upward, lending height and drama to a room without adding visual weight to the walls. The effect — particularly in a dining room or a dressing room — is one of considered theatricality. It looks deliberate in the best possible sense.

Turn them on their side

The default assumption is that stripes run vertically. It is worth questioning this. A horizontal stripe reads entirely differently — broader, more languid, with an ease that suits living rooms and bedrooms particularly well. It also, for what it's worth, makes a room feel wider, though the visual interest it creates is reason enough on its own.

Go wide

The narrow stripe belongs to a different era. A generous, wide stripe has a graphic boldness that sits comfortably within contemporary interiors — closer to abstract pattern than to anything that might be described as traditional. If you want stripes to feel current, this is the detail that makes the difference.

Edit rather than commit

For those not yet persuaded by the full room, stripes used as an inlay offer all of the personality with considerably less risk. Papered within a panel frame, behind open shelving, or lining the interior of a bookcase, a stripe adds structure and depth without dominating the space. It is the kind of detail that guests notice without quite knowing why.

The full room

And then there is the option that requires genuine conviction — stripes taken continuously across walls and ceiling alike, with no interruption. It is maximalist, yes, but the results, when the scale and colourway are chosen carefully, are more joyful than chaotic. There is something immersive about it, something that speaks to an older tradition of pattern-making while feeling entirely of the moment.

The stripe, in other words, rewards a little imagination. It always has.

Browse our full collection of striped wallpapers and find the one that changes your room entirely.