Parlour redecoration

Parlour as it was.

Christmas is over so, reluctantly, I must return to my diy. I love creating a makeover but decoration in this house seems to go on forever as literally everything has to be cleaned and repainted.

Our front parlour had been left untouched for the last 3 years, ever since we first moved into this house. It has only been used by us for storage and as a dumping ground. The walls were appalling with dirty, wrinkled wall paper and the plaster beneath was not great. There was an ugly fire surround and several holes in the wall. And it stank. Now, thanks to a mammoth effort prior to Christmas, the bulk of the work has been completed, even the smell has gone (it appears to have been held in the wallpaper). All that is left, excluding furniture, is to gloss the shelves and give the walls a final coat of paint.

Unfortunately I don't have much time to dedicate to this project so my intention is to spend about half an hour a day working in there to finish it off. This can be ever so frustrating at times when it's so near to being complete but as much of the work is applying layers of gloss there is no way to sensibly rush the job, I certainly don't want to be starting over again!

The photo, above, really does not do justice to how the room was. The carpet was removed on the day we moved in it was so disgustingly filthy. I don't seem to have an image of the old orange wallpaper that was on the back wall, or of the marks and holes for all the shelving that must have wrapped around this room. To be honest, I am disappointed in this picture as it actually doesn't look too bad!