FYI the furniture and current wallpaper is not staying

looks like an original oak mantle surround. And your fluted trim around the windows.

You ever stripped wood? You could rent a heat gun and carefully do it.

or, get something like SoyGel paint stripper (it's not as chemical as the harsh ones you need to wear gloves for. this one is made from soy beans. I use it all the time. The best part is, it cleans up w/water! The chemical strippers need another chemical wash/rinse. this one doesn't. )

Just know that with ANY stripper, it only works for one layer at a time. Each application removes ONE layer of paint. repeated application will need to be done for each layer of paint. K ?

As for the paint color, look at other Victorian parlors/rooms and see how closely you want to stay to period decor. have no idea what furniture you're using or your flooring. You have nice lighting. Pick the flooring/furniture first, then go fo a wall color.

as for the fluted window trim, that's a ton of work. I'd prob sand them all to smooth any rough spots, wipe clean, and paint them all white

Please tell me youre taking up that drop ceiling!!

Thank you! Ah ha not a drop ceiling actually, high ceilings with beautiful trim work up there in a grid pattern.

are they made of plaster? they don't look original. they didn't do that pattern back then like that. it would have been more ornate.

in any case, I'd paint it all white if you're keeping it

Not sure, the walls are all plaster though. The ceilings are very tall so I doubt it is a drop ceiling. Thanks for your input! Having a hard time picking fabrics.

are the ceiling also plaster? If not, it's not original. And they just didn't do wood trim in grid patterns like that. just sayin.

as for fabrics, not sure how we're supposed to help w/that one. what's the furniture? the sofa that's in there?

whats the flooring?

how are you going to do the fireplace? Do you still have the original tile surround? If not, what's there?

Do you want to stay period or do something more modern?

I photo shopped a picture I added below onto yours. This would look nice. you could do your wood surround, and do some marble tiling inside. (looks like maybe you don't have tile?) The soft gray/blue/green color is also pretty with a bright white trim. I'd remove your grid trim and bring in a nice crown molding, or install a ceiling light w/a medallion piece.

You can accent with any of the cooler tones w/this palette. Use Decorators White or Chantilly Lace for the trim color

all of these pics are original victorian homes, modernized. Do you like any of these?

(Notice the ceilings in all of these pics and you'll understand why I question yours)

Most of the original victorian era oak surrounds had an attached mirror. no all, but most.

your wood will prob resemble something like these (is that top part wood or could it be marble they painted? hard to tell in the photo)

original victorian mantle surrounds.

Paint the ceiling all white. I do agree, the fireplace and trim, should all be the same. My choice would be the beautiful wood, that is most likely underneath, but, stripping it now, is a lot of work. I am not a fan of white trim, etc, but, in your case, I would definitely be painting the trim white. I also see water pipes going up the wall by the window. I would try and box them in, and to make it look more planned, maybe box in the other side so it all looks like it belongs. Your ceiling does appear to NOT be original. It may be though, that the plaster was bad in the ceiling from something, so it was covered up. Your choice what you decide to do with it. The wainscotting moulding does not appear to be original either, and I would be removing that, and painting the walls all one color. It looks to be a very nice house.

What great light in that room! Good bones. Sherwin Williams used to do a historical palette; it's still online and you can get the colors made, or similar ones, in your favorite paint brand -- these are the "Late Victorian" colors to give you a sense of some appropriate tonal choices if you're looking to stay true to the house's origins:

https://www.sherwin-williams.com/architects-specifiers-designers/color/find-and-explore-colors/color-collections/historic-palettes/interior-historic-colors/late-victorian

Lovely room but the current ceiling grid work is jarring. I'd either take it down entirely or beef it up with quarter round before I painted it to soften the contours and make it look more intentional.

It definitely depends on how you want the rest of the room to look and feel. If you can begin to create a visual concept for that you'll have more direction for what you want to do with walls and trim. Making the ceiling all white will provide a clean base though, the grid work would need to be amplified if you wanted it to be a feature. Exciting project!

It sometimes helps to choose a direction for a room if you start with a decision about whether this is a “morning room” or an “evening room” or an “afternoon room”, and maybe too whether it’s a “winter room” or one of the other seasons. Then think about how the windows fit into your idea because windows always attract attention, and help set the mood of a room.

Victorian rooms can turn into a rabbit hole if you try to stick too much to Victoriana. Plus, the Victorians actually were more mix-it-up than people generally realize — they mixed in rattan, brass, wood, fluffy things and rich soft things. So I think the room looks plenty Victorian. You don’t need to do Victoriana in it, unless you want to. I think you will know much better how you want to room to turn into your gem once you remove the wallpaper.

Rather than wallpaper inside the cubby, I would look for a way to highlight its trim details.