Hallway decor ideas & all your hallway questions answered
First impressions count. So once you’ve ushered guests through your front door, give them something beautiful to behold with a hallway to top all hallways. It’s not all about impressing friends and family though; this is your home after all. A beautifully decorated hallway really is the heart of your home. It will lift your spirits the moment your feet are over the threshold, making a good day better still and a bad day feel that bit brighter. Saying to you: you’re home, now close the door and kick back. Wondering how to take it from cloakroom to creative canvas? Over to our Director of Interior Design, Tash to answer your hallway decorating conundrums.
I really want my hallway to feel like a room in its own right. How do I do that best?
It is so common for the hallway to become a neglected space. People get excited by bedroom renovations, kitchen projects and colourful living rooms, and yet the hallway often gets forgotten. But it’s the first room that welcomes you home, so in a sense it’s the most special and deserves just as much love and attention.
Remember that a hallway isn’t a room in which you spend masses of time – it’s more of a passing place that leads you to other parts of your home. It’s therefore the perfect room to be bold, get creative, to have a bit of an adventure. This gives you the opportunity to use paint colours and wallpapers that you might not have otherwise used. Plus, you set the tone for the rest of your interior – and who doesn’t want to raise the bar?
The hallway often gets forgotten. But it’s the first room that welcomes you home, so in a sense, it’s the most special and deserves just as much love and attention.
TASH BRADLEY
Should my hallway palette link to the rooms that come off from it?
In a word, yes. Remember that your hallway is there to greet you home, but it’s also there to take you by the hand and lead you into other rooms, and so if there’s no connection between the two, you could be left with a jarring effect. It’s a case of changing the ratios of how the colours in your home’s palette are used.
For example, maybe you’ve decorated with five colours across your home. Your hallway could pick up on one of those shades and use it in a much bigger way. Or, look at the colours used in all of your living spaces, mapping them out with our paint samples so you can clearly and easily make sense of your overall colour scheme, and then match a hue that complements each and every one of them.
“Your hallway sets the tone for the rest of your interior.”
TASH BRADLEY
Bold and beautiful or quiet and unassuming – what’s best for a hallway decor scheme?
This is totally down to personal preference! I know I say I’m all for bold and beautiful in a hallway, but not everyone wants to open the door to a riot of colour or print. If you’re someone who shies away from colour, bring colour in gently using neutrals like Beige 01, Greige 01 or even Pink 01, teaming them with a complementary classic neutral like off-whites and greys such as White 02, White 04 or Grey 06.
How do I make stairs a feature in my hallway?
If you’re blessed with stairs – make a focal point out of them. Stairs are a beautiful piece of interior architecture in their own right but they are easily taken for granted. So let the spine of your house shine and give them the attention they deserve with bold or dark, dramatic tones.
Imagine soft white walls in White 03 and a dark staircase in Black 02 – it’ll look incredible. If you have children, painting the up-stands in a different colour is a really fun way to get creative with colour. I love this Yellow 01 painted staircase by @lindsey_ilsa. It’s almost like the yellow brick road, leading them up to bed. I’d have adored that when I was a little girl.
“Painting the [stairs'] up-stands in a different colour is a really fun way to get creative with colour.”
TASH BRADLEY
My hallway is very bright and filled with light, what sort of colours would suit it best?
If yours is a hallway flooded with lovely sunlight, again, embrace it and work with what your home has naturally given you and keep things really light. For a bold wow factor in a light hallway, go for sunshine Yellow 02, which will greet you with a smile. Alternatively, Green 09, Green 13, Blue 02 and Blue 15 look stunning paired with Sisal carpet and white woodwork.
You could also go dark on the woodwork if you like the idea of some contrast. So pair Pink 01, White 03 or White 06 walls with Black 02, Beige 03, Taupe 02, or Pink 07 woodwork. These colours will make the walls look even lighter and still create impact, but without using strong, pigmented colours.
The best paint colours for a bright hallway
- Yellow 02
- Green 09
- Green 13
- Blue 02
- Blue 15
- Pink 01
- White 03
- White 06
- Black 02
- Beige 03
- Taupe 02
- Pink 07
How do you brighten a hallway that gets very little natural light?
I get asked this one a lot. In this circumstance, it’s a prime example of where you shouldn’t fight against the lack of natural light. It may sound counterintuitive, but don’t go for a light neutral or white as this will show up all the shadows and will give you a dull dark hallway. Embrace it with dark colours, which then make the rooms leading off the hallway feel even airier. Dark and rich colours like Green 04, Teal 03, Purple 03 or even Black 02 will do just that. All of these colours will absorb shadows and make your hallway come to life. The same goes for warm and earthy tones like Pink 08, Red 03, or Beige 02. In terms of styling, add lamps and mirrors to help reflect light around the room.
The best paint colours for a dark hallway
What kind of wallpaper is best for a hallway?
Choose a wallpaper that brings you joy and has a rich colour palette that you can use in other rooms. Striped wallpapers like Stripes 03 are great for creating an illusion of height, giving smaller, narrow hallways a more spacious feel. Bold floral and jungle wallpapers such as Monkey 02, Rainforest 01 and Foliage 01 can also help you connect with nature, bring the outside in and give your hallway a luxurious feel. Whilst intricately patterned wallpapers like Clover 01 have a level of detail that you can get totally lost in, distracting from the narrowness or the lack of windows in a dark hallway. Your eye travels through wallpaper, making it harder to see corners or distinguish where a room ends, giving the illusion of space.
How do you decorate a small narrow hallway? Are there any creative tips and tricks with paint to help it feel less cluttered?
When it comes to styling a small and narrow hallway, the fewer things you have in there, the better. Nobody wants a cramped hallway so ensure you don’t clutter the space. But not all of us have Mary Poppins storage to hand, and that’s where a hallway storage bench comes in real handy. Consider painting it the same colour as your walls and that’ll help it blend into the background, making your space feels more open, which is so good for your mind and mood. Ensure your furniture is narrow, invest in an oversized mirror to give the illusion of space, and go big with your artwork. Large artwork plays with scale and adds visual interest, drawing the eyes up.
How do you make a hallway look welcoming?
Your hallway is the space that welcomes you home. So ensure you decorate it with items that greet you with a smile and accommodate your needs. Whether that’s hangers to hang your coats, a console to put your keys and letters on, a warm light that makes you feel cosy when you come in late at night, or a large mirror.
How do you add warmth to a hallway?
Adding warmth to a hallway really comes down to adding texture and being clever with your lighting. Place a lamp with a warm yellow light on a console, soften up your space with a textured rug or stair runner, and don’t forget to add some plants or flowers!
How can I make my hallway look more expensive?
To give your hallway a luxurious, expensive feel, style it with console and two very large lamps. Oversized lamps will instantly give any space a hotel feel. An impressive vase with flowers would also do the trick.
How do you arrange pictures in a hallway?
A gallery wall is a great way to add a visual journey as your travel down a hallway and up your stairs. Alternatively, one large incredible piece of art will feel intentional and greet you as you come home. You can also use the colour palette from the artwork in the other rooms.
For more decorating tips, read more of our Ask the Experts articles.