Planning the Perfect Hallway
Is your hallway looking tired? Jazz it up and breathe new life into the space that strikes the tone for the rest of your home. Here are six key areas that are crucial for a fabulous hallway.
1) Door style
Your choice of front door can make or break the entire look of your house. While it must be beautiful in its own right, it must also complement the façade of the house and neighbouring houses. Don’t forget your number - a funky door number can be very cool and is a far safer way of adding interest than going with a crazy colour. Internally, doors leading off the hallway should complement the space, again with colours and styles chosen based on those in the hallway itself. Balance out the shades of the walls and the doors, so that dark doors add depth to lighter walls. Every door needs a handle - the options are endless - and this is one change that you can make without spending heaps of cash.
2) Get creative with colour
A typical hallway is small and enclosed; open it up and add space by painting it a light, bright colour. Avoid wallpaper in large, sprawling patterns, as this will make the space appear much smaller. Avoid complicated colour schemes, or the latest trend colours – your hallway will soon look dated. Mirrors are perfect for opening up small hallways and creating the illusion of space, and who doesn’t like to take a good look at themselves as they run out the door? Don’t paint your hall and landing in two completely different colours. It’s important to have a sense of flow between these two spaces. Either paint them the same shade or vary the tone slightly.
3) Lighten Up
It’s vital to co-ordinate the style and brightness of your lighting with the overall colour scheme so that it all works together. Work carefully on the balance between natural and artificial light, and try to let as much light in as possible by going for a glass panelled front door. A skylight upstairs in the landing will allow more natural light to stream down to the hallway. Make the most of high ceilings with a dramatic chandelier or stunning pendant light. Avoid floorlights - not only do they take up precious space, they are also easy to bump into and trip over. Recessed lighting works particularly well in hallways where ceilings are relatively low. Put the lights on a dimmer to allow you to adjust brightness at will and adapt it according to the seasons and time of day. Light risky areas such as stairs carefully to avoid accidents. Consider spots fitted into treads or recessed side lights in the wall above the treads.
4) Furnishings
Coats, jackets and scarves are generally the first thing to come off when people come in the front door. A coat stand or hooks beside the front door are ideal; add colour with a brightly painted wooden coatstand or choose quirky stainless steel hooks. Make the most of vacant spaces with shelves and built-in cupboards or a hanging rail. If you want to keep your floor clean, you need to encourage people to take their shoes off. Have a shoe rack of some sort beside the door. Buy a smart letter rack but avoid hanging household keys in the hallway, as it’s too great a temptation for would-be burglars. Remember scale when trying to furnish your hallway. Just one piece of furniture may be enough to make a statement on its own.
5) Flooring options
Durability is a key concern when it comes to choosing flooring for your hallway. Tiles are particularly practical and easy to keep clean. Consider porcelain, marble or slate. Laying tiles diagonally will help open out the space. When it comes to a wooden floor, hardwoods such as maple, oak, ash and elm, are most suitable. Avoid wide floor planks in a narrow hallway, which will make the space appear even smaller. Carpets are generally accepted to be a bad idea in hallways. If you’re choosing carpet opt for a short pile, patterned carpet and paint walls and ceilings a lighter shade. Runners are a versatile option for anyone who may want to add a splash of colour to a hall or protect the flooring underneath. Whether you place it inside the front door or outside, a mat is an absolute must.
6) Step on it
If elderly people or small children are using the stairway, then safety will have to come first. A banister is an absolute must, and also consider having a safety gate fitted at the bottom of the stairs to stop small children from crawling up. Consider industrial-style staircases in modern homes - metal or glass – or spiral stairs where space is an issue.
Highlight your stairs with a decorative banister made from wrought iron or wood. Or why not replace the banister with a sleek metal handrail along one wall. Give stairs a new lease of life with a pretty runner or consider tiling the vertical side of the treads in mirrored mosaics for added sparkle. Stairs also look good painted – be warned though, it is a noisy option!