Having written my post on Style Up Your Hallways a few weeks ago, we’ve now prioritised our hall, stairs and connecting landings as our next project. It’s been neglected for years and, to be honest, it’s a completely uninviting space. Plain and boring doesn’t even come close to describing this space. Soulless does.
Small Hallway Makeover Plans & Top Tips To Decorate Your Own
We’ve definitely become more adventurous with our decor choices in recent years and are now ready to inject some colour pattern and character to our small hall, stairs and landings.
Our inspiration has really sprung from the fact that we now have a botanical kitchen and elegant leafy bedroom. With our love of nature inspiring our decor, it was only right that we connected these spaces with similar choices.
I’m also of the mindset that small shouldn’t mean we should hold back on style and make less of a statement. In fact, opting for a statement wallpaper in smaller hallways/spaces can really add the wow factor. And as I mentioned in my previous hallway post, our hallways are the opening chapter to our homes (much like a book), they should be a reflection of you and the rest of your homes. It’s now time for me to take my advice and go for it.
Nature Inspired Decor
We’ve opted to go with another Woodchip & Magnolia wallpaper Crane Bird in Forest Green, designed by Nina herself. This fabulous independent wallpaper brand is all about making our homes unique and filled with interest no matter what your style. As Nina says “Walls Not Need Be Boring” rings true and we are now adhering to the same philosophy and decorating how we want our home to look rather than playing it safe.
Surprisingly, even though we have a hallway of doom, I’m almost thankful that we have neglected our hallway for the past ten years. Now we’ve found our love of colour and pattern, we’re making bolder choices that make us happy as a family. I literally cannot wait to get started!
My affiliation with nature is an inherent one that stems from having lived and breathed flowers and plants as a qualified florist and owner of my own business for many years. It’s also how I and the I.E. Hubs met when he came in to buy some flowers for his Aunty and was cheeky enough to ask me out on the spot. You could say he is, in a roundabout way, connected to my love of leafy designs and greens within our home. And why he is happy to get the paint brush out again.
Mood Board
I’ve pulled together a quick mood-board of how I’m hoping to use this beautiful wallpaper. With no space for consoles or storage, I’m planning to use those walls to their fullest w
The plan is to create a feature wall at the top of our stairs to draw the eye away from the narrow hallway. You could do something similar with a large statement art piece if you have a wall at the end of your hallway. The eye will be instantly drawn towards it distracting you from any issues you may have with the size of your hallway. It also helps inject some personality and makes them more interesting.
Small Hallway Tips
Most of us, ourselves included, have a
Our decor, style and tastes evolve over the years. Making bolder choices helps us step outside of our comfort zone and explore what is often the unknown. It’s only by doing so that we can grow to know what we love or dislike when it comes to creating a home that you will end up enjoying and be at one with.
Maria – The Interior Editor
Connect Your Spaces…
It’s important for your halls, stairs and landings to feel connected with the rest of your home. You can do this through colour or a repeating pattern through your decor choices. It helps create a sense of flow as you move from one room to another. You can achieve this with accessories, paint, art rugs etc.
That said, you need to be mindful that one colour in one room may look completely different in your hallways. Light or lack of it will change how it looks visually.
Hide Ugly Floors
I’d love to rip up our hallway flooring and put down some decorative tiles but with a budget to stick to we’re opting for a runner instead. It’s a much cheaper alternative to replacing your floors. A rug or runner will not only hide unsightly floors but you’ll give them a quick update without the expense.
Rugs are just one way to inject colour and pattern adding interest to your halls whilst distracting from
the its small size.
Another way to create a sense of space is to choose a rug/runner with a pattern/design that draws the eye outwards like this statement floor mat from Amara. It printed onto PVC, making it hard-wearing as well as easy to keep clean.
Hallways also lack texture from textiles (unless you are fortunate enough to have room for a chair or two). Rugs can help soften the look of halls particularly if you have wooden or tiled floors.
Storage
It may be that you simply don’t have the space for storage in your halls. We have a cupboard under the stairs that houses both our coats and shoes but we also have the additional overflow coat stand. It’s also become a coat dumping ground and one that I’m hoping to rectify.
Walls Are Your Friend
Walls are definitely your friend when it comes to small hallways or any small space. Use them to their full potential from wall hung storage to the decorative. You’ll create more visual space by doing so but remember to keep whatever means you want to hang your coats by in proportion to your hallway.
Wall Hooks…
Opting for wall hooks
Wall hooks limit the number of coats you store in your hallways which is just one way to keeping your hallways clutter free. Pretty much like the chair of doom, wall coat hooks help you break the bad habits that we tend to form over time.
The more floor space you see, the larger a space will feel.
Mirrors
We already have a large freestanding mirror in situ at the end of one of our landings. We’ll probably keep this and wall mount it as it really helps make this narrow space feel brighter and larger than it is.
Wall mirrors are your friend if you have a dark narrow hallway as they help reflect and bounce light around. Ultimately, they create a sense of space. If you have the room, you could always introduce a small side table with a lamp and mirror behind to create
Multifunctional
There are quite a few multifunctional pieces available that incorporate storage with reflection. Mirrors with the addition of a shelf are virtually everywhere now. They allow you to store essentials such as keys or just be able to add a plant or a vase of flowers to make your hallways feel part of the rest of your home and not just a space that you walk through.
Stairs
Stairs (if you have them) are often the first thing you see in your hallways. They’re also a great way to add an impact and make a statement. I did contemplate patterned stair carpet, but unfortunately, our stairs lead to two opposite landings as well as a separate return which would make matching patterned carpet almost impossible.
Making a statement out of your stairs with patterned carpet is a great alternative to decorating your walls. Or if you’re feeling brave with the paintbrush, you could always paint them.
Paint In One Colour
Whether you’ve decided to go bold with a statement feature wall or stairs, a great way to create a sense of space is to paint your hallway in one colour. You’ll blur the lines of where walls and floors finish and will make your hallways feel larger. Add some decorative artwork to add some interest and personality to prevent them from feeling bland.
So what do we think? Are you ready to brave bolder decor or maybe you’re looking to update your own
We’re hoping to implement our makeover within the next few weeks and will keep you updated! Until then, have a beautiful week…
Maria xx
6 Comments
Love the look you’re going for in your hallway. Can’t wait to see it! xx
Thanks Cara! I literally cannot wait to get started ☺️ xx
Absolutely beautiful pictures – so inspiring. Such taste!
Thank you Eilidh!
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