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Carpets are second to none in creating a cosy space and introducing a plush feeling underfoot, and while we don't foresee wooden flooring falling out of favour any time soon, carpets certainly provide more opportunity for experimentation and creativity.
A striped carpet is a deceptively versatile tool in your design armoury, establishing your colour palette, providing some clever visual effects to widen or elongate a room, and adding a touch of visual interest to a space. And while they require a bit more consideration than a plain carpet, they can make a bigger design statement.
The key to making a striped carpet work for you is a sensitivity to colour combinations. With a striped carpet, your entire room can be styled from the floor up, picking up tones and working them into your broader design scheme.
Top tips on choosing your striped carpet
• If you're after a carpet for a high-traffic area, a tight-loop is your most practical choice – the denser the fibre, the more durable it is. A luxurious deep pile would be more suited to a bedroom or in a reading nook.
• Gather samples of the other fabrics in your room, along with wallpaper, paint colours and pictures of furniture to make sure they will all work together with your patterned carpet.
• Include the cost of underlay and installation in your budget. Underlay should usually be replaced when you buy a new carpetn – it's vitally important as it will help retain heat and extend the lifespan of your carpet.
We've compiled 15 of the best striped carpets, along with some design tips and ideas.
Whilst striped carpets may seem a playful option, they can be sophisticated in the right setting. Paired here with inky blue walls, striking architectural details, and soft grey accents, this Soho Striped Carpet from Carpetright becomes a soft backdrop.
Pictured: House Beautiful Soho Stripe Loop Wool Carpet at Carpetright
The ultimate statement carpet. Margo Selby's signature colourful pattern is writ large in this rainbow striped carpet at Alternative Flooring, contrasting soft blues and greens with warm oranges and reds.
Pictured: Margo Selby Stripe Frolic Westbrook Carpet at Alternative Flooring
This clever design from Crucial Trading mixes thin and thick stripes for a really contemporary and youthful finish – it is especially effective in a period setting. It has been crafted with 100% New Zealand wool for its durability and soft texture, acting as a natural insulator.
Introduce pattern in a subtle way with a stair runner. This elegant striped wool carpet from Carpetright will draw the eye upwards, elongating your stairs and giving the impression of higher ceilings. Make sure to pick a hardwearing carpet for high traffic areas such as the stairs and hallway.
Pictured: House Beautiful Portobello Wool Carpet at Carpetright
A large scale stripe is a great way to establish your colour palette. Pick two or three shades from your carpet to inform the rest of your design scheme – here for instance a soft cream, chalky black and the lightest olive green have been used to create a sophisticated space.
Pictured: Margo Selby Stripe Rock Reculver Carpet at Alternative Flooring
This is a really clever design from Tapi. The stripes here are created with a herringbone pattern – much like the popular wood flooring – which creates a really subtle finish.
Pictured: Wool Herringbone Carpet at Tapi
A striped carpet can anchor a colour scheme, providing dark accents in a light room and vice versa. Employing a mix of light and dark stripes in an otherwise pastel room can prevent your softer colours from becoming overly saccharine.
Make a feature of your patterned carpet by choosing a bold mix of warm colours, and picking up zesty shades in the rest of your scheme. Deep green here is the perfect complement to the warmer reds and oranges in this Carpetright striped carpet.
Pictured: House Beautiful Soho Stripe Loop Carpet at Carpetright
This zig zag striped carpet looks playful in isolation, but sophisticated when used in such a refined setting. We love the jewel tones too.
Pictured: Wool Fabulous Carpet at Crucial Trading
It is most common to use a striped runner on your stairs, exposing floorboards either side. A striped carpet works just as well however, and it means the flooring underneath doesn't have to be perfect. Here the colours have been picked up perfectly in the black bannister and creamy walls.
Pictured: John Lewis Genoa Pure Wool Loop Carpet
Where better to look for maximalist inspiration than the joyful home of colour expert, Annie Sloan? Annie's striped stair runner provides some grounding darker colours in a lovely sunny yellow hallway.
Read more: 16 hallway colour ideas
Striped carpets are a very clever way to alter perspectives in your home, adding the allusion of extra depth or space. Horizontal stripes can make a room appear wider, so they are the perfect tool for compact spaces.
This Margo Selby design uses a clever geometric motif to create eye-catching stripes in shades of purple, lilac and black. As counter-intuitive as it may seem, mixing your stripes with different patterns – a lush botanical, herringbone, or argyle for instance – produces a striking visual impact.
Pictured: Quirky B Margo Selby Button Black Carpet at Alternative Flooring
Stripes don't necessarily mean bold and eye-catching. Those partial to a more subtle design scheme can employ a lighter touch, using a striped texture, or soft shades of cream or oatmeal.
Vertical stripes are a clever way to direct the eye towards interesting areas of your room. Here, a vertical stripe is used to create a visual tunnel towards some lovely outdoor views, and you can employ the same effect to highlight architectural features like a fireplace.
Pictured: House Beautiful Portobello Wool Carpet at Carpetright
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