Hi Lou Ella. I think painting above picture rail and ceiling white would look well and painting the whole room under it another colour. The direction your sitting room faces would influence the colour you choose. Perhaps picking up a few tester pots would be a good idea? One way to get rid of lining paper would be to strip the walls and as you suggested use textured wallpaper or re plaster the walls. Like your sitting room floors!

Start with painting the picture rail and above white to match the ceiling and see how you feel - that alone will make a big difference and make the room feel more airy. I don't like feature walls as they lack commitment, but I know they are quite popular. I wouldn't do panelling unless it was original to the house - it's become over-used and trendy, which I dislike (even though I like panelling and am planning some modern cladding in my own extension!). Edges of lining paper - you could try very finely sanding the lines down to smooth them out and paint?? Anaglypta type wallpaper (preferably not boring woodchip though) would be an option to get rid of the lines too though - or just remove the lining paper and start again, but be prepared to fill in cracks in the wall that the paper is hiding. So many other things you can do in the room too though - paint the fire surround, for example. Or just style it differently, bring in some new cushions, house plants, art. From the photos, the neutral on the wall looks a nice colour though and a good backdrop to lots of options - but painting the picture rail and above is going to make a big difference so do that first!

Thanks everyone. I think i will go with white on the picture rail and above and a colour all the way round. i may change the curtains and get new decor / accessories too. Thanks for the advice :-)

With regards to painting walls etc we have a similar room and painted all the woodwork, cornice and picture rail white and then painted all the walls and the ceiling in the same colour. At present our lounge is Little Green Adventurer- a dark red/brown. It helps to lessen the height of the ceiling and makes for a cosy room.

Hi @Lou Ella, it looks like you have a lot of period features in this room so we think you may want to check out our blog, so you can see what some of our clients have done and what our designers recommend in similar spaces to yours. https://blog.mybespokeroom.com/how-to-make-the-most-of-your-period-property Hope this helps!

Ive started, painting the top white then have went for farrow and ball purbeck stone (tested beside the cabinet).

new curtains / accessories and light in here too once im done!

any suggestions for new lighting? we’ve had this light for 8 years so looking for something new. I like a large statement light in a room!

How about something like this to pick up the brass although it depends on the ceiling height! You could also repeat for the mirror

https://www.pooky.com/collections/chandeliers/products/artemis-circular-chandelier-in-brass-with-glass-rods-and-frosted-glass-baffle?variant=40924156592333

Thank you, that looks really nice :-)

Purbeck Stone looks lovely. My sister has it in her hall. I rather like your light fitting, but we all fancy a change sometimes, so some examples below. I’ve chosen more traditional designs as I feel they would suit your room better?

I would add a bit of wood for warmth and a scandi touch too x

Thank you :-) those light fittings are lovely.

I do have a bit of wood on my tv unit but agree i should add more..as well as wicker baskets. Was also thinking a nice tall plant to the side of the fireplace?

Getting there. The white is taking ages! it has really brightened the room

Colour coming along nicely - bringing out the floor really nicely 😊

The white above picture rail emphasises the 1930s look of your home. Sonia’s room also looks awesome with that combination.

Looks good !

This looks lovely Lou. The white picture rail and above have really lifted the room and is perfect for a light-filled space. I think you could think about patterned curtains in a similar tone which pick out the colour of the walls. I’ll try and find a pic.

This scale of pattern - nothing to big. It’s subtle but would add interesting detail to the room and it’s important to have a balance of pattern, texture and colour 😊 These are just ideas I found on John Lewis.

Those patterns would also beautifully complement the gorgeous lights that Sonia suggested.