Bedroom makeover & Wallpapering a Ceiling

I’ve mentioned in previous posts that we live in a wonky old house.

Built in the 17th century — it is Grade 2 listed — has warm stone walls and a tin roof.

There is thatch underneath the tin but, in the war, the thatch was covered in a layer of corrugated metal, in order to stop the incendiary devices setting fire to it.

Consequently it’s now part of the listing and weirdly, it’s one of the things I like best.

I love our little house with it’s quirks and character but sometimes ‘character’ comes with it’s own set of problems too. Restricted head height in some areas and steeply pitched ceilings are just a couple of the issues that we face but, I guess, that’s the trade off for living in a period property.

A Bedroom Makeover

One of the rooms that has a really sloped ceiling is one of the guest bedrooms on the 2nd floor of the house.

Although the room sees lots of visitors — as we regularly have friends and family coming to stay — we’d never really done much to it since we moved in.

Sporting plain white walls and accessories that were donkey’s years old, it was comfortable but ‘tired’ I think it would be fair to say.

Wallpapering a Ceiling

It was high time for a makeover.

Factoring in the shape of the room was tricky to begin with but — as with everything in life — it’s sometimes better to work with what you have, than work against it so, instead of trying to cover it up and tone it down, I decided to make a feature out of it.

I found the most perfect wallpaper — white scattered with swallows — from Laura Ashley.

What could be nicer than lying in bed and looking at a ceiling full of little blue birds?

Wallpapering a ceiling is a little trickier than it sounds — particularly when the plaster is uneven and the walls are not straight! But it works so well here.

It has set the theme for the whole room and I chose a dove grey knitted throw for the end of the bed and a beautiful glass lamp base to replace the old one.

The room looked so dull beforehand — the addition of a little wallpaper has made such a difference. It’s given the room a fresh coastal feel — nice when you couldn’t be any further from the sea!!

A Fresh New look

I’m so happy with our new look guest bedroom.

The addition of the wallpaper has totally transformed the space. Instead of looking tired — and a bit basic — it’s now fresh and welcoming.

And it just goes to show that wallpaper can be used on more than just the walls! It can turn awkward space into a beautiful feature.

Wallpapering a ceiling may not be the obvious choice for a bedroom makeover but sometimes a little blue-sky thinking — or in this case ‘blue-bird’ thinking — can make the world of difference to making something look really special.

As well as wallpapering a ceiling — I’ve also wallpapered a caravan! If you’d like to go and see how it looks, check out this post.

Caro Davies

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Caro Davies is a former art-director turned writer and content-creator, and editor behind UK lifestyle blog The Listed Home. She writes about home-related topics, from interiors and DIY to food and craft. The Listed Home has been featured in various publications, including Ideal Home, Grazia, and Homes & Antiques magazines.

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