Painting with stripes livens up any surface from the walls to the furniture. Between achieving perfect edges, matching colors and keeping your lines straight and even, stripes are also challenging. Don't let those vertical stripes feel like prison bars boxing you in though; following a few simple tips keeps the proceedings as effortless as pressing a brush to a surface.
Types of Stripes
Not all stripes are created equal--the size, color, texture and direction of your stripes drastically affect the look of the room. Your first decision is what color the stripes to paint. Stripes with sharp contrast, like black and white, dominate a room and create an imposing atmosphere. Use colors that are more similar in value and tone so that they don't pop so loudly.
The shape and size of the room determines whether you should use horizontal or vertical stripes. Large rooms benefit from wide vertical stripes, while smaller rooms with short walls can look bigger with narrow, horizontal stripes. Even the texture of the stripes makes a difference--experiment with matte and glossy finish paints to determine which colors benefit from a little sheen.
Painting
Painting stripes requires proper preparation and patience. If you aren't careful, your stripes will run crooked and necessitate a lengthy coverup paint job. Use a laser level to ensure your stripes are level and parallel to each other, and measure the distance between them if you want uniform stripes.
For a neat look, block off the stripes with painter's tape before painting. Free-handing the lines gives your stripes an imperfect, artisans look; it all depends on the style you're going for. When tracing lines on the wall, use a colored pencil close to your paint's hue to keep the graphite from staying visible after you paint
Alternative Stripes
Stripes aren't just for your walls, so experiment with different objects that need some color and sprucing up. Adding colorful stripes to a piece of furniture gives a neutral-colored room a pop of color and personality without permanence; you can always repaint or get rid of furniture that no longer suits your tastes. For example, paint a dresser sea foam green to accent beige walls and give the room a subtle beach theme. When painting boxy furniture like this, use painter's tape to block off clean, geometric lines that match the furniture's shape and design.
