Decoration & Inspiration: Makeovers - Hall and Study

Our uninspiring hallway now looks bright and beautiful

Not shy with colour, Lucy transformed her dark hallway into one she can be proud of

Lucy, 38, and David Pelham, 39, live in a three-bedroom 1930s semi-detached house in Hertfordshire, with their two children Sadie, five, and Joseph, seven. They immediately decided that they wanted to change the front door to give their house a face lift on the outside, as well as in. David, an architect, couldn’t stand the old-fashioned front door and got to work with ideas on how the new one should look, turning to a local carpenter to make up his design. Lucy was then given carte blanche to decide on how to decorate the rather dull looking entrance hall. ‘I wanted to give this space the ‘wow’ factor. It’s not a huge room, but I still wanted something bright and pretty to welcome visitors,’ smiles Lucy.

STEP ONE
The first step was to rip out the old door and put in place the new one that David had designed. He chose solid American oak as it has a wonderful, rich colour and, as it was wider than the old one, they asked a builder to widen the opening which took no time at all. The new door made a huge impact as soon as it was installed, instantly giving the hallway a really stylish and individual feel.
Next the couple removed the door from the under stairs cupboard. They didn’t need the storage space and by taking down the door it helped to lighten the area and allowed more room to move in the hallway. Lucy loved the existing floorboards and wanted to keep them throughout the house. ‘All they needed was a light sanding and revarnishing,’ explains Lucy. So the couple hired a sander for the weekend and bought some varnish to bring the flooring up to scratch and make it durable enough to handle anything the family could throw at it. ‘Wooden floorboards are a really practical solution for a hallway due to all the wear and tear the space will receive,’ says Lucy. ‘When they get a bit grubby after the kids have come storming in from school it doesn’t take long to give them a quick wipe and they look as good as new.’

STEP TWO
Lucy’s main task was to choose a wallpaper for the room. She desperately wanted to do something different on the walls, rather than to simply paint them a bright colour. While searching on the internet she came across a stunning, colourful wallpaper. She was undeterred by the small scale of the hallway and ordered the wallpaper to cover each wall for maximum impact. ‘I just love it!’ smiles Lucy. ‘The bold pattern somehow makes the hallway feel much lighter and bigger. It features all of my favourite colours and adds so much character to the area.’ The stairs were painted white and a plain cream stair runner was installed to add warmth. ‘I knew it was important to keep the colour on the stairs as neutral as possible so as not to clash with the wallpaper,’ explains Lucy.

STEP THREE
Little finishing touches bring the room to life; the console table was bought from the family’s previous house, and is a great place to sit a vase of pretty scented flowers, while the two lamps add extra light which is reflected in a large mirror making it feel even lighter. A new modern ceiling light was added too. ‘It has a fantastic springy look to it - I just had to have it,’ Lucy says. The shoe storage bench is an invaluable piece of multi-functional furniture that Lucy picked up from Ikea. ‘We no longer spend hours searching around for the odd lost shoe,’ explains Lucy. ‘The coat and umbrella stand also help to keep coats and bags off the banister and nicely ordered in one place. The whole family love the new room, especially the kids, who adore the fun colours. It’s very dramatic and colourful - just the way we like it!’

ACTION PLAN

Ask a carpenter
Don’t be afraid to ask a carpenter to make something up if you can’t find what you like off the shelf. Whether it’s a new front door, some shelving or a cupboard, it doesn’t have to be more expensive and when it’s made to measure it will fit perfectly and suit your individual needs. Get a few quotes if you have ideas of your own and you may be pleasantly surprised at the cost.

Remove a cupboard
If an internal door reveals valuable but unused space, why not remove it to create a bigger area? Think about rearranging the layout if it makes more sense too and you’ll be amazed at the difference it can make to your room.

Find clever storage solutions
Think carefully about your storage, especially in a hallway where it can turn into a messy pile of shoes and coats. A bench with storage underneath provides a handy and neat multi-functional piece of furniture.


Good idea!
Add a large mirror with table lamps in front to reflect twice the light. It will improve the lighting in a hallway that can sometimes feel quite dark.