Striped Walls Wrap Reality Show Sets Near and Far

Careful, kids—painter's tape bleeds. But you wouldn't know it from the recent barrage of cultural cues pointing to the value of boldly striped walls. We couldn't help but take note of the designers' Atlas apartment in the most recent episode of Project Runway or the series finale of HGTV's Design Star, in which winner Emily Henderson spent quite a bit of time explaining how to paint pinstripes onto a wall to mimic a suit. Henderson's forthcoming show, Secrets from a Stylist, will spin clients' personal style into home decor—but this doesn't always go both ways. Button-down shirts with thick, exaggerated stripes are just douche-y.