Decorating the Hilda Ogden Way

There's been some decorating going on in these here parts. I have to admit we haven't been DIY-ing this time though, but instead got Derek the Decorator on the case. He's done two weeks' worth for us and has completely transformed the living room, hallway and the stairs up to the first floor.

This little nook in the hallway has undergone quite a transformation. 

From this:

Via this

To this:

And this. The jug has since been moved and replaced with a photo since the 'artfully arranged twigs' looked a bit much against such busy wallpaper.

What do you think of the wallpaper? Not everyone's cup of tea I'm sure, but we absolutely love it. We first spied it in the window of a lovely ironmongers in Warwick when we were up there for the mediaeval glamping experience last summer. I then sent off for some samples in the various colourways. They arrived, we oohed and ahhed over them and then promptly put them away in a drawer.

But when we knew Derek was soon to arrive it set us to thinking of we really wanted in the hallway, and our minds went back to this wallpaper. We both really liked this colourway and we happened upon a paint that we felt went well with it, and so we decided to go for it. At £60+ a roll it was a nail biting decision because if we didn't like it, it was quite an expensive mistake to make (thank goodness we only needed one roll.)

But, luckily, we both absolutely love it. It's certainly got a touch of Hilda Ogden about it, don't you think?!?

It's by Little Greene and is called Great Ormond Street (in the cappuccino colourway in this instance), in case you were wondering. Apparently it's based on a wallpaper removed from the ground floor rear closet of a very early-18th century house opposite Great Ormond Street Hospital (according to the LG website.) 

The rest of the hallway and the walls up the stairs to the first floor have also been decorated, although just with paint rather than overdraft-enducing wallpaper. We've gone from white:

to 'wheatgrass' (aka beige...)

And up the first part of the stairs, again from white...

to wheat.

The wall at the top has been painted, but I was too eager to get a photo to wait for it to be done. 

Next time I'll show you the changes in the living room/dining room/kitchen - I bet you can hardly wait!