The English Pub Room

Hello Christine!

Great web site you have with some much needed tips. My wife and I just bought a great 1960’s un modified home in La Mesa California a year ago. This is the last room to finish. We have read your article on chair rails.  I measured the ceiling and current base board molding. (standard 8ft) We do not have crown molding yet and would not be getting that for some time.

We have a spare room that we are decorating to look and feel like an old English pub lounge area. There is an old brick fireplace and old shutters we are working with.

We have picked out a light gold striped wallpaper that has some pencil thin green and burgundy lines.

My question is the chair rail. How wide? Style? The base board is only 4 ½" and kinda plain.

Second questions is the windows are at 30 inch from the floor. Am I measuring from the floor or the top of the base board when installing the chair rail?

Third question. Should the chair rail align with the bottom of the windows? Pics included.

What do you suggest for the paint color on the bottom?

The floors are mirror shine when cleaned. They were just redone and are natural wood. No TV will be in this room. Just a nice sitting area to relax, talk, read, etc.

Shutters will be re-stained but we thought we would keep them because I see a lot of shutters in the old pub’s we look at on-line.

There will be no “Bar” in the room. Just the sitting area.

Please help.

Thank you.

Damon and Traci.

Hi Damon and Traci,

Hmmm...  Where to start? 

First of all, I might not be a good person to ask, because I really don't like "theme" rooms.  Aside from a child's bedroom, I feel like there should be a flow throughout the house.  When there is a "theme" in a room, it just doesn't fit in to me. 

But, let's just say that even though I'm not a fan of the idea, you still want to go with it.  Your wallpaper doesn't say "English pub" to me.  It says, "French Cafe". 

When I think of an English Pub, I think of dark woods, maybe even painted black.  Your woods are lighter...  I think of aged and distressed, old architecture.  Yours looks like early 80's.  It is just not looking like an English Pub in my mind. 

Here are a few pictures of English Pubs:

I picture in an English Pub, dark wood wainscoting, not a chair rail.  Chair rail, again is saying, "French Cafe"...  Your height is good at 30 inches by the way, EXCEPT for the fact that it would line up with the windows.  I would take it up to 34 inches just so you don't line up with the bottom of the windows.  Your have a mixture of wood casing and a painted baseboard.  This is like wearing your white watch in December.  You should paint it all, (again, not very English pub like)- or go with all wood, replacing your baseboard.  If you do that, go with a larger one, AT LEAST 6 inches, with a similar size chair rail. 

Your brick is not a good color with your wood floor and trim and shutters.  Look at the mantle color with the brick, can you see that it is not a good mix?   I would paint the mantle, or the brick , or both. 

I am not feeling overly helpful.  I like your floors.  I like your shutters.  I would paint the brick a cream color, fix your mismatch molding, get four lovely comfortable chairs, (chair below from Henredon) ,

bringing your seating area together with a soft round wool rug. (rug below from Chandra)

Soften the room more by adding drapery panels alongside your shutters.  Hang a cool oversized drum shade chandelier in the center of the space.  (light from Quoizel)

Forget the chair rail; wallpaper the whole room with a larger print paper.

(paper from York)

So- there you go, still not an English Pub, but I imagine a beautiful room.  What do you think?   Can anyone else out there help Damon turn his room into an English Pub?