How to Make the Hallway Come Alive

Is it difficult for you to keep your hallway tidy too? Shoes, clothes, umbrellas and miscellaneous items that are nice to put on the hallway table when coming in from outside tend to get out of hand, don't they?

Yet the hallway is just that place that greets you first after a long workday, and if it's messy, your mood won't get any better, will it? But if the hallway is beautiful and tidy, it's so pleasant to come home, isn't it?

Most often the hallway is quite a small room and therefore everything must be done thoughtfully and wisely there. Let's see together what can be done there.

Choose a light color to make the space feel larger

What color are your hallway walls? If you want more light in there, you could use colors that reflect it. White or gray wall paint or even light-patterned wallpaper with a white background work very well for this. Light colors also make the room visually a bit larger. Striped wallpaper also creates the feeling that the room is bigger.

However, if you wanted to try a darker color, then the hallway is just the right place for it, because you don't spend a long time there, you just hurry on to other rooms or out the door.

Interior designer Gillian C. Rose suggests imagining a burgundy hallway. What feeling does that give you? If you found yourself in such a room, you wouldn't forget that feeling very easily, would you? Usually it's the feeling we had when passing through a room that stays with us, not the specific color. Maybe you'll try burgundy in your hallway?

Light

Let's continue with the light talk. Most often the hallway doesn't have a window (oh, how nice that would be!), but that's not necessarily bad. And that's because now you have a good reason to go to a lighting store, pick out the nicest things there and bring them home. Our suggestion is to use lighting at multiple heights, for example on the ceiling and on the wall, and why not also on the hallway table.

Seating area

Hopefully your hallway is large enough to fit at least one bench and maybe even a small armchair. Don't use it to create a pile of clothes, but sit there when you put on boots or sneakers.

Table or chest

Every nice hallway must have a table or chest. If you want more airiness in your hallway, choose a table; if you need good storage space, choose a chest. In its drawers you can keep gloves and scarves, shoe cleaning supplies, or all sorts of miscellaneous items that don't seem to have a proper place anywhere else.

Keep the table or chest top clean and tidy. It's often the first thing you see when entering the room, and clutter ruins anyone's mood. Use that surface for the opposite instead – to create a good mood and feeling. Put a potted plant there and a nice bowl for holding keys, for example. Or a couple of candles. Or a family photo. You know best what creates warmth and good feeling for you.

Get rid of extra clothes

Don't let a situation develop where too many clothes have accumulated in your hallway. Put everything you don't use frequently into the wardrobe or closet. Make sure that guests always have coat racks to hang their coats on.

Choose durable flooring

Figuratively speaking, the hallway has the most footprints – meaning the hallway mat and floor get a lot of use. Floor tiles are therefore the most durable, but nothing can compare to a wooden floor. It's just so beautiful!

If you want to use a rug in your hallway, choose one that doesn't get dirty very quickly and doesn't need to go to the dry cleaner or washing machine every week.

Mirror, mirror

We're used to having a mirror in the hallway. If there isn't one, it feels like something's missing, doesn't it? Actually, it doesn't have to be that way. You surely have some other place where you make yourself beautiful and give your appearance that final touch. Instead of a mirror, you could hang a nice painting or a large photo on the wall.

But for those who love mirrors, a floor-to-ceiling mirror with a beautiful frame should fit in every hallway. Then before stepping out the door you can make sure your new yellow coat no longer has its price tag on it and that you look good. That's the best.

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