I wasn’t a fan of the peach room so the peach room changed to olive. I know the patterned style is coming back and it may seem fresh to those who didn’t see it on the walls of their grandparents’ homes. Although the look is hugely comforting and reminds me of childhood in the late ’70s.
People just didn’t decorate as often as we do now. When you bought an expensive high-quality wallpaper it was meant to last and my goodness did it last. The papers at Le Chassaing were mainly from the ’70s and ’80s with a few remnants of early papers hand-painted / block printed and highlighted by hand inside two of the wardrobes.
It’s funny how I can appreciate the handcrafted but the mass-manufactured is too perfect somehow and I love the incidentals that make a piece unique. That’s probably why I fell in love with the designs from Mark Hearld.
Our designer and business partner David Bowyer first spotted Hearld’s linocut work and we promptly had our office professionally decorated in the Harvest Hare design many years ago. I needed inspiration for the peach room so after contemplating the designs of Wiliam Morris I also had to revisit the St Judes online store to find another fun print. This time I found Hearld’s Squirrel and Sunflower linocut printed paper in green sedge. I love its complexity and simplicity.
Our farmhouse doesn’t feel quite grand enough at the moment to carry off a Morris print but I am determined to squeeze a Morris paper in somewhere if I can ever decide on which one I love the most. It’s just impossible they are all so beautifully opulent and available in so many colourways
You may have seen our quick update to make the room less peach in the short term. I basically washed the walls and woodwork then painted all of the woodwork including the (orange wood stained) pine ceiling white with a hint of yellow to give a brighter lighter feel. Here is a quick flashback to the peach room blog post back in October 2019. You can see it wasn’t too bad on camera but it was very tired in places.
You’ll notice that I mentioned a professional decorator wallpapered our Derbyshire office many years ago. That’s because the wallpaper was expensive and a complex pattern. So why did I think I could wallpaper now? Well, I guess I’ve learned so much about DIY and watched so many youtube videos to practice and gain more skills.
My confidence has grown I just felt that ‘nothing ventured nothing gained’ as the saying goes. So we completed the wallpaper, pasting, and hanging together. We started with a simple project. Half of the wall with wallpaper and the bottom half wood-paneled. It’s definitely a two-man job for beginners! Very tricky to get everything just right. The room is now in full progress during January and February. I’ve added few images below.
the Peach Room changed to olive
Link to the painting and decorating of the upstairs landing at le Chassaing and a glimpse of the block printed wallpaper in the cupboard.
This guest room is still in progress and I’ll be bringing you an update with a video as soon as the decorating is completed. I’ve been reviewing some of the IKEA bed linen. I’m looking for something white with a little texture to complement the style of the room.
There is of course the paneling and wall lighting beside the bed to complete. I found some pretty wall lights at a brocante recently so I’ll hand these over to Simon to ensure that they are working safely. Then I’ll give them a cleanup and a spray to match the ceiling light I found at a charity shop. I’m hoping for a mix of new and old with a handcrafted style.
This is all new to me and I’m enjoying putting things together. It may not be everyone’s idea of great design but we can’t please everyone all of the time. If you are thinking of using some colour or a pattern for the first time go for it. The most difficult part is finding paints in the right shade to match. You have to get out into the daylight or ideally take a sample of the colour back to the room to check. My yellow paint choice seemed terrible at first, but in the room itself, I think it works. The yellow doesn’t seem as bright.
I have to say I was surprised that the yellow pigment intensified as it dried. It looks so much lighter in the paint sample than it does on the wall. It doesn’t matter, you can always mix your own. If you do decide to add a bit of white paint make sure you have enough paint to finish the room! Ha – I’ve made that mistake before. Have fun learning, chalk it down to experience.
Speaking of which I’m looking for a chalk paint project to upcycle some draws for the newly decorated room. I’ve been reseaching making your own chalk paint. Exciting stuff.
