We spend a lot of time worrying about how to decorate our living rooms, kitchens and bedrooms. But, there is one space a lot of us forget about almost totally, which is the hallway. This is really strange when you bear in mind that this space is the first thing we and our visitors see when they enter our homes. It is also a shame, because, as you will see, there is a lot you can do with this space.
Brighten up the walls
Firms like hellocanvas.co.uk have made it really easy for you to create beautiful artwork that can be used in every part of your house, including your hallway. The wall space alongside your stairway is a really good space to decorate with photos of family and pets. You can order canvas prints in a wide range of sizes, so they are ideal for this project because you will want to use quite small prints.
Update the doors leading off of your hallway
In most homes, you access all of the other downstairs rooms off of your hallway. So, updating your interior doors is a good way to improve the look of your space. Renewing your doors has the added benefit of better draft proofing your home.
Install a cupboard
If you are fed up of tripping over shoes and the ugly sight of a pile of coats consider installing a shallow cupboard for them. You do not see this style of cupboard for sale very often, so you may have to make your own.
Fortunately, provided you built it in a corner it is not a hard DIY task. If you are lucky, you do not even have to worry about cutting the wood. Just take the measurements and let the DIY store you buy from pre-cut the wood for you. If you plan carefully you should not have to do much cutting your cutting.
Add a hall table
Adding a hall table is another good way to tidy things up a bit. It gives you somewhere to stow your keys. If you are going to use it for that purpose, make sure that the table is not located too close to the front door. Burglars really do fish people´s keys off hall tables through the letterbox, so bear this in mind when you are choosing the location of yours.
If you still own a landline phone, your hall table is a good spot for it. If you put your phone in your hallway you can usually hear it wherever you are in your home.
Let some natural light in
If your hallway is a bit dark and dingy consider having a window installed. Or, get things set up so that when you open your front door a light automatically comes on. You could also choose doors with glass panels for your interior doors. That will allow natural light from other areas of your home to get through into your hall area.
Use the space under your stairs
Potentially you could create a snug or office under your stairs. This in-depth post shows you how to do it, literally step-by-step. Importantly, it also covers the subject of how to assess whether you have enough space to implement this idea.
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Sarah Bailey says
These are some awesome ways to try and help people make the most of their hallway, we have a sideboard in ours as it's quite wide and long so adds some extra storage.
We Made This Life says
Ah I love a sideboard in the hallway, a place to hide all the mess!
Joanna says
These are some great ideas for brightening up the hallway. Mine is quite dark because there are no windows so installing some mirrors to reflect the light from the other rooms sounds like a brilliant idea.
We Made This Life says
Mirrors are a great idea, they'll really help add light and a feeling of space.
Hannah Wood says
Some good ideas on this post we have in our hallway lots of the kids art work from school.
We Made This Life says
Ah that's a lovely idea, I bet it makes you smile every time you walk through the door!
The Inner Circle says
Never really considered upgrading my hallways,these are some good ideas. What idea did you use?
We Made This Life says
We have pictures on the wall and a hallway table and we went for a front door that has a lot of glass to let the light in.
Melanie says
Great ideas and sometimes hallways seem like lost space. Love the hallway table and pictures too :)x
We Made This Life says
I know what you mean about lost space, if you have the space though a big hallway looks amazing!
Laura Dove says
Fab ideas! I love a framed wall, I keep meaning to do this but never get round to it!
We Made This Life says
It's hard finding the pictures and frames but it looks fab when it's done!
Anosa says
Though our hallway does not have much space for a table I think updating the wall paper would go a long way for us
We Made This Life says
That sounds like a good idea! We just painted over ours, I can't wait until we have the money to strip it and re-do it properly.
Elizabeth says
I am loving these home decoration ideas! Our hallway is quite tiny but it features a set of stairs which I've handpainted in a Fair Isle knitwear pattern. It's quite the feature!
We Made This Life says
Wow that sounds amazing! Have you blogged about it? I'd love to see!
@JaxFortyNorth - Mummy's Little Monkey says
We're about to embark on some major renovations, and one of the things I'm looking forward to the most is having a nice big hallway that I can properly decorate. I'd love a big photo wall, and a console to put fresh flowers on. x
We Made This Life says
Oh how exciting, good luck with your renovations, we've just been through all that and come out on the other side. Well worth all the work!
Susan R says
I like the idea of getting a light to come on automatically when you enter as our hallway is quite dark. Good point about not having a table with keys too close to the door too!
We Made This Life says
Ooh and automatic light sounds like a good idea!
Rhian Westbury says
I couldn't be without my hallway table and my storage but I can't wait until I have a house as opposed to a flat to see what I can do under the stairs x
We Made This Life says
You should have a look at Pinterest for inspiration for the under stairs area, so many cool ideas!
MELANIE EDJOURIAN says
Natural light can make a big difference. I prefer it so much when a room is lit naturally it looks so much nicer. Pictures can always be a nice personal touch.
We Made This Life says
Totally, I always try to get as much natural light into our home as we can.
laurahartleyy says
I've always wanted to turn the space under the stairs into a tiny bedroom like in Harry Potter! Failing that .. a tiny bathroom would be useful!
We Made This Life says
I always wanted to make ours into a little reading nook! It's useful storage space for us though sadly!
Louise says
I really do think that the hallway is the gateway to your home, your world and is often a first glimpse in to your style. Often this area can be neglected so it’s great you have such good tips for making this area a cool place to be proud of. Thank you for sharing
We Made This Life says
Thank you! I think it's such an important area as it's the first bit of your home that people see first, and you're right, it's that first glimpse into your style.
Leah LS says
Yes! I love these and strangely I have applied all of these to our hallway already x
We Made This Life says
Brilliant! Great minds!
candicenikeia says
I want to do a gallery wall in my home soon! I know how much character it brings to a wall!
We Made This Life says
Ah I hope you do, I love a gallery wall!
Rebecca Smith says
These are some great ideas. We have such a tiny hallway so I may have to give some of these a try if suitable for a smaller one
We Made This Life says
Photos or mirrors on the wall work in a small hallway 🙂
Danielle says
We have just moved and our hallway is tiny. We are going to paint it and add a mirror to make it look bigger.
We Made This Life says
Mirrors are a good tip, we used to have one in our small hallway too.
Angela Ricardo Bethea says
Great ideas in brightening up the hallway. I love the black and white pictures along with that quote.
dearmummyblog says
We've started a picture wall up our stairs and just need more frames to finish it. Great suggestions!
We Made This Life says
I love picture walls on the stairs!
helerinablogs says
These are all great tips for doing up a hallway. Our hall is super small, just enough room to move around the open front door. I would love a larger hallway and have a table or cupboard for our shoes.
I love the picture idea and that's something I could do even in my teeny space.
We Made This Life says
So many houses, especially newer ones have small hallways don't they. You could definitely decorate with pictures still, that would look lovely I bet.
Sarah Ann says
So,me great tips to really make the most of your hallway. I always have a plant in the hallway, just adds a bit of colour and life to the space which is pretty dull otherwise!
We Made This Life says
That's a good idea! I have a little orchid on our hallway table.
Furntastic says
Awesome tips. These are really very lovely ideas. Thanks for sharing this post.
Lubka Henry says
My parents have pictures in their hallway. I think it's a very beautiful touch.
We Made This Life says
Pictures in the hallway are lovely aren't they!
beccajtalbot says
I agree - hallways are one room that people always either tend to think about as an afterthought or even not as a thought at all! There are some great tips included here to make the most of hallways - will come in handy when I move into my new home (hopefully soon!) x
hollysbeautybox says
brilliant tips here! I always forget to utilise space so will be from now on 🙂
Holly x
We Made This Life says
It can be dead space so you should make the most of it. It will make a big difference