After a year of going back and forth on what to do with the 2nd small bedroom in Elinor Cottage, I have decided how to treat the walls. I was bouncing back and forth between painting, half wallpaper/half paint with chair rail, or all wallpaper.I decided I LOVE the look of an entire room wallpapered in one pattern so that is how I will go. It reminds me of old 1930's farmhouse bedrooms...I had tried to order wallpaper last fall but ordered incorrectly and then the WP was discontinued so I couldn't get any more (duh!)I then ordered a blue ticking stripe but the background is cream instead of white (not a cream fan) so I will use that paper to line the drawers and built-in cupboards upstairs. Then I checked the same book I had bought my bedroom wallpaper from off a website called www.wallpapermore.com and saw a similar print in the same blue colorway and fell in love with it. That sealed it - and the price is so low I can't pass it up!Its a lovely purplish-denim shade of blue in a rose sprig print on a soft white background. Looks very Shabby Chic to me.As soon as I get the wallpaper hung, I can begin painting the bookcases, add books and move my computer/studio into the room.
It's such a light-filled, airy room it will be a joy to sit in there and work on my art and graphic design. It has 2 windows which face a sunny western-side patio with rose bushes and a blue hydrangea and a southern-facing window that faces a green, grassy backyard with lots of trees.
I don't know what was wrong with me at the time but when I ordered the wallpaper for my library last fall, I ordered only half the amount needed (and I knew all about the confusing single roll/double roll thingy).I must have been working with half a brain that day. But then it took me 4 months to realize it and call the company I'd ordered it from, only to be told it was no longer available! Ahh! What to do - I loved the pale blue and white damask wallpaper but had only enough for half the room!Well, here's the solution: wallpaper the upper half of the room (which means I can then avoid cutting around all those outlets, heaters and window sills!!) This is from a 20+ year old Laura Ashley Home Furnishing catalog and it is still the perfect solution! I can paint the lower half of the walls a pale blue, and add trim and wallpaper above that. It will keep the room airy and I won't have to try and find an extra $300 in my budget to order new wallpaper when I got the original for the smoking deal of $10 per roll! I just have to make sure I wallpaper high enough so as to not run out - will measure the square footage before making that decision.I also like the idea of two rows of trim - the trim can be white, with the space in between and the lower half, being blue.
And curtains - I'm thinking a pair of white linen....tied back with a baby blue tassel on a polished brass hook.On my next trip to the paint store I will have to take along a swatch of the WP so I can match the blues. This project will begin AFTER my February 20th tea party. Last night, in a moment of panic, I painted half the family room and added a bunch more gold leaf to the hutch. I realized I only had 13 days to the party. My friend Scott will come this Saturday to tile the step from the kitchen down into the family room. Progress IS being made....and I always did work best under EXTREME pressure!
