Remember the HGTV show called Room for Change? Well it felt like an episode again as I redesign a very small powder room tucked under a staircase. The before room had blue stripes, which were nice at one time, and I still love stripes, but this room needed an upgrade to reflect the room it joins (library/family room) and the rest of our cottage style villa. This is a project I wanted to do for so long and our 2 week staycation gave me that time.
First I started by taking down the striped wall paper. Well, tearing it down in little strings is more like it. Even with the proper water preping, it is an awful job. The wall looked terrible at this point with parts of the drywall showing and layers of older paper. However, perfect for that old world stucco type look.
Now to achieve that look and style without stucco, I took sheets of unprinted newsprint paper. The type you collect antique shopping, when they wrap your purchases. Not as thin as tissue paper, but perfect to scrunch and tear to form wrinkles and folds. At this point, I soaked each piece in a bucket of watered down Elmer's glue before applying to the wall.
I know, it looks pretty bad! Remember, it always looks bad before it looks better! LOL!!
Next I applied mod podge to the stucco style papers and let it dry over night.
Now on to painting the walls right over the papers with a maple syrup color paint. It is a very warm and soft color.
The technique I used is one I tried many years ago for giving a stucco look without actually using thick plaster. I sort of made it up as I went along. This really makes it less expensive, in fact free, if you have saved the papers from shopping trips and less messy too. Any color can be painted over the dried papers.
As you can see in the finished pictures, I only did this on the bottom half of the wall, under the chair rail and old world style border paper I used on the top half.
After the paint is dry I again did the faux antiquing technique I shared below in my last post. This gives the aged look with shades of light and dark in the folds and wrinkles.
Over the "la toliet" area and shelf, I added a border of old books I found several years ago in a paper. I cut them out to look like they are real and standing on the shelf. Since this little powder room joins our library family room, it ties the look nicely.
I also covered a paper mache kleenex box with the book paper.
Some of the real books I used to accent are old school books of my mother and her brothers from the 30's and 40's.
The little side cabinet was made by my father and fits perfect to hold essentials. I also painted it with an off white ivory like the wall hutch in the family room.
Before~
After~
This got me to organize all the books in our little library. The TV is behind the center section. I really don't like to see it when not in use. Just a quirk of mine!
I also found this sweet little print at a resale shop. It had a gold frame and I also painted it the light ivory and adding it to the powder room.
Okay, now I am on a roll here and decided to make some short valance toppers in blue and white toile for the library windows. I kept them short since this room is dark and I wanted to let as much light in as possible.
Added 2 wall groupings along side the hutch and redesigned this charming floor lamp from the 40's with a chic shade along side a vintage table also painted in the light ivory. The lamp was my mother and dad's first living room purchase when they got married. It has a swing arm and perfect when I read or do hand work.
To finish up the area by the back door, I also made a small valance and placed it over a window type mirror that I painted light ivory along with a magnetic curtain rod and painted a larger mirror frame going up near the stairs, ivory as well. This is by a back coat closet. The mirrors open up the area and give it a larger feel.
Just these little touches made a big difference and I had so much fun. Thank you for stopping by. I'll be back next time with a few more little redo's. Till then, Have a great week and see you soon.
Blessings, Celestina Marie
