Hallway Ideas for the Perfect Entrance

Coveting the perfect entrance and short on hallway ideas? ;One thing’s for sure: first impressions count. Stepping over the threshold, guests should be greeted by a functional, beautiful space that’s representative of the rest of your home. In reality, our transient corridors are often neglected and used to quickly discard items. Want to make headway in your hallway? Declutter your way to happiness with our hallway ideas that will help you create an entranceway that’s practical and always stylishly presented.

Size Up Your Hallway Space

The design of your hallway will be heavily influenced by the size and space you have available. Begin the process by taking measurements of your entryway, including doorway dimensions, before purchasing any furniture or home accessories. It’s vital to make informed decisions and action small hallway ideas that will maximise your space, changing it from feeling dark and cramped to light and bright. Choosing pieces which are practical and style-focused will create a corridor that is not only a joy to walk into but will utilise all room available, making it feel bigger – which is ideal when you’re working with a narrow entryway.

Capitalise on vertical wall space by incorporating a tall shelving unit, or going for multi-purpose furniture like the Aldsworth Welly Bench, a boot room favourite. When an area is restricted, the easiest way to elevate it is by decluttering and introducing slimline solutions. By selecting quality pieces of the right sized furniture, even the most challenging hallway space can be transformed into one of the most welcoming and stylish areas of the home.

Consider Clever Hallway Furniture

Smart furniture and storage units are an essential element of all hallway designs. Adding a bench box offers an opportunity to store miscellaneous items, whilst providing a place to perch as you tie your shoelaces. Alternatively, you could choose a narrow, two seater design featuring a lower shelf for open storage, such as the Longworth Hallway Bench. Creating an additional layer of comfort on smart storage pieces can always be achieved with the Aldsworth Seat Pad, which adds a further finishing touch.

Making the most of wall space, a peg rail shelf provides a great way to increase hallway storage, leaving more room for floor furnishings. Hallway ideas for larger spaces could incorporate a more decorative, statement piece of furniture such as the Ashwell Curved Sideboard, around which the rest of the styling of your entrance area can take shape.

Shoe storage is essential for every hallway and easily achieved by selecting furniture which provides you with the capacity and aesthetic you desire. For those searching for more modern hallway ideas, the industrial style Whitby Shoe Locker is a perfect example of a contemporary shoe storage cabinet. For those seeking a more traditional style, our Chedworth Shoe Locker is elegant and classy.

Create a sense of cohesion by coordinating larger units with smaller containers, such as wicker baskets; together these narrow hallway ideas will ensure your entrance doesn’t feel overcrowded and chaotic. Adding hallway staples such as a coat rack, umbrella stand and welly stand are also effective at keeping your hallway decluttered and organised.

Set the Scene with Hallway Decoration

A clever use of colour is one of the most efficient ways to create the perfect entrance. When considering your palette, choose colours that will seamlessly flow with the rest of your home’s décor. To brighten and elongate a hallway, neutral and pale colours are ideal, but using a statement wallpaper with a delicate design or wall panelling can also have a similar effect.

Hall decoration done? Home accessories are necessary to complement your freshly painted walls and will provide pops of your personality in your inviting and practical entrance. First up, a doormat. As simple as it may seem, the right design will add the finishing touches to your perfect entrance. On a more practical level, it will do an excellent job at keeping the rest of your home clean. During the winter months, it can be difficult to keep the cold air from creeping in. Adding a stylish yet practical draught excluder is a simple way to keep the heat in, ensuring your home offers a warm welcome. Complete the look with doorstops and wedges, which will create a connected space that allows air flow throughout your home.

In a limited space, introducing a mirror is always a smart aesthetic solution, and provides a narrow hallway with a greater sense of depth. If your hallway features a window, adding a wall mirror will offer the added benefit of reflecting this natural light, helping to brighten the space. Keen to inject some personality? Curate a gallery wall, filled with a variety of artwork, family photos, and other decorative items that reflect your interests and create some character. Not only does hanging precious memories on the wall create a more inviting and personal environment, but it also keeps the eye-line focused up, visually drawing the floor away from the ceiling and making the whole area feel wider. Positioning frames at different heights can also add dimension and visual appeal.

If you would rather keep the walls bare for a more light and airy feel, you can build the character of the hallway by introducing natural elements such as a large house plant or a Woven Hanging Plant Pot. Complete the look by adding a stand-alone clock, collection of photographs, vases and flowers or some books to the top of your hallway cabinet or console table, for a functional touch of elegance.

Featuring a hallway runner or rug on the floor adds texture and depth to your corridor, creating a cosy ambience and setting a welcoming tone for the rest of your home. Our durable yet decorative Islay Runner and Ampney Runner are the perfect width and length for softening the look of a hallway, whilst making it feel more considered and decluttered. If adding a hallway runner or rug is not to your taste, consider experimenting with a statement tile pattern, or wooden floorboards to create the sense of character you desire.

Leverage Hallway Lighting

Last - but certainly not least - is hallway lighting, which is integral to your overall design. Need illuminating ideas for small entranceways? Amy Wilson, of Interior Design Masters on BBC One encourages home decorators to visually open up this space with a large ceiling light. A statement piece will draw the eye away from the narrowness of your space and create the optical illusion of a larger, elongated hallway.

Keen to enhance that calm and collected feeling? Place a table or desk lamp on the top of your console table to add soft, accent lighting that offers a warm welcome. If space is at a premium, wall lights are excellent for hallway lighting as they don’t take up floor area, leaving more room for essential storage. Placing lamps at each end of your hallway will make it feel extended, whilst adding dimmer switches is another option; you can then alter the ambience as you please.

Every dwelling is unique, and that's why our hallway collection is designed with versatility in mind. Whether you are looking for a modern and minimalist look or a more traditional feel, our texturally beautiful, well-crafted pieces promise to inspire your hallways ideas, cut out the clutter and truly enhance the aesthetic of your home.