You may remember Tiffany from her good question from a few weeks ago about using the "Woods" paper in her bedroom...well, she's written to us again.
She says: "I hate to throw such a major wrench into everything, especially after all the great ideas, but... certain people are convinced that the "Woods" wallpaper would look much better in our dining room than in the bedroom. (We have been at a loss at what to do with the dining room since we bought the place over the summer, I hate how it is now-wood & white.)
I really don't want to paint all the lovely wood, but am considering possibly painting only the decorative mouldings, maybe black or a darker color to go with the "Woods" wallpaper, which would go inside. Thoughts? "
Tiffany adds, "BTW, all the great ideas for the bedroom are not going to waste, if I don't do the "Woods" in there, I still am planning on wallpapering with perhaps a pretty French, boudior-type damask print."
We love the idea of the "Woods" paper inside the moldings only - we'd go for an amazing color on the little bit of surrounding wall space. There isn't all that much of it left outside the moldings, so the color could be pretty saturated and intense. We would not mess with that ceiling, and in fact, might lean toward leaving the moldings the same tone as the wooden ceiling beams to tie all the planes of the room together. Between the "Woods" paper and a fabulous wall color, you can totally modernize the space without covering the wood.
Tiffany had tons of response to her original bedroom question - please offer your thoughts on the dining room redo as well...Comment away...
What about leaving the wood and using a dark teal paint as a contrast to the wood. If you use the wood wallpaper what about a lime green (don't hate on the color:-)) or a greenish gold paint to surround it. What a wonderful sized dining room...make sure to throw a party when it is all finished!
whatever you decide on, i think you should paint the ceiling a rich color that shows off the beams.
Wait, wait a minute! Much as I like that Woods wallpaper, I don't see it working here, with the existing wall detailing. Instead, I would do four things to this room:
1. New dining table and chairs - something larger, to be more of a presence in the space.
2. New overhead light of some sort.
3. New curtains! Go for drama/interest here.
4. Repaint the walls, not white, but a shade that picks up on one of the colors in your curtains.
If I was going to make a big graphic statement in this room, I'd do it with curtains, table linens, and artworks - maybe even area rugs. I too would leave the lovely woodwork alone.
One day, taking down your curtains and changing your table stuff will be a lot easier than stripping wallpaper and repainting your walls.
Like I say, that Woods wallpaper is gorgeous, but.... one thing about all these housing blogs, decor websites, etc. is that you can see far more wonderful things than you can fit inside your abode. I have had to admit that I don't have space in my life for all the cute cushions, great fabrics, radical color treatments, etc. that I might want, even if I could afford them.
Next to those ceiling beams, that wall outline molding looks dinky. And in only RARE cases am I a a fan of unpainted wall trim/molding like these. So if painting them, augment them with additional molding. But PLEASE don't paint them an accent color (and dearGOD not "dorm room black")... paint them the surrounding wall color, or the slightest step away (darker or lighter).
I'm not sure the modern funkiness of that wallpaper really works with everything else here, unless you are using it as a catlyst for change.
Foregoing your preference for that specific wallpaper for a second, what's the vibe you are going for? Modern? Mission? Traditional? Answer that question first.
What a great blank canvas of a room! I agree with many of the other posters here:
Lose the light and table and get something larger and more dramatic, A large rectangular table with a rectangular fabric pendant light to match, like this one from alluminaire: http://www.alluminare.com/products_detail_pendantlighting.asp/id/178
or maybe a cylindrical pendant to soften all the squares in the room.
Lose the A/C unit and hang 4 panels of drapes from the ceiling to the floor.
Absolutely leave the ceiling beams as is and paint the ceiling a dark dramatic color.
I absolutely agree with Patrick on the wall mouldings. Depending on your color scheme, paint them a shade lighter than your wall color, or just white. I'd add some wall sconces inside those panels too.
A large rug with a border that ties together your curtains and paint color would also look great.
Can anyone tell me where to purchase the "woods" wallpaper?! I am on the market for it myself and am at a loss. I've only come accross a few UK sites, anything in the US?
Also - how does one calculate how much his wallpaper to get? I read on a different thread that lining this wallpaper up (with the 75cm drop) leaves one with alot of wasted paper....
Tiffany, I don't mean to steal your thunder - but I've been kinda frantic about this. I too am in love with that wallpaper and want to use it right.
I think the woods wallpaper or some other print inside those moldings and a great paint color would look very exciting. Ive been thinking alot about that woods paper and yesterday bought the O Magazine so I could look more at Jane and Darko's apt. (Cute couple!) I love that mural they made of the ferny woods. The winter view from my bedroom looks like the woods wallpaper. Anybody know how the cost of a mural like Jane and Darko's compares with the woods paper? I think a large amount of the woods paper would look kind of grim and wintery year round, But maybe one wall would be wonderful.
I think that you could also go for a dark silvery greige colour for all of the wood mouldings in this room and perhaps a lighter shade of silvery greige for all of the rest of the wall space. I think it would unite your room because as it is now the wood mouldings make things look sort of choppy.
I agree with Patrick that you should place the Woods wallpaper inside the mouldings. It would look like giant pieces of framed art and would add character to your room. I like the idea of the bright saturated colour around the Woods wallpaper but I feel that it might be a bit too much going on. I used to think that you should never paint over wood but you really limit yourself in colours that you can choose and the effect that you can get if you stick to that mantra.
Victoria, I had posted on where to get Woods a couple of times; you can order it through stores such as Walnut Wallpaper here but since Cole & Sons manufactures in the UK you will just pay a lot more. I ordered through sandersonfabrics.co.uk and received it in a couple of weeks.
If you really will not even consider ordering directly from the UK it should also be available from Eades (www.eadeswallpaper.com) or DiscountDecorator.com, but when I got estimates neither kept it in stock and i still had to pay for shipping from the UK anyway.
And NOOOO, do not put the Woods wallpaper inside those moldings! The stark color scheme totally will not match the rich wood not only on the moldings, but on the (gorgeous) ceiling moldings and floor. What this room really needs is a larger, more formal dining set to take better advantage of the style and shape of the room. I would tackle that first before making changes to the walls.
Thanks eeeck. That was really helpful information. Did you just order based on the area size of the space you wallpapered plus a little extra - or is there a lot extra to take into account?
Oh and Tiffany - That room is simply stunning! I wouldn't dare touch those ceilings nor would I do wallpaper in this room. Especially something as visually stimulating as the Woods wallpaper! You've already got this great visual from the moldings. I'd leave them the color that they are and paint the walls different shades of the same color that complements them. That is, paint inside the moldings with a shade darker than that on the outside of the moldings. I'd also keep the color relatively neutral.
I agree with Emily in that you should draw from textiles like curtains, rugs and accent cushions for touches of color and leave the room neutral. It will feel so much more open and elegant. I also think it will look almost regal if you leave it neutral and add rich textiles.
I also agree with other people that the table and chandelier should be changed to something bigger and with more presence.
This room is just so lovely as it is, that making such drastic changes as to re-paint and wallpaper-up its the most stunning features seems a shame.
The ceiling is the stunning feature. Those wall moldings are definitely not.
Tiffany, What if you switch your ideas? Keep the woods wallpaper in your bedroom and use a damask print in your dining room. Using a damask print in the dining room would give it a sexy and dressed up feel. You could try a damask print in bold jewel tones. It would look stunning with the wood moldings. Leave the ceiling white or maybe try using a shiny paint or silver leaf to really add some sparkle and shimmer to the room. If you do go with the woods wallpaper, using a shiny paint or silver leaf on the ceiling will really dress it up and give the woods an enchanted feel. Once you've dealt with the walls, make sure to find a good area rug to break up all the wood and really bring attention to the table. Getting a new table is a good suggestion because the one you currently have is a bit small. Good luck! I hope I was able to help a bit.
Victoria, I was originally only doing one accent wall so I bought 3 rolls to be extra generous; my installer then said it would look better if I extended it to a second wall and really had to stretch. The repeat is a little challenging so I would buy a little bit more than usual for the space, also note these are European rolls which are longer than typical US ones so they are not as expensive as they look.
As for Tiffany, if you really want to put something inside those moldings, I would suggest a largescale pattern in gold tones to set off the warmth in the room without making it seem too dark (which I think would happen with, say, a burgundy.) If it were me, I would consider using this: http://www.flavorleague.com/wallpaper/kabloom?colorway=artichoke
The floral motif makes it seem more retro, but it's actually a very contemporary design and so large in scale - the bigger flowers are well over a foot across - that they would indeed seem more like framed pieces of art. (I also have this wallpaper, in silver and white, on an armoire in my house).
We had wallpapered our dining room with the red and gold 'woods' wallpaper in a similar fashion. We too have wood muldings and papered inside while using 'golden straw' paint above the wood panels, which we also used in our living room that adjacent to the dining room and separated by pocket doors. It really looks great and against our oak hutches and mouldings, it is very warm.