Painted stripes create a visual focal point in a bedroom.
Liven up a simple bedroom design with bold and elegant painted stripes. Stripes can be personalized to suit several design aesthetics; variations in angle, width and color make painted stripes one of the most versatile options in room design. Whether your style is contemporary and bold or classic and sophisticated, stripes can add a subtle or striking visual element to your bedroom.
Vertical Stripes
Vertical stripes add the illusion of height to a room, but stripes that are too wide may have the opposite effect in rooms with short ceilings. When painting vertical stripes, first decide whether you want the effect to be subtle or bold. For a subdued stripe, consider alternating bands of white and a pale green, cream or yellow. Use painter's tape to mark off 5-inch-wide vertical stripes around the entire room; paint every other section in the pale accent color and remove the tape when dry.
Bolder vertical stripes in teen bedrooms can create dramatic effects. Select a color that complements or contrasts the wall color; purple and orange, gray and yellow or red and teal are suitable pairs. Create an accent wall by painting a 2-foot-wide vertical stripe up the wall about 6 inches in from one corner. For an unexpected effect, choose several colors and create 1-foot-wide bands of thin, freehand pinstripes about 1 foot in from the corner of each wall.
Horizontal Border
Horizontal stripes often mimic the effect of wall paper borders in a room; they are used as transitional lines that separate the wall into distinct top and bottom halves. Like vertical stripes, horizontal stripes create either bold or subtle effects depending on their size and color. In a master bedroom or nursery, consider a wide stripe in a color that is a shade darker or tint lighter than the wall color; a dark blue stripe in a light blue room adds a contemporary contrast while a pale yellow band around a bright yellow room softens the effect of the saturated .
For a more dramatic design, use a horizontal stripe to divide the room walls into three sections. Use painter's tape to mark off a stripe about a third of the way up from the floor; the stripe should be about 18 inches wide. Paint the areas above, within and below the stripe in three separate colors. One option is to choose three shades of the same colors; a sapphire blue, sky blue and navy, for example, create a sense of cohesion. Bolder choices would include three contrasting or complementary colors; brown, lime and olive or gray, pink and yellow are bright, modern palates that add distinction to a space.
Ceiling Stripes
When considering stripes for a bedroom, most people do not consider the ceiling as an option. However, ceiling stripes add an unexpected bit of color to a room without dominating the entire space. Choose light, matching colors in a high-gloss finish to avoid making the space appear closed-in. For an elegant look, 1-inch-wide mint green and white stripes add lightness and subtle color to a master bedroom. For a more dramatic approach, alternating stripes of blue and yellow offer playful color in a child's room or nursery. If you have a vaulted or cathedral ceiling, consider extending a bold vertical stripe from the wall up to the peak of the ceiling for a modern twist on traditional room stripes.
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