Stripes look really good if you do the same color, pink for instance, and do the background eggshell and the stripes high gloss. I have seen this done with stripes about 8 inches wide and it looks so cute! About the office, a good rule of thumb is find an accent piece you like, Hobby Lobby is a great place for inexpensive, masculine decor items, and just let it inspire you. Also, you could get a piece of fabric for the window covering. Bounce the color and style for the room off of your inspiration piece. Two more suggestions, HGTV is a great place to go for inspiration, Design on a Dime has wonderful, low cost ideas. I go to decorating magazines for ideas. (Better Homes and Gardens is my favorite, but it depends on your style.) Go to Barnes and Noble or Borders and just thumb through their magazines, maybe buy two of them to take home. I have done this at Barnes and Noble during their story time, so I had like 30 peaceful minutes. They also have great decorating books, but those do get a littly pricey. You can also go to BHG.com, ikea.com, and Ballard Design (can't think of their website) for ideas. Best wishes for a hip house.