Thx again for the suggestions.

I don’t mean an actual wine bar,, I should have rephrased.....
Sorry was rushing to post update. rather , I would stage w/ a bottle of wine couple glasses ...

Also, Wallpapers are all the rage these days... we are not talking your grandsons wallpaper. Check out the recent article in Wall Street journal. Besides I would not do a crazy wallpaper... something modern, elegant, chic but understated.

Agree- I would walk into a home with wall paper and say ugg. Even if they like it is expensive and difficult to remove. No wallpaper is timeless.

Many potential buyers do not like wallpaper or perhaps they won't like the paper you have picked out. I happen to love wallpaper (have it in several rooms) but I prefer to choose my own. What paper are you considering?

Ok I’ll
Consider no wallpaper but there are some that used as an accent look spectacular

That fireplace insert is gorgeous but prob very expensive.

Theres a table which goes under the chandelier because it’s a seating area. I had to move it for this job.

I see your master bathroom renovation is beautiful and quite contemporary. How about using the exact same color paint or one shade lighter on the walls? Looks like a light gray. Scrape off the doodads on the bookcases and then paint in the same white semi-gloss as the bathroom trim.

A bottle of wine or fancy imported lemonade and two wineglasses on the table between two chairs would be good for staging.

Wallpaper for a big room will run at least $1000 installed in my area. There are cheap wallpapers but they will look cheap compared to your bathroom's quality finishes.

Yes that’s my master bathroom I designed!!
That’s the wall color — revere pewter which is what I will paint the whole bedroom with. I’m not planning to wallpaper whole bedroom. Just that fireplace wall for an accent.. some of the new wallpapers are exquisite and add glamour w/ out being obnoxious.

As an alternative for your walls, you might want to consider
something new and striking such as 3D wall panels, textured wall paper or
adhesive wall tiles. They can add a dramatic, yet subtle effect with dimension
to your room that doesn’t cost a lot and is easy to install. Check out some
ideas here: https://www.houzz.com/projects/1258135/wall-decor

Take most things off the shelves, and hang art over the fireplace.

Count me in the "no wallpaper" brigade. Not everyone likes glam. I'd stage the bookcases as, well, bookcases - nothing nicer than a comfy spot to read. Add a soothing landscape over the fireplace and call it a day.

If you insist on the wall paper, can you put it on boards or some other medium to use as decoration?

What’s on the other side of the fireplace and built ins? If it’s to an exterior wall, can you shorten the built-ins and add some small windows to add some light?

That’s a great idea! Paint the walls same as the rest of room but paper on boards.

The fireplace surround is textured with wrapping tissue and painted over with that obnoxious bronzey gold (remember back in the day that was in style )

It will be a pain to get that flat so I
Think I’ll paint that white, as well as the mantle, which was also painted bronze.
Planning to look for remnant stone to top off the cabinet bases. I have a couple resources.

I’m looking into those new fireplace inserts which a Commenter mentioned.
The current gas fireplace is 20 yrs old and looks terribly drab. It also wastes a lot of gas even if it’s just the pilot light on.

Follow.

At first I was thinking NO! No wall paper but then it hit me. I remember seeing or reading about a designer who used wall paper inside the built ins. This may not work for you but I had to share this idea as I was of the no wall paper camp but after looking at this, I can see how your instinct of wall paper was not so far fetched. Wall paper can be really gorgeous. Of course you already started your adventure with paint but I just wanted to tell you, your instincts were on target. Can't wait to see this space you are designing. I just know it will look amazing.

http://paintedroom.com/2012/04/marika-meyer-at-the-dc-design-house-2012/

Markia Meyer of DC Desgins. So talented. I love this look.

And here are a few others from Houzz

Paint

Thank you Boxer Pal! Someone who undertstands my vision!

Also for the commenter who suggested the panels , yes , I considered them and even ordered samples. If you think wallpaper is a no no, then these panels would definitely not appeal to most people. Here’s a picture I took of the samples on a wall in another area :

I am still wondering why all this expense for selling?? In what price range is this home?

Keep it simple to appeal to the masses. You want folks fighting to win your home. Meridith Baer keeps it light and simply beautiful.

I am not moving out tomorrow .. planning to list the home for sale in about a year, so I have to still live here and like my space. We have lived here for over 20 years ... there’s a lot of work to do in terms of decluttering, organizing and visualizing each space in a new light.

The home list price will be $800,000 to $850,000.

It’s not costing me much to rip out these 20 year old shelves which was becoming a catchall for books, pictures, receipt, homeless Knick knacks, and other odds and ends. I’ll have to get the whole bedroom painted anyway so modernizing and sprucing up what will be the focal point is a must in my opinion.

Trust me I’ve spent a great deal more money on renovating this home! We are beyond getting a return on money spent in renovating.

Have a look at my before and after of my kitchen.

You are clearly a talented designer. Love your updated kitchen with the fantastic views. I am sure you are going to make the master built ins amazing. Can't wait to see it all unfold.

* a side note to the wallpaper discussion.

I’m selling alot of my furniture in anticipation of downsizing. I sold my pair of Century Biedermeier nightstands from my set to a couple in Philly. He just texted me now to show picture of the wallpaper they just put up (accent wall behind bed) with my nightstand in front. It’s amazing to see how it looks in someone else’s space and Vision.. I love it w/ the wallpaper. I think it looks quite Elegant as opposed to my greenish gold paint all these years!

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You could add a mantel ... perhaps all the way across that wall of the room. and limit your built-ins to below that level.

That wallpaper looks like faux paneling -- and I'm pleasantly surprised at how well it looks.

(Would likely have just gone with wood paneling, my self.)

What's the wallpaper you chose called and who makes/sells it?

That’s one thing I would never do - wood paneling!

This wallpaper picture is not mine; it’s from the two gentlemen who bought my Century Nightstands. They texted me this picture to show their wallpapered accent wall with my nightstand I sold to them. I miss my nightstands but I’m happy to see it in a new light!

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I wish I had the time to do something in my own home! I also think it is much easier to do someone else's space than my own. Good luck with your project!

Please post an update when you are ready.

I will post updates.. I don’t know what got into me... had planned to keep the shelves
and do the usual, declutter / stage but then
I suddenly envisioned a design idea in my head and said let’s rip it all out! I will tell you that the space already feels lighter and bigger. Getting quotes on stone for the remaining cabinet bases.

Personally, I never take design advice from the Wall Street Journal.

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@tatts, personally I take inspiration, advice and ideas from everywhere! WSJ has excellent articles from everything to business, tech, fashion, real estate, food and recipes, design trends, health and much more. Been reading for over 30 years :)

I find WSJ to be a valuable source of info and inspiration, in addition to various other publications, blogs, Houzz, instagram, travels, architectural shows and such.

These are some pictures I took at model homes in Naples Florida (sorry not the best picture), but I saw in person how just a bit of wallpaper can add some interest to a space...

Wallpaper, backing the inside of a built in bookcase, would not stop me from buying the house, I like the idea of a metallic pattern, with the background the same as the over all wall color.

Ummm, seems to me anyone who ever picked up a home decorating mag or used the interwebzz of decorating sites in the past 15 years,is pretty conversant with wallpaper and the ways it can be utilized. Your question was 'how to stage for resale on a dime'. Good wallpaper is not a dime fix,great wallpaper is many dimes. On the resale front,papering a powder room could work in many markets. Papering a bedroom feature wall definitely could be very pretty but may or may not work for resale. It is taste specific on several levels (colour,mood,quality) and so,limits the buying pool. Frankly,the part about the room that bugs me is the tissue paper,textured finish. Is that done throughout the room or just on that wall?

@hollybar that awful tissue paper is in different areas of the master suite. I know.... The color and texture are totally outdated; it was done about 16 years ago.

The whole master suite will be repainted as mentioned a couple times. The texture- I’ll have to cover it up or minimize it somehow. If I decide to go w/ wallpaper for the accent wall The amount I will need is quite minimal and I have resources to buy at a discount or remnants at a lower cost.

Below is a picture of a section of the dressing area where that same tissue texture was applied w/ the same garish green gold. This area was repainted when the master bathroom was renovated, and it doesn’t look as obnoxious now.
I’m selling my Century Biedermeier furniture and moved it out of that area. Installed floating cabinets which I found on letgo (the app on which I’m selling all my furniture)

Interesting treatment with the three floating cabinets. Is that originally a closet space?

Maybe just eliminate the clutter, add framed art over the FP and flip your bergere chairs around.

You could put a slightly darker color on the back wall of the bookcases and install LED tape light in them. But I would keep it simple & clean to sell. Wallpaper can be a selling point depending on how neutral it is - I did a kitchen remodel before selling and I had painted walls. House did not sell - my decorator suggested a small acorn wallpaper for my French kitchen and I said fine. Put it back on the market and it sold in one day. How that happened I will never know.......LOL

@ BeverlyFLADeziner exactly, that was the original plan. However I had all the shelves ripped out for a more open look.
Since I’m going to be here for about another year or so, my tendency to clutter up those bookshelves will continue. Besides, it’s due for a fresh new look!

Thanks for your design!
See below for a { not so great } Cut and paste idea I had played around with before.

Also all the crap that was in those bookcases and cabinets are now dumped in my son’s bedroom (he’s in Virginia for college) but I started to sort through all that, throw away a lot of stuff and start packing it up before he comes home.
20+ yrs of pictures books etc. thank goodness for the iPhone now!!

The built in shelves are gone now. Just the lower boxes remain.

tqtqtbw We have a huge walk-in closet with plenty of room for all our clothes, bags, shoes etc.

This closet is in the hall, across from the bathroom. It was full of useless crap. When the wall-hung flat screen TV came along the TV armoire became obsolete but I wasn’t ready to part w/ this gorgeous piece so I took the doors off that closet, & stuck the armoire in there (used it for Pj’s and workout clothes)

Fast forward - my master bath was renovated in a warm modern style so this closet directly across coordinates w/ the bathroom.

I’m going to downsize and I’m selling all my furniture, including that armoire (Poor guy has been pushed out to the upstairs hallway)

I will use the 3 floating cabinets to store my nice handbags, and for a lil eye candy display of Jimmy Choo, Chanel etc.

**** note The inside of that closet has that same outdated texture as the fireplace, but it’s been painted over w/ BM’s revere pewter. You can hardly see the texture unless you look really closely... flat would be ideal, but It’s not too bad actually.

New update: Getting quotes for painting the master suite. The lovely tissue texture was applied to the fireplace Wall, two columns atop half walls that divide the sitting room from the sleeping area, the huge tray ceiling above the sleeping area,

It was also applied to the wall inside the closet in dressing area where the 3 Floating cabinets now hang but was painted over w/ BM revere pewter (pictures posted yesterday).

I’m going to leave that dressing area alone, but pay extra to have the other areas smoothed Out. $$$$ I think we can all agree that no one likes that texture!!

~~ also, someone mentioned removing the halo chandelier or raising it. I liked it hanging low above the table w/ 2 chairs in front of fireplace (I googled the “height” of light fixture above sitting area).
However I think I will either raise it up or remove it. I’m going to remove the heavy Ceiling fan above the bed. Ugh

If you would like to weigh in on these options, please feel free:

1) no fan over bed, raise halo chandelier in sitting area
2) no hanging fixtures at all (we have recessed lighting )
3) a new hanging light fixture over bed (love the modern cage chandeliers), no light fixture
In sitting area ( I can use it in guest room which needs more light anyway)

4) a new hanging light fixture over bed, remove halo chandelier from sitting area and replace with a flush mount which coordinates w/ light over bed.

** note: I thought of moving the halo to over the bed but the scale is off. It’s too small.

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I'd do #3 or #4. Think of them as the chic bit of statement jewellery on the plain(er) outfit....like Hermes bangles ;-) Hope the estimate on removing that stuff is reasonable and that it comes off cleanly.

@hollybar as I suspected the quote is quite high but I plan to get 3-4 more quotes. Meanwhile I have quotes coming in for stone for the bookcases. I’m asking the vendors to fabricate from remnants to keep price down. This seems more promising than the paint job!

Quick Update. Texture all gone. Paint is almost done

I removed my mantle. This is the Inspiration fireplace Mantle (disregard the monkey - I’m not incorporating him into my design ) getting quotes on grey or white/grey marble or quartz to redo the fireplace mantle and hearth (it would be bigger than existing specs) and add stone to the cabinet bases remaining. Would love me some calacatta marble. I’m asking vendors to price out remnants for me.

What in god's name is on that coffee table? That is just too disturbing.

Hi everyone. I’m sorry I forgot to update this post. Still a work in progress but definitely less cluttered than before (3rd picture)

Looking good! For staging, I would turn the chairs so their backs are to the fireplace. It will give the room a more welcoming, gracious impression.

Thank you! This picture is from a few months ago but For now the backs are facing the triple window to the right w a table in front (primarily using it to fold laundry on )