Enlarge   Tray, £19, Habitat. Flutes, £35 each, and tumblers, £6.50 for six, oliverbonas.com
Enlarge   Wool stair runner, £85 per linear metre, Cath Kidston at therugcompany.info. Wellies: adult, £55, and kids, £20, hunter-boot.com
Enlarge   Chair, £1,490, Graham & Green, 0845 130 6622. Striped cushions, £25 each; shaggy cushion, £25, and sheepskin rug, £69, all Marks & Spencer

Earn your stripes...

Can't decide on your favourite colour? Go for stripes and you don't have to choose

Updated: 18:00 EST, 9 January 2009
By Candy Channing and Claire Coleman for The Mail on Sunday
Enlarge   Stripes interiors
Enlarge   Stripes interiors
Enlarge   Stripes interiors

You might think that rainbow stripes are just for kids, but set against a sophisticated white background, stripes look seriously stylish.

Paul Smith is, of course, the designer who popularised stripes in interiors and his pieces - such as this rug and crockery - are still classics. But he's not the only one. Missoni are no slouches on the stripe front either, with everything from towels to furniture sporting the iconic Italian lines. But for those not on a designer budget, there are more affordable stripes on the market, too, at places like Zara Home and Ikea.

The best thing about stripes is that you can choose exactly how to accessorise them. Either pick a shade and focus on that, or follow through the rainbow theme with multicoloured accessories, such as these fantastic glasses from Oliver Bonas - perfect for bringing a little bit of colour into a cloudy winter's day.

Now, that really is the treasure at the end of the rainbow.

STOCKISTS, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT:

1.  Tray, £19, Habitat. Flutes, £35 each, and tumblers, £6.50 for six, oliverbonas.com

2.  Wallpaper City Guides, £4.95 each, phaidon.com. Candle, £19.95, Selfridges. Planter, £55, Orlando Hamilton, 020 8962 8944. Plant, £4.99, Marks & Spencer

3.  Coffee pot, £278; cup and saucer, £73, and dessert plate, £67, Paul Smith for Thomas Goode, 020 7499 2823. Runner, £14, Zara Home, 020 7590 6990. Strawberry tart, £3.70, paul-uk.com

4.  On sofa: Vintage blanket (left), £125, re-foundobjects.com. Blanket (right), £48, Cath Kidston. Bolsters, £18.90 each, Ikea. Square cushions, £55, janconstantine.com. Large cushion, £23, biomelifestyle.com. Small cushion, £42, and pouffe, £160, Missoni Home at dotmaison.com. Table, £695, Orla Kiely at heals.co.uk. Rug, £700, Paul Smith at therugcompany.info

5.  Chair, £1,490, Graham & Green, 0845 130 6622. Striped cushions, £25 each; shaggy cushion, £25, and sheepskin rug, £69, all Marks & Spencer

6.  Wool stair runner, £85 per linear metre, Cath Kidston at therugcompany.info. Wellies: adult, £55, and kids, £20, hunter-boot.com


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