Try a speedy STYLE UPDATE
From a palette of bright colours to dark schemes check out our colour ideas for hallways
1 Make an impact with deep purple
Create a comforting, cosy vibe in your hallway with beautiful rich tones, such as the berry colour on this panelled wall. This look is super snug and wintry, with a draughtexcluding curtain that will keep your home wonderfully warm. Mix in blues and whites, like the blue and white leaf-print curtain pictured to make sure it’s more than suitable for the sunniest of seasons, too. This colour works a treat for a rustic look with natural wood flooring and distressed furniture, but it’s also great for smarter styles. Give it a glam edge with gold details and accessories and a plush runner on the floor.
2 GO FOR SOFT GREYS
Make great first impression in your hallway with a calming, soft grey shade. Create a restful feel with dove grey by using two shades on the wall for contrast. This soft mid-tone grey makes a great neutral base. Create a subtle contrast by painting the wall under the dado rail a darker tone and use a paler shade above.
3 WELCOME HINTS OF NATURAL GREEN
Get back to nature with beautiful botanical shades and motifs in your hallway. Even a soft hint of green on the walls adds impact when looking to create a serene and welcoming space. If you have period features, put them centre stage with pared-back hallway colour schemes. Or you could use a different paint colour to highlight features such as dado-height panelling or skirting boards.
4 Liven up a white hallway with colour on the stairs
An imaginative staircase can do wonders to transform a hallway in an instant. Add some personality to a white hallway with the addition of an accent colour painted on the stairs. Less is so much more with this modern approach to a hallway colour scheme. Go for any colour you love, painting it on staircase risers and drawing attention to them with brilliant white treads and backdrop.
5 MIX AND MATCH YOUR COMPLEMENTARY COLOU RS
Use your hallway as a place to experiment with complementary colours. This cheerful scheme has boldly mixed coral pink with a teal blue – opposite colours on the colour wheel – and it works so well. The pink tone of the wallpaper is matched with a runner to add an element of co-ordination, allowing the blue painted sideboard to really stand out.
6 Hang striking artwork
Choose a large-scale artwork or a collection of pictures and hang it in your hallway for an easy way to add character to your colour scheme. Pick something you love, as you will inevitably see it a lot while moving throughout your home. Consider your choice of wall paint and how it will best show off your artwork – the brilliant white walls here look fantastic, and really show off the bright blue details.
8 WELCOME AMBIENCE WITH DARK AND MOODY COLOURS
Brooding dark walls are becoming more popular in modern homes and hallways are no exception. Using bold shades can create a dramatic effect and bring a cosy feel to the space. It’s often a misconception that a dark colour on the walls can make a room feel smaller, which can be the case in certain spaces. But more often than not it actually increases the sense of space because of the way the intense colour works to almost push the walls out.
7 Live au naturel
Let nature take centre stage, the way it does in this hallway, which is packed with natural elements, from the colour palette to the rustic materials in the wooden stairs and exposed stone wall on the landing at the top. Pick a stone-inspired grey shade for hallway walls to tie in with the natural tones. For tighter spaces, opt for a lighter grey to help bounce light around, but if your space is flooded with light make an impact and go for added drama with a dark grey. Choose a stair runner to co-ordinate with the walls – a vertical stripe leading up the stairs is a clever trick for a narrow space as it draws the eye up to the light to give a feeling of more space. White woodwork and ceilings are another stylist’s trick to boost the light levels.
‘PUT PERIOD FEATURES CENTRE STAGE BY USING DIFFERENT PAINT COLOURS TO HIGHLIGHT DADO-HEIGHT PANELLING OR SKIRTING BOARDS’
9 Make a hallway happy with cheery yellow
Let the sunshine in with cornfield yellows and rustic woods – all inspired by nature’s best. Light up a gloomy understairs space with a rich butter-yellow wallcovering featuring a super-sized foliage motif – the perfect spot for a clever hallway storage idea like the one shown here, which includes a bench with hooks for bags and coats and a handy shelf below. To make that ‘wow’ first impression, the key is to be brave with colour combinations and even pattern. As this stunning hallway proves, an accent pop of sunshine yellow looks light and inviting when paired with brilliant white. Keep the look focused using accent colours purely on woodwork or a feature wall and stick to a neutral shade in the main areas.
‘CREATE A HALLWAY THAT CAN CHANGE WITH YOU USING A MIX OF COLOUR, PATTERN AND HARDWORKING FURNITURE THAT’S EASY TO LIVE WITH’
10 ADDA BOLD CONTRAST
Make a monochrome scheme pop by adding a small but powerful punch of colour. The lemon stair riser complements the sunshine yellow bench, adding just the right amount of impact. Picking out the woodwork on a staircase in a bold contrast colour will modernise your scheme. Here, a black wood stain makes the banisters and spindles stand out for all the right reasons.
11 DECORATE WITH DUCK EGG BLUE
This new modern rustic style takes elements of traditional country looks, but gives them a smarter edge that will suit any home. Think chic without the shabby! Swap the floral-patterned wallpapers of classic country style for crisp, painted walls and matching woodwork for a simple streamlined backdrop.
12 Go for sun-bleached simplicity
Bring the holiday vibe home with a relaxed, beach-inspired scheme. Combine weathered coastal colours, unfussy reclaimed-wood furniture and characterful seaside motifs for a look that will relax you as soon as you walk through the front door. Lighten the look by mixing in painted wooden furniture in a classic country style. Avoid bold blues in favour of soft stone, pale sand, pebble-grey and shell pink.