There’s no doubt about it, decorating with stripes is all the rage, and the bolder the stripe, the better. Recent years have seen an abundant crop of nostalgic candy striped fabrics in bright colours, produced by makers both traditional – like Flora Soames with her Pavilion collection – and modern, like Buchanan Studio’s Instagram-famous ‘Studio Chair’. Most of the stripes we’re sporting now come in a simple configuration – broad stripes of colour on a white background. There’s a cheerful, seaside holiday vibe to this kind of stripe – and some of our favourite iterations are in European houses like Lucinda Chambers’ house in France, or Camilla Guinness’ painting school in Tuscany. On the same theme, we also love deckchair-style stripes such as Ottoline’s ‘Sporty Stripe’ fabric, and Zak & Fox’s ‘Kendo’ pattern.
Upholstery is a brilliant place for a bold stripe, but if you really want to take the trend to a new level, a wallpaper – like Adam Bray’s ‘Brown Paper Stripe’ or Cole & Son’s ‘Regatta Stripe’ – can be seriously spectacular. If you’re not willing to make the investment, painting your walls in stripes of alternating colours could be the way to go.
Stripes may be having a moment, but the wonderful thing about them is that they never really go out of style; their simplicity and versatility are always welcome in an interior. The bold stripes that we’re seeing everywhere aren’t the only ones we love. Ticking stripes are a perennial favourite, and there are plenty of affordable options out there, as well as high-end beauties from Robert Kime and Colefax and Fowler. The earthy tones of kilims and jajims, which are often woven in striped motifs, never go out of favour either, lending warmth and texture to any space.
