Create an inviting hallway to your home

The introduction of entry hallways has been taken up in most house designs. However, this space which serves as the mirror into your home has for long been ignored or simply left bare.

There are many ways of jazzing up this often bare space to make it more welcoming into your home. Once the front door is closed behind you, the hallway stands alone in its welcome and sets the stage for the rest of your house.

If you have enough space, make this a room unto itself by placing a chair there which visitors can sit on as they wait to be ushered into the main sitting room. Although a narrow hallway presents design challenges, this can be overcome with ingenuity, using colour, lighting and great flooring.

The biggest factor to consider is not to clutter your narrow hallway because that will close you in even more and have people knocking their toes as they enter the house.

Colour

Wall colour is paramount when you’re decorating a narrow entry hallway. If there are no windows or direct source of natural light, create light with the wall colour. Choose a neutral tone that mixes well with your decorating scheme, preferably a shade that opens up the entrance and invites you to walk through.

White is stark, but may work if your decor is contemporary. A more traditional interior benefits from a pale yellow that casts a glow, or the lightest shade of pink or even a pale green or cream. In other words, make sure this space is not dark and unwelcoming.

Paint the trim the same colour, in semi-gloss. For an urban interior, paint a bold graphic that runs horizontally down the narrow hallway, leading the eye toward the rest of the house.

Do not create breaks in colour as you want the hallway to flow effortlessly.

Flooring

If you have wood or tile in the hallway, it’s difficult to change. But you can lay a runner over the floor, if necessary. Use a light-coloured carpet, such as a sculpted oatmeal or a sisal rug that blends with your wall colour.

An oriental carpet with a light-coloured background adds interest, as does a Japanese carpet designed in an open pattern featuring a gold design with red accents. Unlike the walls, the floor can have bold colours to give the room a bright look.

Don’t use a rug that has a cluttered look with too many patterns and avoid an industrial-looking doormat if you need a rug just inside the door.

Choose a wool rug in a medium or darker colour, such as sage green or olive in a patterned weave. Let the rug colour be one that is reflected in other main rooms of the house. These small rugs are easily cleaned so do not fear placing then at the door or in the hallway.

If you can, avoid using a rug altogether. Keep the decorating to a minimum in this room.

Lighting

If your have a long hallway, run a string of pendant lights along the ceiling, all working from a dimmer switch. Track lighting also creates sufficient light, as do recessed lights. For mood, attach sconces that create up-lighting to the walls.

Avoid using just one chandelier unless your space is very limited. The goal is to widen your hallway visually. Lining the floorboards with running lights gives a “runway” effect to your hallway which may not be what you want to achieve.

Accessories

Place a coat rack or decorative wall hooks at one end to allow easy access through the narrow width. Mirrors work wonders in a narrow hallway, widening the expanse visually. You can train some lights on the mirror but make sure you avoid a glare.

Hang a string of black and white or sepia-toned photographs, all framed alike, horizontally down the hallway, but don’t create depth vertically with your display. A narrow shelf attached to the wall gives you a place for keys, gloves and sunglasses.

Choose a modern, clean-lined original art piece, print or mirror as the focal point of the entry hall. Art can contain one or two colours that are reflected or carried from room to room, whether through painted walls, rugs or carpet or other artwork.

Furniture

Large entry hallways work well with just a single piece of furniture to break the empty space on the floor. Select furnishings that match your needs. An attractive, low, wooden shoe hutch that doubles as a bench may be practical for families. Some like a “tree” with coat hooks.

Find a cabinet or stand if there’s no need for hooks or cubicles. On top of it, place fresh or dried flowers, or even decorative twigs, in a sleek vase to greet the eye.

Get a great ceramic or bamboo container, if there’s space for it, and place a plant inside. This could work either in a corner or alongside your furnishings. Palms with their spreading leaves, or even a healthy ficus tree, can make the area look more inviting and increase its appeal for guests.

- Compiled by Isabella Mukumu from Home Guides