Nine ways to introduce stripes into your home
Ahead of launching a very stripy collaboration with the Haines Collection in September, I have put together a round-up of my favourite ways to introduce stripes into your home.
Stripes are a staple in fashion; Coco Chanel immortalised the Breton stripe that is ubiquitous in almost every wardrobe. Stripes never go out of style, can somehow be smart and casual at the same time and are the most invisible clothes I own. But can they be just as invisible, flexible and multi-functional in the home? (Spoiler alert - yes!)
So, without further ado, here are my nine favourite ways to bring some stripes into your home without feeling like you live on a ship.
1. Napkins
Start small; if you’re nervous about introducing print into your home, stripes are the place to begin, and if you’re super nervous, start with something you can put away easily.
Enter Napkins! The joy of a striped napkin is that it will dress up your table with minimal effort and hide a multitude of red wine and bolognese sins in a way that a plain napkin never could!
These colourful ones are from Glassette, with a fantastic array of stripes to tempt you into a new tablescape.
2. Cushions
So you’ve learnt to live with napkins and have been bitten by the striped bug - hooray! Maybe you’re feeling braver; if so, it’s time to graduate to cushions.
You could even adopt the Scandinavian tradition of a complete seasonal cushion swap out, keeping the pads and changing the covers in the summer, embracing striped designs, and heading for cosy velvet and wool in the winter.
Pictured here are the Spring striped cushions from our collection with Neptune; however, for something bolder, Sophie Home has some great primary stripes.
3. Bedding
You’re fully in the stripe lovers club, so it might be time to add some stripes to your bedroom. Piglet in Bed has beautiful mix-and-match sets, so you can introduce stripes slowly into your bedroom or go full out with everything in orange!
I think striped bedding is excellent in a neutral space, but keep scrolling to see our ultimate level of stripe obsession below!
4. Add a quilt
We couldn't write a blog about stripes without including a striped quilt. It's my favourite way to introduce patterns into the bedroom (surprise!!).
I love plain bedding with a decorative quilt; they can be changed seasonally, and you can break up the pattern with additional blankets and throws. This quilt is a playful take on stripes, with the irregular patches creating horizontal and vertical stripes - so the best of all worlds!
5. Everywhere!
This bedroom by Sarah Corbett Winder epitomises how far you can go with stripes. It is playful and fun, broken up with a quilt, but a joyful celebration of the pattern.
I need a Breton striped pyjama set, and I’m ready to move in!
Some final top tips
Don’t feel like your stripes need to be straight! There are so many wonderful stripe variations, like this cushion from Stoff Studio; it’s not technically a stripe - but it is!
Go slowly, add one piece at a time and find your style. I am a huge fan of clean, bright spaces with pops of pattern and colour; you might prefer a full-blown cottage core bedroom; it’s your home - you do you!
Invest in pieces that will last; every fast fashion brand now has a homeware range, and homeware has become the new throwaway item. Buy better, buy less should always be the motto: save up for that one special piece from the designer you love, build your collection for years to come and make it truly unique. Your home doesn’t have to be Instagram-ready tomorrow or ever!
Don’t be afraid to mix styles, stripes are wonderfully versatile, and you can’t get it wrong; if one is bold and horizontal and the other is subtle and vertical, put them together and see where you end up - it will rarely be a bad idea!
Finally, here is a sneak peek at what is to come in the autumn.
Sign up for the newsletter to be the first to know when our collaboration with the Haines collection is live on 18th September 2023!