Hi, I am renovating an 1850s house with 9ft ceilings and have been through the same problem (I am 5ft 2). I ended up buying a garden tower, daft as it sounds, and it has been the best purchase ever. I feel completely safe and it has allowed me to do some really long laborious tasks such as repairing lath and plaster ceilings and restoring cornice in comfort. It has wheels on one end so you can move it around the room easily and you can cover a bigger area than a ladder without moving it along. It dismantles really easily and doesn't take up much space either. Don't know how I would have managed without it. x lottie http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Gardeners-Mate-Gardeno-Mobile-Work-Platform-Safety-/252716794034?hash=item3ad71840b2:g:bp4AAOSw241Yc5uo

I would box in the pipework as that is going to be very difficult to paper around. I would also get yourself a proper scalpel from an art shop as these are best for cutting paper in situ - it will also be easier if you have paper where you can paste the wall rather than the paper. One issue you will have is around the edge of the fireplace as its such an irregular shape you will really struggle to get a clean edge. I would be inclined to agree with others who have said you will get a better finish if painted - if the wall was painted I would also polish the copper pipes to a high sheen if you don't plan to box them in, its an easy job and looks great when done.

Does it actually need to be a metal strip or just look metallic? One alternative would be to paint wooden beading (a bit like picture frame wood but I’m not sure what it’s called) metallic gold and effectively frame the wallpaper. Another product is wall decal stripes, but you’d have to see if you could source something like this in the UK: https://wallsneedlove.com/products/easy-stripe

I agree about pendant lights being a no no but expensive to change all to spotlights if not already done. You could paint the walls and ceilings the same colour to blur the line of where the ceiling starts. Hang your curtains (if you have them) from the ceiling for maximum height.You can buy the tracks really easily now.