Habitat plus - up, down or sideways

Stripes are going up, down and across walls, floors and ceilings.

Stripes are a great way to have a bit of fun and create a feature area in any room of the house. They can be multi-coloured or part of a simpler scheme of just two colours. They can be evenly sized, or in a variety of widths from wide to pin-striped. Stripes are easy to paint and with all of the Resene colours available, you will end up with a very individual look. All you need is a ruler, some masking tape and a paint brush or roller.

Top tip: If painting stripes on the wall seems too difficult, check out the many stripes and other patterns available in the Resene wallpaper collections, at www.resene.com/wallpaper. Or try colour blocking or stencilling for a shot of added colour.

Nice wide stripes create a calming feature wall here.

1.Nice wide stripes of serious stone browns create a calming feature wall here. The colours range from the palest in Resene Tea, through the mid-range dusty tones of Resene Schooner and on to the complex greenedged brown of Resene Oilskin. The scheme is finished off with walls in Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream, a green-tinged neutral, and a ceiling in Resene Eighth Thorndon Cream.

2.The stripes have turned this time, and take on a two-tone effect in rich, luxurious tones of gold and bronze. The sweet rich brown is Resene Brown Sugar while Resene Tussock is a strong and complex yellow oxide. Resene Quarter Spanish White is a quiet classic cream used for the walls and ceiling.

Horizontal stripes have taken on a soft vintage feel.

3.Staying on the horizontal, the stripes have taken on a soft vintage feel. Parading down the bedhead wall from top to bottom, the stripes are in a rhythm of Resene Gin Fizz (a placid warm ochre-toned cream), then Resene Spring Rain (a pastel fresh-water green) and Resene Dust Storm (a dry pink oxide with a brown edge). The versatile offwhite of Resene Quarter Bianca is used on the walls and ceiling.

4. A bright and fun retro play on the multicoloured striped look, this striking effect is achieved with different width stripes in a variety of colours. There is the deep pink Resene Cabaret, a chalky blue-green Resene Blue Smoke, the warmed watery green of Resene Gulf Stream and off-white Resene Quarter Bianca, a colour that’s also used on the remaining walls and ceiling.