Image of rail and name sign to show desired colors

IMO removing it would be simpler than sanding it for sure If you don’t want to patch the wall just get a plain chair rail to replace it.

That’s a good idea.

I personally don’t think it’s very noticeabl. I think once you get everything else in the room it will fade away.

If it really bothers you, you could probably use wood filler and then sand it down, but it would be a lot of work and make a mess.

how much chair rail is there?

Or maybe cut a strip of paintable wallpaper and glue it on and paint over?

Hey Rachel--

Depending on the lighting you'll have in the space, this low-relief carving may be less notable than you think in the final design. Especially if your new motifs have more visual weight to them--sounds like they will from your description, the molding should recede visually. Worst case, as Patricia mentions above, you can always pry up the rail and recover with flatstock or a detail that compliments the rest of your interior trim (crown, door and window casing, base). Cheers!