All things stripe and wonderful - Hannah Coleman, Dreamwall

All things stripe and wonderful

Are you fed up of the British weather of late? The news is full of freezing ice and cold winter snow it just makes me want to hibernate until summer. So I’ve decided that this month’s article will certainly warm your cockles up so enjoy…

The Great British Beach Hut
Beach Huts are close to my heart, I spent all last summer on a Beach hut tour, travelling coast to coast discovering more about these beautiful seaside icons, I became fascinated with these small structures dotted on the seashore. My love for the British beach hut runs deep, I was born and raised in a seaside town and I personally feel they are a national treasure to our seaside heritage.

While taking shelter in a beach hut at Sandilands, Sutton-on-sea, with a flask of tea, I day dreamed of years gone by, images of classic British comedy sketches from the carry on films with Barbara Windsor and Sid James making me feel all nostalgic about our British seas side towns.

Beach huts or sheds on the seashore have become a huge phenomenon and now are classed as trendy hot property.

Dr Kathryn Ferry, a beach hut historian, has spent many years researching the history behind these colourful icons and has written many books giving a great insight behind the beach hut going back to the invention of the first wheeled bathing machine in the 18th century.

Wayne Hemingway designer and founder of Red or Dead last year created 58 ‘retro-chic’ beach pods at Boscombe Dorset. Unlike traditional beach huts, they are double in size and some are penthouses, the pods have main electricity, hot and cold water, kitchen units and some have French doors over looking balconies. Prices are not cheap and the recent 90k price tag made the national news.

Beach Huts Stripes inspiring wall coverings
Beach Hut exteriors are well known for there stripe designs.
Go to any seaside town where there are beach huts and most are decorated in bright bold primary colours of red, blue, greens and yellows.

Some are painted in block colours but most are done in the traditional candy stripes.

Candy stripes Beach Huts are most definitely my favourite design. Sandiland in Lincolnshire is full of beautiful candy stripes; my favourite beach hut there has even won the Bathing Beauty Beach Hut award as the most stylish designed beach hut.

This now brings me to stripe inspired wallcoverings, which have made a stripy comeback.

Lines and stripes really do add a classic touch to any room, used in abundance they create regular colour block effect or make a rooms ceiling seem higher. Used sparsely they can break up a room’s space visually or create a minimalist look for your walls. So be inspired by the Great British Beach hut and go on have a stripe twist in your home.

The new stripe wallpapers can come in bold in your face stripes or in a subtle pastel shade palette.

One of my recommended stripe trends has to be from Laura Ashley, I feel they have got it just right, sometimes a small room can look too busy with a large scale pattern which is why their striped plain wallpapers are perfect for the job. I adore the Lille Linen wallpaper at just £20 a roll it is a bargain. What is so wonderful about Laura Ashley striped wallpaper is it’s a twist on the stripe wallpaper. The wallpaper is washable great for kitchens and bathrooms too. It features pearlescent inks for shimming highlights which looks lovely as a feature on its own or as a compliment to a bolder statement wall. The Laura Ashley Lille Linen range comes in variety of colour palettes from Duck Egg to the latest trends in wallcoverings dare to go gold!

Bah humbug…If you don’t want to go with traditional coloured stripes, why not be a little more daring I love what Creative wall coverings have to offer a prepasted scrubbable peelable monochrome make that statement bold black and white stripe wallpaper design York wallcoverings Inc

Fabricandpapers.com offer a fantastic wide section of beautiful bold stripe beach hut inspired wall coverings. The pink and Taupe wide Elisa stripe wallpaper with gold metallic dots remind me of a rock shop that you would find on a traditional British seas side promenade. Chelsea stripe pastel blue stripe wallpaper would certainly give you the typical beach hut look. And for an ultra modern trend look opt for the Valentino stripe flock look in wide stripe pearlised in black and gold flock spot stripe.

Of course if your feeling more adventurous you can have ago at DIY striping paint technique, DIY network on the web offers great tips on how to create your stripe project choose from vertical and horizontal stripes.

Hannah Coleman

Hannah Coleman is the owner of Dreamwall (wall coverings with a difference) established in 2003, Hannah is a specialist in imitation brick, stone and slate products. Hannah's passion is interior wall coverings, interior design, loves textured surfaces and reviewing the latest wall covering trends.