Hallways come in all shapes or sizes whether that be large or narrow, light or dark. Although they may not be the largest area of the house and are frequently overlooked, hallways are the first room you see when you enter the home, making them fundamentally significant. It’s lovely when you enter a house and straight away feel at home. The hallway is what first makes an impression and sets the scene for the rest of the house. Here at the Sussex home stylist, we offer affordable interior home styling by room and cover a whole range of services but hallways can be sometimes forgotten about. So, big or small, dark or light, here are our essential tips to styling a lovely hallway.

Gorgeous hallways in a project in Hassocks

First up: Function

When it comes to hallways in particular, function trumps form every time. I know most of you have busy homes and if your hallway is a bottleneck it will drive you mad. Consider your flow and how your hallway functions and design your space around that. When it works well, then you layer over the beauty - but function first!

Storage spaces

For me as an interior designer, it is really important to provide you with neat little tricks and DIY’s to increase your storage space and these can work no matter what size space you're working with. These become affordable ways to get a luxury looking result but at a reasonable price. Hallways often get cluttered with winter coats and shoes, especially in homes full of people. Essentially the more people, the more mess gets created. We never seem to have a ‘light’ season on the mess front in our house; if it’s not coats, hats and mud it’s sun hats, flip flops and and sand.

A custom made, practical hall cupboard in our Steyning Project offers hanging space and baskets for shoes.

If you have a space for a coat cupboard then do it. Think about using the space well by adding storage for shoes at the bottom, hats and accessories at the top and coats in the middle. If you add storage in the shape of a cupboard make sure that the doors aren’t going to open into other doors. In tight spaces you have to be really careful. If you can’t enclose the mess consider shelving and baskets to hide things away.

Only keep the essentials in the hallway. If you have extra storage in a different area of the house such as a spare place in your wardrobe, seasonal coats and shoes can be stored there and swapped over each season so you only have the absolute essentials in the hall - it makes a big difference. Make sure you can get to things easily. There’s nothing worse than a scuffle to get out of the door. Consider where kids can sit to put their shoes on. Kids are like water, they always find a way. Make sure you design the space for the way you behave rather than the way you want them to. If it’s a big change in behaviour or requires some effort, it’s unlikely to happen!

If you don’t have the space to hide things away, hooks can be a nice way of neatly storing coats and getting bags and coats off the floor. Make sure hooks are strong - don’t worry too much about how they look, you’ll hardly ever see them. Function comes first. We just added some really smart black hooks in our hallway from Ironmongerydirect.co.uk that I’m really pleased with. They’re reasonably priced and look lovely too. Find out more on how to upgrade your home on a budget here.

Removing clutter

Everything needs a place. If it does it keeps mess to a minimum and I don’t care what anyone says but a tidy house most definitely is a tidy mind. A console or hall table with drawers is a great idea for keeping things hidden away. The drawers would be best for storing any keys and keeping them safe, as well as umbrellas, scarves or any other accessories. Tables with a lower shelf where you can add baskets are also really practical. You can style up the surface with lamp on top and a basket or ‘pot’ for any loose change or odd bits and bobs. Adding a plant is always a great idea to make a house feel more homely. When in doubt, add some greenery. If however your hallway is too small for a plant, add a plant in the next room but make sure it's visible from the hallway. it will give the same effect. A mirror above the console is not only practical (somewhere to check yourself before you go out) but will also bounce the light around which is always a winner. Mirrors can make smaller spaces look bigger and in larger spaces reflect views or simply add more light.

For smaller hallways, you can choose to add a cover over your radiator, which will give you a ledge to put a plant or basket on. You can even add a mirror above this to make sure your hair is not out of place before you leave the house. The essential point to remember is to maximise the amount of space you have and make use of every corner. If you happen to have a larger hallway, having a space for a chair to put shoes on would make it more cosy and really practical.

Lighting

When it comes to lighting, there are many different options. You can add in a lamp for a little mood lighting or for those wintery nights. You want to make sure your coats and shoes are placed in well lit sections of the hallway and if you have a storage cupboard for your things it's always good to add a light inside as well. The purpose here is to create a bright space that welcomes people into your home with a bright and positive atmosphere. Any windows you have in hallways can also add a lot of natural light. You can add a blind for the winter for some privacy and it's a good way of adding texture too.

Flooring

Even if you have chosen the correct lighting, the wrong floor can make or break the room. You would want a floor that is easy to clean, as people will bring the mess from outside in. Using wooden, laminate or luxury vinyl tile (LVT) can be great because they're easy to clean. On our blog, our carpet expert Paul White has said that hard wearing floors/carpets are best for hallways. Also, adding a herringbone carpet on the stairs is fantastic to add some texture as we mustn't forget the stairs can be a part of the hallway too. You should consider adding coir matting at the front door so that your doormat doesn't move around and adding a rug always makes it cosy. Ruggable offers washable rugs that are really practical, especially if you have pets or Dunelm has some affordable options too.

For smaller spaces, a runner can look lovely and brighten up more narrow shaped hallways.

Walls

For the paint in your hallways, Valspar at B&Q has some great shade options and is scrubbable, like tried and tested scrubbable by us and we love it. You can really clean the paint without it coming off, it’s great, especially in high traffic areas like a hallway. Its always good to go bright and light to create an open and more welcoming space, but steer clear of bright white which shows up every scuff and mark. Go for a warmer neutral which will hide a multitude of sins.

And there you have it, my simple tips on how to style your hallway to make it a welcoming and bright space.

If you are in need of any styling advice, please don’t hesitate to get in contact. Please drop me a line and I'll get back to you within 24 hours.

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Home Design Essentials: How to Style a Beautiful Hallway