Decorating help needed.. What would yo do here?

[Palomb]

This is my living room. It has just been skimmed and I'm just in the process of painting it after the mist coat. We're reinstating the picture rail and I'm unsure if I could take it all the way to the window or just to the detailed plasterwork? I'm leaning to just towards the detail as that's what was here originally but then what I colour should paint the wall closest to the window? The plan is to have white above the rail and Morris Blue below.

Also, that pelmet. Emulsion or Gloss?

[Palomb]

A picture would help

[wowfudge]

Just to the detailed plaster work would be my view. Nice window

[Palomb]

Thanks :) would you leave the window recess all white? We're probably not going to see much of it anyway because of curtains.

[wowfudge]

I'd paint the window frame and the pelmet the colour and finish you are doing the rest of the woodwork and the wall the same as the main colour in the room. Satinwood - water based - doesn't yellow the way gloss can.

We are having a tea break from frieze and ceiling painting. It looks so much better than it did before and some of it was filthy. Cream ceiling originally so quite easy to see where we have painted.

[Palomb]

Oh I hate decorating but love the sense of achievement it gives when you've finished! We've only just moved in to this house and all the old gloss work is a lovely shade of nicotine yellow and absolutely filthy. I didn't think modern gloss still yellowed? We had satinwood in outlast house and found it just chipped off after a while.

[wowfudge]

Modern gloss is more likely to yellow ime - maybe not so much if you buy some now as the manufacturers will have worked on it staying white without the type of solvents they used for that in the past. If it isn't exposed to light, e.g. behind furniture and under curtains the yellowing is worse.

I'd prime and re-paint. Chipping could be down to what was underneath the satinwood, rather than the top coat itself.

Ceiling looks a bit patchy after coat number two, but will wait for it to dry before attacking the patches. Just about to do a third coat of the Dulux Redcurrant we've used in the inglenook as that is definitely patchy. Next weekend DP is tackling the oak parquet we discovered hidden under the faded and stained carpet.

[Palomb]

Ooh lucky you! I've got oak I the hall but it's not parquet. The rest of the rooms are pine I think so
I'm going to stand them and try and stain them
A similar colour. Decorating is suck a long process isn't it? Out ceiling is still patchy and I can still seek the yellow through the coving.

Dulux Redcurrant sounds very luxurious

[wowfudge]

It might sound luxurious but it is still slightly patchy in places after three sodding coats . Thank goodness it's not over a large area.

The current burst of activity was prompted by the lining of one of the hideous curtains we inherited shredding and the colour running when I washed it. So new curtains and sofas ordered (was on the cards and budgeted for but galvanised DP into action) and decorating before they arrive.

[Palomb]

Ugh don't mention curtains! Have you seen the price of curtains recently?

Have you had some lovely ones?

[wowfudge]

We're getting them from Dunelm. We agreed (miracle in itself) on a fabric that tones with the sofas and has some dark red in it to go with the fireplace tiles and red in the inglenook. It's a huge window - nearly 12 feet by 7 and a half. Yes they are expensive, but not as expensive as I thought they might be. I don't have the time to make them myself and would worry about messing them up.

I got a quote from an online supplier which was double the cost of Dunelm. I also looked at local curtain making services and Dunelm's charges for making them up were cheaper.

Terry's Fabrics had the same fabric, but their customer service was terrible, really negative as though customers were a hindrance when I tried to get a quote.