Would love some advice about where, if at all, to wallpaper front room.

[bobkate]

I've decided I really like ( I think ) this paper

However, I'm still in such two minds about wallpaper. I've never wallpapered before but love these colours. Not sure whether to use it at all, or even where to use it!
I've just added a couple of pics to my profile if anyone would like to help me!
Please excuse the mess...but it's waiting for me to make a decision before stuff general toot gets moved elsewhere to clutter up somewhere else.
If I decide to be brave and go with the paper, should I go for the chimney breast only ( rest of room painted in a suitable shade of grey ), either side of the chimney only, or the wall you see looking down through the house?
I know it's not a major problem in the grand scheme of things but I'm getting myself in a minor headache inducing tizz trying to make a decision one way or another.

Would appreciate any thoughts

By the way the armchair is going and the taller cupboard to the right of the chimney will be moved to the opposite side of the room.
Also the gas fireplace, cunningly disguised underneath a hungry hippo game ( in a pointless attempt to stop my dd fiddling with all the stones on it ) will be removed in the near future with the long term plan of a wood burner in it's place.

That's lovely wallpaper. I'd do the whole room except for the recesses next to the fireplace (I'd put built in shelves in those to ceiling height), feature walls are a bit 90s, and the paper is pale enough not to be overwhelming.

I really like that wallpaper and think it will give you a really calming colour scheme.
From your photo it doesn't look like the chimney breast or the alcoves are very wide. Because of that I would paper right across the whole of that wall. I think the wallpaper would be a bit lost otherwise.
Remember to come back and post more photos when it's done!

for some reason I can't see the wallpaper, but your daughters are beautiful.

Ah thanks haveto! It's bonita trail by harlequin, in the sort of yellowey/greyey/duck eggy tones. So technical me!
Right so two different ideas already! You're right always they're not terribly wide alcoves.
One reason why I'm a bit put off about papering the chimney breast is that we'll be doing it ourselves, and I think it could be a bit fiddly, especially with the bit underneath and to the sides of the black surround.
perseis I was thinking about putting shelves up in the alcoves, but we only have those two wall lights, plus a random third on another wall.
I'll post the rest of the room pics to give you the whole idea...and see if that changes anything.
Thanks for the help already

So, I'm thinking plain roman blinds for the windows - can you see the random location for the wall light to the right of the window. Can't really afford to move it or put in a ceiling light either as I've got the hallway and other room to do too.
The kids stuff will be deposited in their rooms and the random pictures will be sorted and removed/placed elsewhere. We kind of plonked them in random places when we moved....3 years ago

If we were to paper on the walls where the wall lights are...can you suggest a suitable style of wall light too.

OMG bobkate you are a star. I have been trying to locate the name of that wallpaper everywhere. I posted here last week about wallpaper for my lounge, I have duck egg/teal curtains and need something else, got a few suggestions then while trawling through Ebay I found some lamp and this wallpaper was behind it. Unfortunately the seller had no idea what it was. You have now saved the day.

Sorry I digress, I think maybe the wall opposite the window if you don't want to do the chimney breast. But agree with Perseis you could do three walls then paint the chimney breast.
Would love to see the paper up.

!!! haveto yay! That's made me smile! So that's 3 votes for liking it then....
My friend has been helping me too and she's suggested that wall too, then the rest of the room painted in ........fill in the blanks..... I was thinking then, lights like these that can be painted to blend in with the walls.
I'm so crap at being concise in my descriptions of things, so apologies for the waffle
On another thread someone suggested F&B blackened as a good match but not sure if it's too light. I'm on about the 5th tester pot and don't want to eat into my budget on too many tester pots! So that's another challenge

Have to say that I agree that paper on just one wall looks dated to me now. I would second the idea of doing the whole room, or if that really is too much I would certainly do the wall opposite the window and the wall which the door is on.

Also think the idea of shelving in the alcoves is good. You could even do some with cupboards underneath if you need to hide any of your DD's things, that's what mine are used for!

So chunkamatic Am I right in thinking you wouldn't wallpaper the alcoves if shelves are going there? Also, does it look odd to hang pictures/photographs on wallpaper? Can't quite imagine how it would look on wallpaper.

Oh dear I am obviously behind the times

Pictures on wallpaper can definitely work, as long as te frames match the overall feel of the decor (you wouldn't put heavy rococo frames on modernist paper for example) and the colours tie in - for example.

Re the lighting/shelving conundrum, you could build lighting into the shelving perhaps? Like this? And lamps are always good if the room is still a bit dark...

Overall are you going for quite a light colour scheme? Because paler slipcovers over the couches might look good. There are simple ones you can do with basically no sewing, and Ikea sell natural linen for about £8 a metre I think...

You and me both Always I love it on one wall and I don't care.

Thanks for your help everyone - it's amazing how different people can view things isn't it. What one person sees as a bit passé is another's idea of just right. Ho hum... I think I might be heading towards to passé end of things but there you go
perseis thanks for the pictures link...I tried googling hanging pictures on wallpaper but didn't see anything like that. I'm obviously just as rubbish at googling as I am making my mind up about décor.
I think the end result will probably be quite light yes. The brown leather sofa will be staying as the woofs like to sit there and greet bark manically at passers by or visitors and that's easy to keep clean. But I'm trying to sell the two other armchairs, had them in our old house but they're just to big in this room. I have a small nursing chair that I'd like to get reupholstered which I think I'd like to go in there.

I like the lighted shelves but again, the budget is very tight...even more so after getting the bill for the latest car service...ouch... so I've taken the plunge and ordered the paintable wall lights I linked to above.

Got to try to calculate how much paper now. I think I'm going to go for the double door wall, if there's any left I'll blue tak it up and see if I want to carry on round some other bits.

Thanks again - do you fancy looking for some roman blind fabric now??!!! Thought perhaps a greyey/minky colour to match the stalks with perhaps a beaded trim at the bottom to pick out the yellowey/duckeggy colours.

I think that a totally wallpapered room just looks too busy - even when the paper is quite pale. But you could easily do two walls.

There are loads of wallpaper calculators online where you put in your measurements and it tells you what you will need.

Thanks always

Well we're getting there. Thought I'd pop back and add some new photos of freshly painted walls. Not very easy to see as they're so small, but we went for Cornforth white, but had it mixed at a trade counter. Love the colour. We've painted all 4 walls as still can't decide on where to paper . Narrowed it down either the wall with 2 doors, or the wall with one. Hmmm.
I stripped the windowsill which took FOREVER...but worth it in the end.
Just got to also get some floating shelves for each alcove, 2 new ( smaller ) armchairs and get some pictures up as it's looking bland, but think it won't look anything else until the paper is up. We love that we now use the room. Kids stuff now cluttering up the rest of the house...won't be forever she says!

I think because the colours are pale you can get away with using it all over the room, feature walls to me are better if the paper is dark or bright. mind we don't have any wallpaper. the closest we have got is to frame a sample piece of one I really liked but wasn't brave enough to use.

as for pictures on wallpaper - just make sure it has a surround and frame that are simple, perhaps a wider mount than you might normally look at and it will work fine.

lovely colours.

Thanks Peri it's becoming a slow old process!

my hubby refuses to have wallpaper so I don't get to use any sadly.

to choose between the 2 walls try thinking whether you want to be able to see the paper when you are sitting watching TV or whether you prefer having the paper behind you - that kind of thing.

Also which wall would you use more for pictures and then do the other one?

and you can always tie it all together by framing a bit of the wallpaper on one of the other walls or reflecting it with a mirror.

oh and as for children's clutter - hmm yes, let me know if you find a solution...

Peri my DH is seemingly the same. Now all the walls are painted, he's been saying do we have to have the paper. I reckon I can still convince him.
Great pointers re pictures, whether we want to see when watching telly, etc.
I'm now leaning towards the door opposite the fireplace, then using a big mirror on the fireplace itself which will reflect the paper. Plus it'll use less so that will help convince DH!