Dark on blue striped decor teamed up with reversed tones in the wallpaper for a captivating scheme in this vintage study/guestroom from 1970.
The fabric on the sleep sofa was also used on the custom laminated shades, which were then topped with valances of the same material to hide the rollers.
Window frames were painted in the blue of the striped background to blend into the decor. By not using white or another color, it made the windows seem larger — and by avoiding using brown or natural stain, it made sure there weren’t too many wood tones in the small room.
The same tones of dark and light were found in the area rug — plain rug with a motif in an accent tone — again increasing the visual size of the room.
A blending light blue was picked up in piping on the comfortable chair and cushions, which were otherwise covered in a warm plum fabric.
ALSO SEE: Colorful curtains covered the walls of a striped sitting room
There were several retro ideas in this room that could be adapted for use in any era:
(1) Pile up several deep, soft cushions to serve instead of an ottoman. They gave leg comfort when in the chair, and could be used by young floor-sitting guests.
(2) Resurrect a metal lamp from the attic or a charity shop. Add a base of filigree metal or heavy screening to make it tall enough for good reading light, then paint the whole thing to blend with your color scheme.
(3) Use a vertical wall hanging or carving to emphasize the lines of stripes. It doesn’t have to be fancy — it could be something you pick up at a secondhand store, that you repaint, or DIY your own from a board and moldings.
