Stripes to Add Dimension

It seems like stripes on walls are everywhere these days...or maybe it's just because I spend all my 'fun' time online reading design blogs.  They are great for adding dimension/depth to a shallow space and for definition of a large area.   

A few of the blogs that I read regularly have made over rooms using this technique:

(The 'reading room' from The Lettered Cottage)

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(The half bath from Young House Love)

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Both used the stripes to create the illusion of a bigger space and it worked!  We are resigned to the fact that we have to paint our master bathroom (remember that renovation project we started 3 months ago?)...but with the incredibly high vaulted ceilings I've been brainstorming a way around the death trap of the 20 ft ladder. 

Also, it is a narrow space--it kind of feels like a 'galley bathroom' if there is such a term used outside of a kitchen.  I didn't want to draw attention to that point and I think if we paint each wall it will make it feel like the walls are closing in on us (even though we're using a fairly light color).  I certainly didn't want to take on painting stripes all the way up the walls...so we landed on the idea of painting the back wall that you see as you walk in the doors and then do a wide stripe in the same color all the way around the room. 

Here's a look at the stripe (we haven't done the back wall yet):

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It's funny how low the stripe looks in these pictures--It's right at about 6 feet high at the midpoint of the stripe...I was worried we'd painted it too high, but now I'm wondering if we should've gone higher. 

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So this idea could totally backfire--drawing your eye up, but then having it abruptly stop at the top of the stripe?  I'm hoping that won't be the case once we have the shelves up (another project on the verge of completion) and art, etc...I can't wait to see the finished product and share it with you :)

-k :)

ps--starting next week I'm going to set a goal to post twice a week on Tuesdays and Fridays.  I am finding the writing more rewarding than I expected, but sometimes the inspiration to post isn't always there and when it is there, I'm tied up with the daily grind bliss of raising children.  I have a ton of ideas but by the time I get in front of the computer the inspiration is usually gone.  By giving myself a deadline, I'm hoping I'll put it higher on my priority list!  We'll see :)