Hallways may be an after thought in your home and not something you are immediately concerned about decorating. Most people think of hallways as a way of going to and from certain rooms of the house, but not where they want to make a considerable design investment. Here are a couple of quick tips that will help you take your run of the mill hallway to the next level!
Colour palette
When we start designing a new space, we always start with a colour palette. If the hallway you are painting is separate, as opposed to open-concept, that will give you the opportunity to paint the space a different colour. This will make it feel like its own entity.
Choose a colour that compliments the already existing colour scheme. Try to go with more of a neutral, as it has to be able to blend with all of the rooms that run off of it. Something that we really like to do is to paint out a portion of the ceiling with a bright accent colour that draws the eye upward.
Lighting
Speaking of drawing the eye upward, lighting is the next step. Make sure you have enough lighting to properly display the area. You will want to have more than one source of light, you may want to add wall sconces, pot lights, or a couple chandeliers running the length of the hallway. Depending on the hallway, you may also want to add a long table with a couple table lamps on it.
Crown moulding
If you are planning on painting out a portion of the ceiling in a bright or contrasting colour, this idea looks amazing when surrounded by beautiful crown moulding. Crown moulding not only looks fabulous on the ceiling, but it also looks amazing along the edge, where the wall meets the ceiling. Another great detail to add in a hallway is a higher baseboard. Both of these design features add a feeling of elegance and will improve the overall feel of the space.
Doors
While updating the hallway, don’t forget about the doors leading into rooms off of the hallway. Make sure all the doors are updated and the same to create unity. Another trick we like to do is to paint all of the exteriors of the bedrooms doors another colour. This should also be done in a neutral, but dark enough to create contrast. Painted doors bring life to the hallway and is something completely unexpected.
Accessories
Now that you have given your hallway a fresh paint of coat, added or improved upon the lighting, installed higher baseboards, crown moulding and maybe even painted some doors, it is time to start accessorizing! Choose accessories that also match the theme or feeling you have decided upon for this area. Make sure you also include a lot of artwork on the walls to create visual variety. The dominant colour in the artwork should match the pop of colour in the ceiling. This will keep the eye moving through the space.
With a little hard work and elbow grease you can have your hallway updated and looking designer in no time at all!
