Striped curtains might sound like a small design detail, but they can do a surprising amount of heavy lifting in a room. As a stylist, I always think of curtains as one of the easiest ways to play with scale, height, and proportion, especially if you're trying to make a space feel more generous. There are plenty of clever tricks for using curtains to make a room look bigger, but adding stripes takes that idea one step further because the pattern itself helps guide the eye.
The key is choosing the direction of the stripe depending on what your room needs. Vertical stripes are brilliant if you want to make a ceiling feel higher, as they naturally draw the eye upward and create a sense of height. Horizontal stripes, on the other hand, can help a room feel wider, stretching the eye across the wall and making the space feel a little more open. Either way, they bring rhythm and structure without feeling too busy.
When shopping, I’d look for stripes that feel intentional rather than overly nautical or traditional. Soft neutrals, muted colors, woven textures, and relaxed linen blends are all good places to start.
I've consulted my little black book on where to buy curtains to find the best striped designs on the market.
Striped curtains are one of those details that can quietly shift the whole feeling of a room. They frame the windows, add softness, and create the illusion of more space, which is exactly why I think they’re such a clever buy.
And if you’d like a little more help pulling a room together, you can explore our styling services at Design Lab by Livingetc, where we help turn design ideas into rooms that feel personal, layered, and easy to live in. For more shopping edits, styling tips, and design inspiration straight to your inbox, don’t forget to sign up to the Livingetc newsletter, too.
