Can you remember way back when I shared pics of our living room in a post and said ' wait until you see how my style is changing as I'm gaining more confidence?', here is the post to prove it. ( Read the post on the living room reno here - I'm chomping at the bit for winter to come and allow me to paint this room dark now!)
So I really need to get better at taking 'before' pictures, unfortunately this is the best I have of our hallway previous to it's reno. Between it's 'all white' walls, red carpet (which it NOT ideal alongside a heavily molting yellow labrador I can assure you) and broken lighting didn't have much else going on.
We thought to leave this space to renovate last as we didn't want to destruct it doing the other rooms, yet somehow Craig managed to have this AND the bathroom going at the same time (typical Craig). So for quite some time now we have been juggling the two, flitting from job to job in room to room.
But now, 4 months later, we have a bathroom, and I can happily say, a beautiful hallway space that is beyond what I ever could have imagined it to be...
Again we used Abigail Ahern paint on the walls and floor, this time in Bedford Brown and Hudson Black. The brown is so gorgeous, it's comforting yet still classy. In some lights it even has a hint of grey.
This felt VERY dark at first, and we lived with no lighting for a while as I didn't want to rush into buying for the sake of it which I'm sure you can imagine led to lots of disapproving "oohhh its dark in here" comments. BUT last weekend something MAGICAL happened...
We managed to bag some Laura Ashley chandeliers at massively discounted prices as they were getting rid of them; I was like a kid in a sweet shop as the manager was reeling out boxes of discontinued shop from the 'back'. This is a prime example of being in the right place at the right time.
We compromised on keeping the ceilings and woodwork white ( Craig was not having my Abigail Ahern inspired lust to paint it all out in the same colour), so I have brought white through into the scheme with accessories and lighting to keep it cohesive. I have to admit as much as I love her and agree that that 'knock it back' paint technique is visually brilliant, I am keen on how the white woodwork keeps the space looking timeless and crisp, and I'm possibly just not quite cool enough to pull off that dark, hunkered down feel anyway!
Pulling the carpet up in the hallway made the space feel instantly fresher. We decided to paint the floorboards and go with layered rugs to add different textures and pattern. I always thought floorboards required specialist paint, don't get me wrong it's out there, but I was advised by an expert in the field that as long as the boards were sealed with a varnish, plain old emulsion on the floor will do! So we did just that, two coats of emulsion in Hudson Black and two coats of clear, matt varnish on top. Bob's your uncle!
We also swapped out two naff white radiators that provided nowhere near enough heat to this space with one BIG DADDY of a cast iron number. The heat output from this geezer is literally amazing, and the smell you get from the cast iron tops it right off! Again we got this from architectural salvage in Tynemouth.
This little table was £15 from IKEA!!! I love the idea of having little occasional tables dotted around. There is much more to be added to this space yet but we will hopefully collect pieces we love over time.
Rug above was from h and m. The white wall lights are Kartell, they act as a modern contrast between the classy glass chandeliers. The standard lamp below is Laura Ashley, I stole this from the living room to tie in the duck egg from that room scheme.
This black mirror (which once was gold), was spray painted using plasticote spray paint in black gloss to make it much edgier. I am on with collecting art, pictures and anything else I fancy to create an interesting gallery wall along here, I've made a start with my bargain £10 zebra print and quirky MIHO Stag head from Liberty of London...
GORGEOUS, GORGEOUS, GORGEOUS!!! The cut glass just shines AMAZINGLY, photos do not do these lights justice! They add a touch of glam to the space - who doesn't need a bit of that!
Mirrors in round or unusual shapes add interest to spaces - look out for something different to your average and you'll have mirror envy from all of your guests I promise. Also think about where you position your mirrors. With the one in the above picture, I wanted it placed low enough so that the chandelier's reflection (below) was in full view. Unfortunately my INSANE husband likes things in lines and when I told him this was in the wrong place he told me that 'it is exactly in the middle of the wall and the beam above'
WHAT ON EARTH!? Who in their right mind would look at a mirror and think 'That is out of line with that tiny stump of wall at the top'
NO ONE- that's who!
So that mirror needs shuffling to the right a little so it looks in the middle of the wall BY EYE, and shuffling down a bit so that when you can't see the actual chandelier, you see its reflection. This trick is good with artwork too, use your mirrors to your advantage, let them bounce your cool things around your space.
Placing mirrors near lights will also bounce the light around your space really cleverly too!
Craig laid Yorkshire stone at the porch end of the hall. This creates a separate zone for the entranceway and also adds another dimension of texture.
I really am in love with this space and I have surprised myself at how a hallway can actually feel like a room in it's own right. I hope this too has inspired you to be a little more creative with your hallway/ entranceway. I certainly never dreamed I'd have one that guests, and us, stop and linger in. If I can do it, anyone can! Please feel free to leave your comments, and if you have any questions I'd love to try and help in anyway I can.
Happy hallway-ing.
XOXO.
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