Hallway ideas: 30 ways to make a great first impression

The hallway is the first room anyone sees and the one we design last. In many British homes it is also narrow, dark and full of doors, coats and shoes. These 30 ideas start with the structure (colour, light and architecture) and move on to storage, flooring and styling, so you can pick the ones that fit your space and budget.

Colour ideas (1-7)

1. Go darker below, lighter above. Designers featured by Homes & Gardens recommend a darker treatment below the dado and a lighter one above ^[1]; it also hides scuffs.
2. Colour-drench a small hall. Painting walls, woodwork and ceiling one colour blurs the edges of a narrow space ^[2].
3. Paint the ceiling. A soft tint on the ceiling stops a tall Victorian hall feeling like a tube.
4. Make the front door the accent. Paint the inside of the front door a confident colour.
5. Paint the stairs. A painted stair runner or painted risers adds pattern for the price of a tin.
6. Use warm colours in north-facing halls. See colour by orientation.
7. Pick a colour that leads to the next room, so the view through each doorway feels connected.

Lighting ideas (8-13)

Halls are often lit by one central bulb, which casts shadows on faces and makes narrow spaces feel like corridors. Lighting designers recommend layering light so that walls are lit as well as floors ^[4].

1. Add wall lights at about eye level, spaced along the hall. Uplighters make ceilings feel higher. See lighting a hallway with wall lights.
2. Frame the pendant with a ceiling rose, which gives the light a reason to be where it is.
3. Light the stairs top and bottom with switches at both ends; see staircase lighting rules.
4. Put a lamp on the console for a warm glow when you come home.
5. Use warm white bulbs (around 2700K) everywhere in the hall.
6. Battery wall lights mean no channelling into old plaster; see battery wall lights that look hardwired.

Architectural ideas (14-19)

Victorian and Edwardian halls were designed as a show of status, with encaustic tiles, cornices, arches and ceiling roses ^[5][6]. Many of these features were removed and are worth putting back.

1. Restore or add a cornice where the wall meets the ceiling.
2. Add panelling to the lower half of the wall; see how to panel a wall.
3. Put a pediment over the main internal door to make it the focal point.
4. Frame the switches with plaster surrounds.
5. Keep or reinstate the hall arch and its corbels.
6. Add a picture rail so pictures can be changed without new holes.

Storage and furniture ideas (20-25)

1. A narrow console (25 to 30cm deep) gives a surface without blocking the way.
2. Hooks at two heights for adults and children.
3. Built-in under-stair storage for shoes and the vacuum ^[1].
4. A bench with baskets if you have the width.
5. A big mirror to bounce light and make a small hall feel bigger ^[1][2].
6. One coat per person on show; the rest in a cupboard.

Floors and finishing touches (26-30)

1. Restore encaustic tiles or lay new geometric tiles; see period floors.
2. A washable runner to soften the sound and protect the floor.
3. A gallery wall up the stairs; see how to plan a gallery wall.
4. Fresh flowers or a plant on the console.
5. A scent: halls are the first impression for the nose too.

Ideas for small and narrow hallways

Fan wall light: soft uplight for a narrow hallCrown ceiling rose: sized for a hall pendantGeorgian crest pediment over a doorBexley switch surround

For more ideas on dark, narrow halls, this video has fifteen practical fixes ^[7].

Video: Lindsay Living, “15 Ways to Transform Your Dark & Narrow Hallway”, via YouTube.