Painting advice please for the sitting room, what should I do? <dull, dull, dull sorry>

[NickNacks]

In our sitting room we have a picture rail. The room is currently cream with white gloss woodwork (inc picture rail) and the ceiling and wall above the picture rail is also white. It's all just a bit boring.

I'm looking to redecorate the room and I'm wondering if the bit of wall between the picture rail and ceiling should be painted the same colour as the rest of the walls and keep the woodwork and ceiling white or will this make the room look a bit 'stripy'?

White skirting, coloured wall, white picture rail, coloured wall, white ceiling...

I am not a big fan of white and love deep dramatic colours so in your position I would paint the bottom of the walls a deep dramatic colour and the top bit the same colour and accentuate it with off white picture rail and skirting boards.
But it will totally depend on what your colour preferences are. Some people like white and pastel colours- I don't but you might.

What is between the ceiling and wall? Cornice or coving?

I have white skirting, coffee coloured wall, white dado, cream coloured wall, white coving, white ceiling

But god how I hate that dado rail - was put on by previous owners and we are too scared to rip it off as he has probably used no more nails or such like and it will take half the plasterboard with it

The chimney breast is currently a very bright, dramatic with the rest of the room cream. I like to keep it similar but get rid of the cream as its a bit dull and filthy (am a CM so handprints are everywhere!).

There is nothing between the wall and ceiling at the moment. I don't think it would be possible to remove it without causing damage like yours redlac

If there is nothing between the ceiling and the frieze then I think that they are better painted the same colour ( pale neutral)

Thank you 7to25 I'll probably keep it similar to how it is then and just paint below in a new, nicer colour. It looks fine as it is so will look for a fresher neutral (not white). :)

how high is the ceiling?

painting the drop to pic rail white makes the ceiling feel lower.

It's 8' high.

I have painted a dado rail the same colour as the wall, and it looked pretty good.

8' is not particularly high.

you could the whole wall the same colour, and the picture rail too, if you like, as Karbea says.

I prefer a white drop and rail, but I have quite high ceilings.