Colin and Justin: Earn your stripes

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Mix and match your way to visual drama and a contemporary feel

Stripes. Horizontal or vertical, thick or thin, multi-coloured or monochrome, we’ve been affixing and peeling decorators’ tape — and hanging banded paper — since our designer shoots sprouted for the very first time.

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Recently, whilst visiting The Chelsea Harbour Design Centre in London, stripes were emblazoned almost everywhere we looked.

In the world of sartorial fashion, too, stripes have become increasingly de rigueur; you need only observe the spring/summer collections by Dior (thin striped Breton style) and Monse (large and banded) to corroborate our observations.

Matters chi-chic couture aside, we’ve assembled a foolproof guide to help you stay abreast of this reemerging home trend. If you’re ready to jump on the ‘band’ wagon, here’s everything you need to know.

Roll out the rug

Sometimes the only thing that’s required to alter a prevailing aesthetic is a simple tweak.  In a plain room, for example, try positioning a banded rug to add visual drama, as well as extra tactile depth. Hey presto: a brand new focal point around which further details can be added as and when required. Visit rugs.ca for inspiration.

Cushion the blow

Striped cushions or throws, artistically arranged across a self-coloured chesterfield, add contemporary flair. To amplify the effect, mix and match several patterns in a combination of low key and dramatic colourways. Scope Homesense, mindful that your selections can be seasonally adjusted to keep abreast of changing mood.

Lampshades

Lamps can also suffuse a hint of the banded trend without shouting it from the rooftops.  Try adding a boldly striped ‘Palais Sustainable’ shade (find the brand at Etsy) to draw focus in an otherwise neutral look, or trim an existing shade with grosgrain ribbon to elicit a cooly nautical vibe.

Bedroom linens

Refresh your nest with an on trend Striped Duvet Set by Blue Nile Mills at Wayfair.  The bands positively scream coastal retreat.

Screen grab

Bag a flat-sided MDF privacy screen (great for hiding clutter or to delineate function in open concept space) and paint to match existing décor. When dry, map out stripes with decorators’ tape, then add a complimentary tone before removing tape to reveal your efforts.

Trick of the eye

Banded wallpapers can alter perceived room dimensions. Applying vertical stripes in a height challenged room will help ‘push’ ceilings up, whereas horizontal bands will make walls look longer. We often use Thibaut as their stripe library is magnificent. Find them at thibautdesign.com

Finishing line

During a previous assignment in London, we used paper by Graham and Brown (grahambrown.ca) to achieve a similar aesthetic to the project featured today. However – and it’s a big however – the UK hallway was significantly smaller.

During today’s hallway rejig, we also decorated the upstairs landing and, had we used wallpaper, we’d have needed 10 rolls. At $188 a pop for G+B’s Quartet Stripe Midnight Wallpaper, $1,880 would have been swiped from our budget. Ouch.

Reeling from the math, we comprised an alternative; paint. Two coats of palest grey set a warming base and, when dry, we marked the surface (using a pencil and a plumb line) before reaching for painters tape.

TIP: Use low adhesion tape and run a penny along the edges to release air bubbles. This reduces paint bleed and tempts sharper results. We specified a darker grey for the secondary tone and, with a foam roller, applied two even coats to achieve a perfect finish. Take a tip: remove your tape before the paint dries to avoid the formation of a microscopic ‘shell’ that can subsequently crack as tape is pulled away.

 Curtains for you

Curtains (or blinds) are an excellent means with which to add interchangeable style notes without having to redecorate. If you’re having drapery made, remember that ‘pinched’ or pleated headings can affect the way stripes sit.

In our opinion, ‘eyelet’ or ‘ring top’ options minimise this problem. Visit www.amazingwindowfashions.com for a mix of expertly fabricated custom and ready-to-hang window treatments, available for cross Canada dispatch.

Having absorbed this week’s counsel, we hope you’ll feel sufficiently inspired to jump aboard the band wagon. As always, less is more, and getting the balance right is critical.  If, that is, you wish to raise the decorative ‘bar’…

Watch for Colin and Justin on City-tv’s Breakfast Television and Colin and Justin’s Sub- Zero Reno on Paramount Plus TV. Find the Colin and Justin Home Collection in stores across Canada. Visit www.colinandjustin.tv.