Glazing wallpaper

Thank you, Nita for the new header!  I'll do post later on the great options she came up with.  She's very creative. 

Back to guest bedroom.  I guess I forgot to mention that this is a really low-budget makeover.  I'm saving for a new kitchen and bathrooms so I'm trying to go easy.  I hope this doesn't put too many people over the edge.

You may remember that I felt this guest room wallpaper was feeling a little too "Fresh off the Farm."  When I first mentioned the possibility of glazing the wallpaper, there were several people concerned that the wallpaper would be more difficult to take off if I painted it.  Extra work has never stopped me from doing anything.  I love the process.  One of the reasons I think I've never more seriously pursued art is that I can't focus on one medium, one method of working.  I always want to move on and learn something new.  "Jack of all trades" my grandmother used to call me.  She was right.  And she was kind enough to leave off the "master of none" part. 

So I decided to take it as a challenge to turn the wallpaper into something different.  I'd like it to have a softer, barely-there romantic feel that serves as a backdrop for a guest room that's typically for mom but that anyone might feel comfortable in.   

After cleaning out the room, I mixed up a 50/50 paint and water solution and just went at it with a brush.  I decided to use a brush rather than a roller so there might be some texture created by the brush strokes.  This is the first coat going on.   I think I want more concealing of the pattern but I think it's better to take it a thin coat at a time.

I wouldn't recommed doing this--I'm doing it just for illustrative purposes--but here you can see the difference between the original wallpaper, the first coat and the second coat on the right.

On the first coat, I've done the brush strokes vertically.  The second coat I'll do horizontally so if the brushstrokes show when I'm done, it should create a linen-like texture.

It's fairly easy to keep a wet edge as long you've set aside enough time to do the whole room at one time.  I think the first coat took me about three hours.   

Here's the dried surface after the first coat.

And after the second coat.

Here's the wall behind the dresser.  I figured out it's not so much the color of the dresser that I dislike so much, it's the shine.  It feels plastic to me.  I'm not sure how it will end up, but I might try a little pumice or rottenstone first to see if that helps.  I've refinished furniture too, mixed my own shellac. 

I've added a bamboo blind to fill some of the space above the window.  I bought these after the subject of these windows was addressed on Sofas and Sage's Window Wednesday series.  Here's my old post about it.  I'll let you know when Carol does an update on the post.  I will probably replace the sheers with something heavier in the fall and winter but in the warmer weather, I love how these (Pottery Barn cotton voile) billow in the breeze of an open window.   

This is what the paper and window treatments looked like before.

The wall after.

The overall feeling of the room has changed dramatically.  The wallpaper has a very soft, upholstered, almost velvety appearance to it.  I wouldn't install wallpaper with the idea that it would be glazed but I think it would be a great way to tone down a bright print or lighten up a dark print if you really can't live with what you have and don't want to take it down.

I don't really have a plan for the rest of the room.  I usually take it one step at a time.  I'm feeling like the basics will be very neutral and then I'll bring in some artwork and accessories to brighten it up.