Making Life Beautiful

One of the spaces in a house that I find has often been ‘missed out’ when owners are discussing and considering decorating projects is the hallway.  When you think about it, the hallway or entrance to your home really sets the scene when friends, family and visitors arrive at your place.   In addition the hallway can throw up some interesting decorating challenges as it is often a ‘dumping ground’ for family members when they arrive home, and, depending upon the layout of the house, the physical space you have to work with can in itself present challenges. 

Below are a few pointers for your hallway decoration and I’ve included a few pictures I found on http://www.livingetc.com/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=174&g2_page=2  which hopefully will give you inspiration to decorate your hallway and set the scene for your place – Making Life Beautiful, one space at a time.

1.  Look at the space layout you have to work with, sounds basic I know, but hallways come in numerous shapes and sizes, then select a theme for your decoration, that is how you want the space to look and feel.   This could be elegant, monochrome colour scheme, funky or country look and feel.  Long narrow hallways will dictate the selection of the accessories and furniture, where as larger areas will allow greater scope for larger pieces.

2.  Look at the light, both natural light and artificial light in the hallway.  You can add interest by using a stunning pendant light or chandelier as a focal point, this type of lighting works wonderfully well if you have a lobby type entrance or a stairs leading off the hall.  Wall sconces or downlights are great to provide lighting in a long narrow hallway.  If you have artwork on the walls then consider accent lighting to make this a focal point. 

3. Consider the functionality of the hallway, if you have lots of family coming and going, often it becomes a dumping ground for bags, shoes, coats, hats, keys etc etc.  By selecting furniture and accessories that allow storage of these items, for example consoles with tables, or a place for shoes, then hopefully you won’t be continually nagging family members to ‘put things away’.  By look ing at the space available, you may have the ability to incorporate functional features such as as a fitted bookcase underneath the stairwell, giving you additional storage space to your home.

4.  For smaller hallways, you can’t go past using a light colour scheme, this creates the perception of space and pushes the walls out.  Light colours have a higher light reflectance value which means that a greater percentage of light that enters the space (natural and artifical) is reflected off the walls which obviously adds to the brightness of the hallway.

5.  Also, look at using a mirror in the hallway.  Decorative mirrors are fantastic accessories as they will reflect and disperse light throughout the space.  When looking for a mirror, do take into consideration scale.  A small mirror, on its own, on a large wall is not going to look particuarly good when compared to a large mirror.  However, you could combine a small mirror with wall hangings, for example photos, metal wall hangings etc.  A large mirrors is usually a good choice, especially if it is the only decoration on a particular wall.

6.  The use of accent colours really ties the space together, and adds a splash of colour to the hallway.  Accessories in your chosen accent colour could include picture frames, glass vases or bowls and furniture such as a chair or hat stand.

7.  If you have the space then create a focal point through the use or artwork, lighting, furniture or a quirky item.  It doesn’t necessarily have to be large item but an item of interest.

Here are a few pictures www.LivingEtc.com  which hopefully will add inspiration to your hallway decoration project.