The entrance hall is the first thing people see when they come to visit, and the last when they leave.
So let’s take a purpose orientated look at what a well-appointed hallway needs to have and how to balance that. Here are some thoughts on how to make the perfect entrance.
Outside-In
If your guests are coming to your front door after 4.30pm at this time of year, it’ll be in the pitch black. So some form of outdoor lighting will be essential.
LED is the way to go, and you can even find motion activated LED lighting. The really clever ones give out a low level illumination, but brighten as someone approaches. Nice and subtle.
Style and Tone
When styling your hallway you could either go for something contemporary, or you could go for something in keeping with the age of your home. Of course, that might be both.
Many entrance halls have a bit less natural light as they tend to be long, narrow and with few windows. If that’s the case with yours, then light colours on the walls are essential, so pastels or good old Magnolia will help keep it all bright and airy.
Storage Fixtures and Fittings
A cluttered hallway can be a big frustration. Especially if there’s more than one person using it at the same time.
So make sure you’ve got the right fixtures and fittings to keep everything accessible but tidy. Coats, boots, scarves, shoes, gloves and bags are just the basics. Your hallway clutter might include dog leads & toys, cycle helmets…
Anyway, organising is always a good plan. So a shoe store and some kind of rail with coat hooks and storage for hats, gloves and scarves is useful addition.
Decoration & Wall Art
Bare walls can make any room seem pretty cold. So if there’s a bit of open space on your hallway wall after you’ve sorted the fixtures and fittings, then a bit of decoration might bring it alive.
You could head to Ikea or The Range, both have good selections of photo frames.
www.ikea.com
Perhaps a family photo shoot might give you some inspiring content to decorate your hallway wall. There are plenty of media options these days too. So you could have a tasteful Canvas or even have something made in custom vinyl.
Hopefully these ideas can inspire you, after all, a tidy entrance hall makes a fabulous first impression, doesn’t it?
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