Now that Easter weekend has officially ended, we're dutifully locking ourselves up for another tough work week ahead. On that note, we've collected a few examples of black-and-white striped decor that might just inspire those "knocked out jailbirds to sing..."

Beach House Stripes

A beach house's living room ignores the favored blue-and-white motif for a stronger black and white combo. Love the black ribbon trim on the edges of the matching lamp shades. Photo from Cottage Home.

Stripes with A Mid Century Classic

Two classics: The revered Eames lounge chair sits in all its glory next to a rug with broad black and white stripes. From Australia Home Beautiful.

Stylish Contemporary (and Green!) Kitchen with Striped Wallpaper

We could see how this could work in a smaller kitchen: Strong black and white stripes adorn the walls, creating an optical illusion of a longer wall (hide those corners!). Plus, the pairing of that rich, glossy green of the cabinets with the light blue of the espresso machine is a great color combination.

Striped Fireplace

Just painting stripes on the wall above a white fireplace mantel creates a sense of added depth and focus....not to mention a great backdrop for black and white photographs. From Australia Home Beautiful.

Different Strokes: Mixing Stripes

Use fabrics with thinner black and white stripes for bigger pieces (like the matching armchairs), and limit the broader stripes to accents (pillows, throws, etc) keeps the look without overpowering the room.

Matching the Throws with the Ottoman

Put your feet up in this simple living room: With a neutral beigey-grey backdrop, the striped pillows and ottoman become the main focal point to this room. From Australia Home Beautiful.

[ Photos via Tammy Manet's Flickr ]