katybug, you mentioned you don't want it to look bad, so from reading what you are saying, I would much rather take the time and do it right than have to look at a room or wall all the time and never be satisfied because I was in a hurry . If you have knicks, gouges, scrapes, etc. the best thing to do of course is to mud it out; or even if you are going to do a finish with joint compound you are still doing work (unless you want a textured finish). So either way, there is going to need to be work from either way you choose. Just throwing out some of the possibles. Just doing a decorative finish over your wall imperfections with paint is not going to take care of the walls condition, unless you take some other kind of steps to correct what you have mentioned above. One thing for sure after I removed all that paper, I surely wouldn't put anymore up. :)

Choose art you like. Art is not a part of decorating. Any art will work with your paper. Look at classic English decorating and see pictures hung on wallpaper lal the time. No coordinating needed. Start with a mirror if you can't find something that speak sto you right away. Art is better though.

I just finished a remodel and wallpapered behind my bed as well as in my bathrooms. I am absolutely delighted with the end result. I am not worried about wallpaper removal as I have no plans to remove it nor do I have plans to sell. All of my choices were driven by my personal aesthetics as well as my personal functionality - I am not worried about a mythical buyer in the foggy future. As to removal, I didn't put up the wallpaper nor would I be taking it down LOL. If for whatever reason I wanted to get rid of it, it would be done by someone I hired. FWIW, I remember my parents removing wallpaper as a child and it didn't seem that difficult. They used some kind of steamer so it was tedious but not highly skilled.

Matt, Most US wallpaper sites don't show their pricing; you have to call the store to get it. I did find an Australia listing HEREwhich shows the price in AUS dollars. Their price is $281.33 for a single roll (The standard size of a SINGLE roll of wallpaper is 21 in. wide x 16.5 ft. long) In American dollars, that is $185.96. My dining room is also done in a Thibaut light blue wallpaper, that I love. It was a splurge, but mine is smaller than yours and I also just did above the chair rail. I'm adding another fervent vote for you to try to keep it and work with it.