Before & After: A Drab Wallpapered Bedroom Gets a Dark Paint Makeover

Written by

Adrienne BreauxHouse Tour Director at AT Media
Adrienne BreauxHouse Tour Director at AT Media
For more than 10 years, I've led Apartment Therapy's real home content, producing thousands of house tours from around the world. Currently, I live in my maximalist dream home in New Orleans, Louisiana, with my partner, a perfect dog, and a cute cat.
published Nov 15, 2014
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Post Image
(Image credit: Wendy)

Wendy fell so in love with the character and charm of this rental apartment she was a bit blind to the stained, outdated wallpaper in the bedroom. But after moving in, she realized an update was needed, and she went with a dark and dramatic color palette.

(Image credit: Wendy)

From Wendy:

When my children and I moved into our rental apartment last winter, I was so wowed by the charm and character of our new space that I scarcely noticed the dingy, stained wallpaper covering every room in the house. When you walk into an apartment and see built-ins, pocket doors and fireplaces with original tile you can overlook the little things like mysterious blood splatters on the walls, right?

My landlord gave me permission to paint, but with the stipulation that I did not remove the wallpaper (because he said it was probably holding in the 112 year old crumbling, plaster walls…) I painted away and miraculously the wallpaper didn’t fall off in a big, wet paint heap.

So, the stains are gone (as I’m going to sleep I try not to think too hard about how they got there in the first place), the walls are still intact and this formerly drab and dreary room is now my most favorite room in our home.

Thank you Wendy! See more angles of this new bedroom makeover on Wendy’s blog!