A DIY Striped Ceiling Can Add Fun Interest To A Boring Hallway

Adding visual interest to a ceiling can be a great way to make people look up and help a room feel taller and larger. Patterns can be a great way to accentuate this, particularly stripes, which can extend sight lines to create the illusion of a longer space. This is especially true in spaces like hallways and entryways, which are already on the smaller side and don't allow much room for other decor. Stripes, either painted or courtesy of wallpaper, are fast becoming a stylish way to add interest and dimension to the ceiling in tiny spaces. A classic pattern that makes a statement and remains timeless, stripes are amenable to many different design aesthetics, including everything from chic ticking stripes in farmhouses or French country-inspired homes to bold nautical stripes popular in coastal decor. Even better, stripes are one of the easiest designs to add to a ceiling for instant impact, especially if you use paint. Using this pattern on a hallway ceiling is a great way to add a little extra something to small spaces that often lack a lot of visual interest. 

Because paint and wallpaper can be some of the most budget-friendly ways to transform a room, this DIY approach to creating a stunning statement ceiling to give your space a new look is much cheaper and easier than installing elements like wood ceiling panels or crown molding. It also gives you a chance to add another layer of pattern and coordinate with colors already in your home for a very cohesive feel. 

To add stripes to your hallway ceiling with paint, apply your base color, then use a yardstick and painter's tape to mark off the desired dimensions of your stripes. You can focus on the ceiling itself or extend the stripes down the side to where they meet (or create the illusion of) a picture rail at the top of the wall. Stripes are an especially great way to deal with an awkward slanted ceiling since the stripes can be bent and curved according to the angles. You could also cover a portion of the ceiling in stripes contained by some stylish ceiling molding pieces or add stripes as a way to decorate an attic door in the middle of a hallway.

If you are renting and cannot paint, try using a removable wallpaper with a striped design on the ceiling. These come in a number of scales, colors, and design styles, many in convenient peel-and-stick formats. You could also use peel-and-stick decals to just add stripes over paint in your hallway.

Customized and unique approaches for adding stripes to a ceiling in tight spaces are many, from bolder chunky stripes to tiny delicate pinstripes. Thicker stripes can be great for a small space since they make it easy to do just a little painting work for a huge impact. Slender pinstripes, on the other end of the scale, can add more subtle interest and texture as a decor element without calling attention to themselves. They are a great way to balance out an abundance of floral patterns below or add a barely-there pattern to a minimalist home in all neutrals. 

You can also get creative in the layout of your stripes. For a small space like a hallway, powder room, or closet, paint a series of radiating stripes for a fun starburst look that extends from a center point like an existing light fixture or ceiling medallion. Or consider a labyrinthian system of lines that go around corners and create flow through the rooms of your home. If you are planning on painting stripes on the walls as well, you can use differently-oriented stripes above for a chic look that will help give the illusion of a wider hall.