6 Tips for a More Inviting Hallway

It's surprising how many of us neglect our hallways, allowing them to become cluttered entries into our homes with discarded shoes and coats casually slung on the end of the banister. First impressions count and it's our hallway that greets us (and our visitors) setting the tone for the rest of our home. When you return home, does your hallway feel uplifting and inviting? Or does it feel a little hostile and unloved? I always think that when you're house hunting, you get a 'feel' the minute you walk into the hall and, in that moment, you know if this is the house for you. If your hallway isn't giving you the right vibe, there are some easy ways to change it...

Image: Carpetright

1. Statement Front Door

Image: Purlfrost Window Film

Your front door makes a louder statement than you may imagine. It's the first promise of what lies inside your home. Even if you live in a row of identical houses, your front door allows you to add your own stamp of individuality. You may not have the luxury of choosing a new front door but paying attention to both the colour and the door furniture can have a huge impact. Painting the front door on the inside is increasingly popular and this is a fabulous way to add a pop of colour to your hall.

Images: Adams and Mack; Cox & Cox

2. A Place For Everything & Everything In Its Place!

Stylish storage is an essential requirement if you are to keep your hallway looking uncluttered. Simply popping some baskets under a console table is an easy fix to hide away things like shoes. Ikea has some inexpensive shoe cupboards that look great with customised handles. Add a wooden or marble shelf and they double as a slimline console table, perfect for a narrow hallway and a handy spot for a 'catch all' for keys.

Image: Garden Trading

Built-in wardrobes, perhaps under the stairs, are ideal but if these are not an option, wall hung coat hooks can be as stylish as they are functional. With purposeful storage, it's far easier to establish the welcoming feel that you're after.

3. Be Bold, Be Brave

Image: Lifestyle Floors

Many of us are guilty of playing it far too safe with our hallway decor. Often narrow, dark corridors with a daunting amount of wall space, halls can be tricky to decorate so we

sometimes fall back to easy neutrals. In actual fact, we can afford to be much bolder and braver - we don't tend to linger for long in our halls so we are less likely to get bored of our design choices. It's therefore a good place to introduce a key accent colour that will be repeated elsewhere in your home.

Vibrant painted walls or wallpaper can brighten and lift a dark area. Walls painted in deep colours bring drama and contrast well with white panelling or wainscoting that can be easily introduced and will add warmth and texture to the space.

Image: Divine Savages

Alternatively, you could keep the walls neutral and direct the focus to the flooring. This is a busy area of the home so wooden or tiled flooring can be a practical and durable option. Brightly coloured or patterned stair runners and rugs look amazing and really become the star of the show against light walls! Painted banisters or stairs can also look fabulous. Have a bit of fun with your design scheme and include some elements of surprise.

Images: Carpetright & Weaver Green

4. Add Personality

Interesting artwork is an easy way to inject personality into your hall and make it instantly more welcoming. Gallery walls continue to be popular, especially on staircases but this maximalist style is not for everyone. You may prefer a single row of monochrome prints to bring order and calm to your hallway.

Image: Make My Blinds

Playing with the scale of your art can help your hall feel larger and more imposing. A single oversized piece of art really draws the eye and can be amazingly powerful, creating a fantastic talking point in your home.

Images: Green Lili; Cox & Cox

5. On the Bright Side

Statement lighting is a piece of sculptural art in your hall. Often with more vertical space to play with than in the rest of your home, you can have some fun and perhaps go for standout lighting that will draw the eye upwards in a narrow space.

Layered lighting works well in the hallway and a pair of table lights on a console table will create a warm welcoming feel as will wall sconces. Lighting up with stairs is also a cool way to add some ambient lighting. Of course, another well loved trick to bounce more light into a dark hallway and make it feel larger is to add an oversized mirror.

Image: Laura Ashley Lighting

Image: John Cullen Lighting

6. Finishing Touches

Image: The London Tile Company

Last and by no means least, fresh greenery or flowers will bring life to your hallway and ensure it feels fresh and inviting. There are plenty of plants that do well in darker interiors but you can always cheat with some faux foliage.

A vase of flowers and a diffuser or candle will also provide a welcoming scent for when you arrive home.

Images: Annie Sloan; Benjamin Moore

We hope these tips have given you a little inspiration. Click here to find out about a recent hallway we worked on and see the before and after photos.

If you are planning to update your hallway and would appreciate some more guidance, we'd love to hear from you at hello@sointeriordesign.co.uk.