There's nothing like deckchair-style decor and candy coloured stripes to get you in the mood for summer, writes Lisa Haynes Injecting a room with stripes or simply scattering around some stripy accessories can give your whole room a seasonal lift. Pencil thin or big and bold, those with a penchant for clean parallel lines will fall in love with striped style decor.

"Stripes are a great way to add drama and fun to your home," says Libby Norman, author of a new book called Decorate Your Home With Colour.

"Wide vertical stripes add a classic seaside flavour, whereas narrower ones create a more restrained and period elegance. They are best in moderation, either used on one or two walls or restricted to curtains and soft furnishings."

From two-tone combinations to a rainbow of bold barcode stripes, there's a variety of patterns out there to cause a stir, whether you're furnishing your bedroom, bathroom or back yard! Lose the minimal look and earn your stripes on the style front.

8Ease yourself into stripy fever with a few choice accessories. Stripes are a great way to introduce some colour into your home for summer, so choose bright shades or pretty pastels for a softer look.

Introduce your house guests into your home the stripy way with Paperchase's stripe mat, £12, or show them the light with The Pier's Havana stripe lights, £10 each.

Sit back and admire your striped handiwork on Marks & Spencer's Sherlock Benji stripe chair, £599.

Get the look in your lounge with bright cushions like Debenhams' blue stripe cushion, £15, or Tesco Direct's barcode stripe cushion, £15.97.

Bedrooms can benefit from a stripe makeover in one fell swoop with a quick change of bed linen. Try Laura Ashley's Sutton stripe duvet cover (above), from £30, or Sainsbury's blue stripy bed linen, from £13.99.

QS' leaf-print striped storage boxes, from £2 to £5, will provide valuable and stylish storage solutions.

8The great outdoors is the perfect spot to showcase stripes in the summer months. Look to cool sea-inspired blues or canary yellows and postbox reds for your outdoor striped delight. Stripy trinkets will add a summery look to outdoor spaces or conservatories.

Try John Lewis' stripe herb pot and saucer, £7.50, or the Nile stripe pillar candle, £3.95. Woolworths' colourful striped ceramic planters, £2.99 each, will brighten up even the shadiest back yard.

Outdoor furniture looks fabulous in bold stripes at this time of year.

Give your garden a stripy makeover for the sunshine months with Next's stripe parasol, £25, director's chairs, £45, and Eton table, £50 (right).

Marks & Spencer's Maxim porcelain stripe crockery collection, from £4, will complete your striped setting for al fresco dining.

Kick back and relax in Dotcomgiftshop's seaside stripe hammock, £14.95, or go for John Lewis' Nile stripe garden deckchair, £35.

SOFTLY SOFTLY STRIPES 8You don't have to shell out on striped accessories to achieve the look. Invest in a few pots of paint and work the striped look on your walls.

One feature wall can transform a room and you don't have to be a DIY expert to achieve the look. "A simple colour graduation effect is easy to do," Libby said.

"Adding stripes in toning shades is a good way to pick out a small wall area."

Its impact relies on using different tones of the same colour and is a more subtle way of introducing stripes to your room.

Pick your shades from the same colour card to guarantee good results and remember to allow plenty of drying time between coats," Libby advises.

DECORATING TIP It is far easier to get a clean and accurate finish if you work down the wall, applying darker stripes over the top of paler colours. Remember you can always touch up wobbly edges later with a small paintbrush or pad.

8If you want to really create a lasting impression with lines in your home, go all out with multicoloured stripes for instant impact.

Libby reveals how to achieve the look: "Multicoloured stripes are created by painting a white panel on to a bold wall and then infilling with colours that coordinate with the rug and seats.

"It is a dramatic effect that is actually very easy to create. Use acrylic paint to create a more intense colour."

HOW TO CREATE A MULTICOLOURED MASTERPECE . . .

8Libby offers this advice: 8You will need a spirit level, ruler, pencil, masking tape, paint pads and acrylic or vinyl matt emulsion in a variety of bold colours.

8First decide on the position of your band. Use the spirit level to ensure a straight edge and mask off the area, placing the tape carefully.

8Using acrylic or vinyl matt emulsion paint apply the white as your base. Leave to dry and then apply a second coat. Leave the masking tape along the bottom of the band in place.

8Once the paint is dry decide on the design you wish to create within the white band. Mask off the top of the first section to be painted (you will need to work from the bottom up) and infill with paint.

8Leave each section to dry thoroughly before applying new masking tape and painting the adjoining colour. It will speed up things considerably if you leave a band of white between each coloured stripe.

8You can seal your design with clear acrylic varnish if you want to protect it.