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Walk the Liline Redefine tired walls with some stripes and a dose of color  Image courtesy istockphoto Add stripes to a room and watch it grow, become cozy or even playful, depending on the shape of the space, the stripes and the color selection. Versatile enough to add drama yet simple enough to qualify as classic, stripes can change the look of any room or space in your home. They help mask architectural and structural problems and offer endless combinations of styles. Painted stripes can flexibly take on decorating challenges wall coverings cannot. For example, painted stripes work well in a room with tricky angles, according to Linda Merrill, principal designer at Boston-based Chameleon Interiors. Merrill suggests that if a room is an odd shape, it would be very difficult to paper with a pattern when approaching corners and edges. In that case, paint offers a great solution without sacrificing pattern. It provides the ability to change the direction of a line or pattern to disguise a slanting wall or work around an odd angle. But painting stripes can be a tricky and precise business, depending on the style you are trying to create. Merrill suggests that homeowners consider hiring a professional contractor rather than risk crooked lines or bleeding outside of the line. Whether vertical or horizontal, the painted stripe is helpful design tool. Vertical stripes add height to a room with low ceilings as they draw the eye upward. If you desire a "taller" room to accommodate large pieces of furniture or disguise a low ceiling for example, a vertical stripe will help to achieve this effect by visually adding about two inches to the length of the wall. In many ways, the stripe functions as an architectural element helping to change the shape and visual perception of a space. The addition of the vertical stripe can give structure to a shapeless or boxy space. Wide, horizontal stripes or "rugby" stripes, create a playful feel and are often used in children's bedrooms, playrooms and utility or recreation rooms for a fun and cheerful wall finish. Horizontal stripes will lengthen the look of a wall or corridor, making it appear longer. There are endless varieties and combinations of stripes. While we can't quite compare them to snowflakes, it's not difficult to come up with a combination of color and tone, texture and size, wavy or straight, to give you a striped style that is quite unique. Painting techniques are numerous, as well. Consider a style that does not require precision if you plan to paint the walls yourself, or if you are an inexperienced painter. A few good techniques for beginners include shadow striping, a tone-on-tone technique that will give your room subtle and elegant stripes, or combing, a technique that will create a soft, wavy striped pattern that is more "free-form" and does not require as much precision in the application. Before you dive in, make sure your walls and your space are suitable for the project. If you have walls with slight texture, stick with broad stripes. Consider delicate vertical stripes only if your walls are smooth, or you plan to have them sanded prior to painting. The key to success for most painting projects is good tape technique. This is especially true of projects with stripe patterns to ensure crisp lines and eliminate bleeding. Not just any tape will do - to avoid having paint seep under the tape and ruin a precise line, use painters tape available in paint and hardware stores (it is usually blue and it is available in a variety of widths). |
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