Decorative Horizontal Rules

Wallpaper

• Striped wallpaper provides an instant and easy way to add a horizontal line to a room. Use larger width stripes in a larger room and smaller stripes in a smaller room. If overwhelming the space is a concern, limit the wallpaper to one wall. In a living room, decorate the wall with the fireplace; in a bedroom, select the wall with the head of the bed. For a striking effect use highly contrasting stripes, such as black and white, while for a more subtle look use colors that are similar in tone, such as a light and dark blue.

Paint

• Use paint to create horizontal lines in a room by sectioning off areas with painter's tape, so the stripes can be as narrow or as broad as you choose. Instead of having each stripe of even width, this technique allows you to vary the width from pencil thin to very broad. For an elegant look, paint one horizontal line around the middle of the room, to emulate a dado rail, with a different color painted above and below.

Architectural Features

• Architectural features such as skirting boards, dado rails (plaster moulding around 3.5 feet from the ground) and picture rails (plaster moulding about 1 foot from the ceiling) all emphasize the horizontal. If you have a period property, consider adding these traditional features and painting them a different color than the walls.

Other Horizontals

• Tables, sideboards, kitchen worktops and shelves all have flat surfaces that emphasize the horizontal plane. In a formal room, keep these horizontal surfaces balanced by using them in symmetry. For example, place bookshelves on either side of the fireplace, or center a sideboard against a wall. In an informal space rules are more relaxed and horizontals can be placed in an asymmetrical arrangement.