Striped Wallpaper: Styles, Ideas & How to Make It Yours

Striped Wallpaper That Never Dates

There's a reason the stripe never dates. Long before it became a decorator's shorthand for good taste, the stripe was doing quiet, confident work — drawing the eye, lending a room proportion and poise, and sitting as easily beside a floral as it does a plain. Striped wallpaper is one of those rare designs that feels both classic and current, which is exactly why it belongs in a considered home.

At Claret & Key, every stripe is drawn by our own designers and printed to order in our Cheshire studio, so the version that arrives at your door is the one you chose — your scale, your colourway, made for your walls and no one else's.

The many faces of the stripe

Not all stripes speak the same language, and choosing the right one is really a question of the mood you're after.

The wide stripe — sometimes called a Regency or extra-wide stripe — is the most confident of the family. Generous bands bring a relaxed, characterful grandeur that suits a hallway or a living room beautifully, and it's having a genuine moment in interiors right now. At the other end sits the pinstripe: fine, closely-set lines that read almost as a texture from across the room, perfect when you want structure without a statement. Between them lies the enduring ticking stripe — the soft, slightly imperfect stripe of old mattress fabric, and about as timeless as decorating gets.

Choosing your colour

Because our designs are printed to order, the colour is yours to decide — and stripes reward a considered palette. A pink stripe brings warmth and softness to a bedroom; a blue stripe feels fresh and coastal in a kitchen or a child's room; a green stripe leans handsome and countrified. For something bolder, a warm mustard, red or plum stripe adds depth and a note of the unexpected. Whatever you land on, it's printed in your chosen colourway rather than pulled from a fixed range.

How to use striped wallpaper at home

This is where a stripe earns its keep. Hung vertically, stripes draw the eye upward and make a ceiling feel higher — a quiet trick worth knowing in a low bedroom or a boxroom. Hung horizontally, they widen a narrow space and bring a more relaxed, modern feel; it's the braver choice, and all the more striking for it.

As for where: hallways and stairwells love a stripe, because the vertical rhythm flatters the height and the pattern won't overwhelm a space you only pass through. Living rooms take a wider stripe with ease. And a soft ticking or pinstripe makes a bedroom feel calm and put-together rather than busy. A stripe also plays beautifully as the supporting act — pair it with a floral for a layered, collected look.

Your stripe, your way

Every Claret & Key design comes in three finishes, so the only thing you're choosing is how you want to live with it. Traditional (150gsm, super-matte) is the refined, paste-the-wall classic. Heavy-Grade (300gsm, with a subtle sand texture) is built for hallways and high-traffic rooms. And Removable peel-and-stick (180gsm) gives you the same design and finish with none of the commitment — ideal for renters, or for anyone who likes to change their mind.

All three are printed to order on FSC-approved, PVC- and VOC-free paper — kinder to the planet, and safe for any room in the house, nurseries included. Nothing is printed until you order it: less waste, and a wall that's genuinely yours.

Not sure which colourway is right? Order a sample and see your stripe in your own light before you commit.