Papering above a picture rail?

[emilybronte]

Does anyone have a view on whether wallpaper on a feature wall with a picture rail should continue above the picture rail to the ceiling, or stop at the picture rail (the section above being painted the same as the rest of the walls)?

1930s house, bedroom with normal height ceiling, picture rail at height of top of door frame.

Ceiling and woodwork will be white, walls Gardenia or similar. Wallpaper: cream background, smallish cranberry coloured scrolly pattern.



Which do you think would look better?

 

[footprints]

I would go with stopping at the rail but that's only my opinion.

Mind you if it were me I would play safe and ask the other half!

 

[Bosswhite]

Interesting Problem.

a) Does one continue the white ceiling down to Picture rail ( as normal procedure) meeting up with Gardenia on the side walls .

b) Paint above wallpapered Feature wall picture rail with Gardenia Paint ,

c) or carry the wallpaper above the picture rail on the feature wall

I think I would go for C or remove picture rail on that wall

 

[emilybronte]

Thanks for all the input so far!

The wall paper having just arrived, I discover that it is not (as customer thought) a cranberry coloured pattern on a gardenia background, but on a whitey-cream one!

So I am going to suggest whitey-cream on 3 walls and ceilings then at least it is one less visual change in what is not an enormous bedroom.

My instinct is to carry the paper on up to the ceiling as there won't be much of it otherwise - a section of wall to the side of the door approx 2.5 m x 1.9m, which will have a bedhead in front of it!

I'll try to get a photo of the wall and door in question to see what you guys think.

 

[emilybronte]

Between us, customer and I have decided that what would look best would be: wallpaper on feature wall up to picture rail, cream on other three walls also up to picture rails, ceiling and area between ceiling a picture rails white. Woodwork in cream.

 

[Bosswhite]

If thats what the customer wants, thats it then.

The Customer is ALWAYS right !!

 

[emilybronte]

If thats what the customer wants, thats it then.

The Customer is ALWAYS right !!

...until they decide that actually, they don't like what they chose, after all...

 

[Bosswhite]

If thats what the customer wants, thats it then.

The Customer is ALWAYS right !!

...until they decide that actually, they don't like what they chose, after all...

Yes then they try and blame the decorator, I have had those sorts of customers,

I never recommend colour/design etc to a customer, its always their choice

 

[Robbie uk]

The Frieze as its known would not normally be papered with the paper from below, but either papered with what ever is on the ceiling and painted the same, or a specific frieze paper applied, like Lincrusta.

 

[misterhelpful]

As Robbie uk says, the frieze is basically a separate section of the wall traditionally used for ornate decoration so it would be pointless having it if it is to be decorated with the same paper as below the picture rail. Obviously, you are dealing with an existing frieze so you have the choice to make but the same feature wallpaper above and below a picture rail (or dado) always looks as if you have just have a random strip running through the pattern so, in my view, this time the customer is right.

The only other option would be to do as Bosswhite suggested and remove the rail on the feature wall to allow more of the wallpaper to be visible.

 

[emilybronte]

All that makes perfect sense - thanks, folks.

While we are on the subject of bits of architecture, does anyone know the correct name for the rounded, recessed/concave part of elaborate coving, which would be a C shape in cross section? It's often found in Victorian or Georgian plaster coving and can look good painted a dark colour. I've always wondered what it's called.

 

[Robbie uk]

Think your talking about a plaster cornice, I don't know of any specific name for it to be honest.

 

[Chri5]

Are you talking corbels?

 

[emilybronte]

Are you talking corbels?

No, corbels are different. They're (apparently) chunks of moulded plaster which project out of coving. The thing I'm talking about is a recess - it curves inwards to form a concave C shape within the cornice/coving - often at the join between ceiling and wall.

 

[misterhelpful]

Any concave 'C' part of a cornice is actually called a 'cove', which is basically why standard cornice is called coving. More elaborate cornices have coves, beads and/or dentils, with embossed mouldings like egg and dart, lambs tongue, etc.

Have a look here to see some of the terminology:

http://classicplastermouldings.co.uk/plaster_mouldings.html