General decorating question and curtain advice

In my experience, there will be a reason that there is that sort of wallpaper on the walls. You're right - it will probably be covering old and bumpy plasterwork. If you took the wallpaper off, most likely the majority of plaster would come off too! If you did take it off, chances are that you'd only really get away with replacing it with another very thick similar type of wallpaper (after filling the walls).

According to MF this sort of covering is making a comeback. I wasn't convinced but let him put it up in our kitchen (a stripe like you show) and once it was painted and everything put back in it looks good.

I think you'd be best to paint over it just now and maybe re-assess in a few years if you want it removed and replastered or if you want a different type of heavy duty wallpaper.

With regards to curtains they are expensive or cheap crappy ones. It's difficult to find a middle ground. The ones I've got in my living room are from a discount department store place - but were still £200! The bedroom ones are Next, but very thin. What style are you looking for /sizes of window? JoJo is your woman for curtains!

Thanks ATB. I actually don't mind the wallpaper, I feel it makes the rooms cosier, they're just painted too darkly and I think a lick of paint will really transform the rooms...

I have major reservations about stripping the walls, so think we'll just paint..

Ps - love that its making a comeback, unknowingly in vogue!!

Curtain wise, we have a large bay window, I really fancy some taffeta style ones in a duck egg/french blue colour but like you say, they're either £50 or £200++!!

Might have to have a trip to my market to look at fabrics this weekend to compare the prices...

This would be my worry. I would be tempted to paint over it in lighter colours.

I would just paint the existing wallpaper too as it probably hides a multitude of sins!

Re curtains, we used to have a big bay window in our old house and I pushed the boat out and got some decent curtains made for them. They were thick which is useful when you have such a mahoosive window. They are still hanging now, 13 years later!

I'm going to go to HomeSense on the way home from work tonight and see if they have anything there..also, i love having a look at everything in that store!! I always end up coming away with a scented candle or something as equally lovely!

I am more and more thinking that painting the existing walls will look absolutely fine..

Thanks everyone!

Although I agree that the wallpaper is probably covering up bad walls, I'm going to suggest pulling the paper off before painting & maybe relining or re-plastering if you need to. I can't see the picture so don't know how dark the purple colour actually is but we also recently bought an old house and has to redecorate.

all the walls in our dining room were a dark purple including the ceiling & all the paint work was navy blue and its been a nightmare trying cover all the dark paint - we had to white wash the walls at least 4 times and still then put several additional coats of the actual colour we wanted over the top. If you end up doing the same it might end of looking quite scuffy & uneven if you go over patterned wall paper.

I think you could probably saves yourselves a lot of time & effort in the long run if you just took the paper down

I was just looking around my office for something mauve to take a photo of and realised that the hitched website is pretty much the colour of our living room (2 walls the darker and 2 walls the lighter purple!!) Its not the largest of livings rooms and the colours just make it look dark..

The house was decorated throughout less than 2 years ago and she had decorators in and they've done an immaculate job so really hesitant to start ripping it all down. The paper isn't patterned as such, just textured IYKWIM so should't need more than a couple of coats..(fingers crossed)!

Wickywack I think Chucklevision meant it'd be difficult to cover the dark colour rather than the wallpaper itself IYSWIM?

For curtains try Dunelm Mill too.

I am also a lover of Homesense!

We went to a material place & picked fabrics for all downstairs & OH cousin made them. Absolutely fabulous with matching cushions - everyone comments on our living room & kitchen. She advised us on sizes & pattern repeats for each window etc.

Upstairs we used next (wedding vouchers) And the quality difference is amazing - I previously thought next was fine! but it depends how much you want things to match ie we wanted matching curtains & bedspreads.

I agree with ATB - if you take wallpaper off I bet there's a lot of work that needs doing so it's whether you bother now or later down the line!

That's exactly what I meant. You might find that if you paint over the wallpaper it'll take several coats before the dark color will be completely covered. Xx