When striping with paint, most folks gravitate to vertical striping, often in different tones of the same color. So-called "tone-on-tone" striping is one way to imbue a room with subtle elegance. For added visual interest, some do-it-yourselfers use different paint sheens on the different tones - alternating flat and satin paint, for example, or even flat and semi-gloss.
Vertical striping, by the way, has the same effect in a room as pinstriped clothing has on a silhouette - it will elongate the wall, making the ceiling appear higher. Horizontal striping does the opposite, creating the illusion that a room is wider than its actual dimensions.
Very thin stripes of paint fool the eye in a different way, adding texture to a wall. The thinner the stripes, the more convincing the effect.
Most do-it-yourselfers think only in terms of repeating stripes. But if you're confident of your color sense and want to generate more visual interest in your walls, you might consider painting non-repeating stripes, possibly in very different colors. With this approach, you're essentially outside the rulebook, yet one or two wide swaths of horizontal or vertical color can make a bold and dramatic statement in the right setting, particularly in a modern or contemporary home.
Let us know if you decide to Stripe!
