Ten Ways To Make
The Most Of Your Hallway
Hallways are one of the most important spaces in your home, but their design and decoration is often overlooked compared to the rest of the house. The hallway gives an instant first impression of a home for visitors, potential buyers, and family when they arrive. Don’t forget to give your hallway the necessary attention as it can be an important selling point as well as setting the ambience of your home.
- Choose a front door with glazing. Hallways should be light and welcoming. By choosing a glazed front door you are allowing the light to flood in and creating a lighter, more airy and spacious feel to the home as soon as you enter. There is a wide choice of glazed doors available, with many different glazing designs from coloured to contemporary, plus toughened glass ensuring enhanced security. Sidelights are a great way to add even more light at the entrance to the home. They can be chosen to complement the style of the door and frame, adding character and distinctiveness.
- Let the light into your hallway. Another way to maximise the amount of available light is by locating a window above an entrance door. There are a range of different styles available, such as attractive arched-head or semi-circular designs that really do exude style and elegance. Inviting light not just through the front door, but throughout the hallway is a good idea, so choose glazed doors for the rooms that lead from your hallway to enable the maximum amount of light to filter through. Many manufacturers now offer stunning internal glazed doors in a variety of colours and designs, that complement the style of a home, whether traditional or contemporary.
- Paint you hallway light colours. Keep you hallway light and bright using neutral shades. However if you are a fan of colour then yellow is a great shade to choose as it has a warm appeal all year round. It is best to choose consistent colours leading from the hallways to adjoining rooms, which makes this important space feel an integral part of the house and ensures design continuity throughout your home.
- Choose an appropriate light. Lighting makes all the difference in an enclosed space such as a hallway. A modern arty ceiling light or dramatic chandelier is a perfect way to complement a front glazed door as well as introducing that all important spacious feel to the home. Alternatively you can accentuate your stairs and glazed doors by choosing softer pools of light from wall lights, lamps or, if you have the space, a standard lamp. Lighting really is a relatively small investment but one that makes all the difference to your new look hallway.
- Replace closed riser stairs with open risers. Stairs are an important feature of most hallways and you should consider the opportunities for the staircase to make best use of available light. Many modern staircases have open risers, which enables the light to shine through into the space below. Stairs with open risers also enable you to create extra room underneath them, which is great for locating a telephone, coat hook or shoe rack.
- Make a feature of your stairs. It is surprising how important a staircase is not just to the hallway but to the home in general. Not only does it receive heavy use but it can also create a focal point to the home. If you are lucky enough to have stairs made from solid timber, they can be stripped back to the raw woodgrain and varnished or stained to allow the natural beauty of wood to shine through. If you are looking to change a stair carpet, it is worth considering the properties of lighter textured designs, which reflect the light as well as providing resistance against muddy footprints. Alternatively, you could continue a carpet runner style up the centre of the stairs and paint each side of the tread a soft cream colour to co-ordinate. If the budget is available, you could add smart brass stair rods to each tread to accentuate the overall look and feel.
- Choose open spindles rather than panelled-out. Stairs with open spindles leading from the baluster make a hallway feel more airy and spacious, whereas traditional panelled-out staircases can feel enclosed and act as a barrier to natural light. Available in traditional and contemporary designs, spindles can add character and a decorative touch to your hallway. Elegant accessories can be chosen that add interest and appeal, for example there are a range of eyecatching newel posts and caps available that give the home a luxurious feel.
- Add a mirror in the hallway. Mirrors double the perceived size of a room so are a great way of making your hallway appear much larger. A great trick is to hang the mirror lengthways, as most hallways are long and narrow, this gives a greater sense of dimension. They are also a great way of checking that you are ready for the world every time you leave your home!
- Remove the clutter. Small areas such as hallways can soon look cluttered so make the most of the space you have available. Clear the clutter, keep shoes and boots out of the hallway or ensure they are kept tidy on a rack. A stylish coat stand, shoe storage system or just a well placed easy chair in the hallway creates the impression of calm and organised living.
- Make it personal. Hallways can be very impersonal as we tend to keep our personal effects in other rooms, so add your own unique stamp by displaying a favourite collection of paintings or photographs here. The hallway should give a flavour of what lies beyond, drawing the visitor to be intrigued and inspired about the person who lives there.
Information supplied by www.jeld-wen.co.uk, leading international producer of windows, external and internal doors, patio doors, garage doors and stairs.