Hallways Made Simple - 5 tips on how to improve the entrance to your home

1. Keep it light! Paint the walls a neutral colour to make your hallway light, bright and welcoming. You don’t want to overpower visitors with highly patterned wallpapers or too bold a colour the second they walk in. Dulux Timeless is a good choice - it’s not a boring white, and it’s not cream either, which can sometimes be old fashioned. It’s the perfect balance! https://www.dulux.co.uk/en/colour-details/timeless
 
2. Focus on the floor! Flooring is important in a hallway. Again, it’s important to keep things simple and welcoming to match the walls, but you can either go for carpet or hard flooring. Hard flooring isn’t for everyone, but it is practical for the room where people come in with their shoes on, or pets run inside from their walk with muddy paws! However, if carpet is more your style, you can still get a nice light-coloured carpet but keep it clean by putting a doormat at the front door to catch the dirt. A fitted doormat is good because it won’t slip, move or get caught on the bottom of the door. Have a look at this selection: https://www.makeanentrance.com/entrance-door-mats/mat-well-mats.html
 
3. Keep it bright! Adding a stylish light fitting can add a nice focal point of a hallway. It also helps make the room bright and welcoming. It’s also a good idea to get a light fitting that points in different directions to make sure the whole room is well lit. Just make sure it doesn’t hang too low – I went into someone’s hallway recently and bumped my head on the large chandelier! This one from B&Q is neat and stylish: https://www.diy.com/departments/mantus-chrome-effect-3-lamp-ceiling-light/1702671_BQ.prd
 
4. Make it bigger! We don’t mean that you should start knocking out walls and physically extending, but if you add a large mirror to one wall then it will make the space seem loads bigger with minimal effort. It’s also a handy thing to have in the hall so you can check you look fabulous before you leave the house! Have a look at this one:https://www.therange.co.uk/home-furnishings/mirrors/full-length-mirrors/sophia-lean-to-mirror/#120136
 
5. Keep it tidy! Hallways can sometimes get cluttered and messy, especially when shoes get piled up. There are many types of shoe rack available, but we love the pull-down cupboard style. It organises the shoes while also keeping them out of sight, which keeps your hallway looking neat and stylish. You can then use the top of the cabinet as a place for a letters, keys and other hallway essentials. This one from the Range is inexpensive and fits up to 10 pairs of shoes – perfect for a big family and guests too!https://www.argos.co.uk/product/6197429?clickOrigin=colourSwatch
 
*Featured hallway image is from a beautiful property we have for sale with our Carlisle office. Click here to view more of 'The Beeches, Tarraby.