You may remember that we recently asked you about your home and the projects you’re looking to undertake. Lots and lots of you commented about your hallways, with several mentions about storage too. Unsurprisingly this post is designed to give you a few ideas for making more of this area in your house.

For many of us, the hall will be the first thing that you and your visitors see when entering the house. I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s guilty of treating it like a thoroughfare rather than a room in its own right. Before you know it the hallway has become a dumping ground for coats, bags, gym kits (and in my house, tool boxes!) which isn’t a great first impression for your guests.

Here are a few solutions for organising and decorating your entryway.

Hooks

Hooks and peg racks are an easy way to add small storage to an entrance but try to keep them below eye level to avoid being too cluttered. Being able to see skirting board and floor fools the eye into thinking the space is larger so if possible make sure anything that hangs off your hooks doesn’t cover the floor.

Boxes and Baskets

Hanging baskets down walls provides smart storage and easy access to scarves and gloves. You could also opt for built in storage to snuggly fit a range of rattan baskets. Alternatively, vintage crates are great for adding flexible storage that can be configured in a number of different ways.

Under stairs

Do you remember when Chandler discovered Monica’s secret cupboard that was chock-a-block with junk? Yep, my under stairs cupboard looks just like that.
Instead, I would love some snazzy pull out storage solution to help me store my excessive shoe collection. There are some flipping amazing solutions out there (just look on Pinterest!) and going bespoke means you will get an opportunity to utilise every last bit of space.

Ikea

If custom isn’t your thing then there’s always Ikea. They have a million and one pieces to help with storing all your essentials. My favourites include their skinny pull down shoe rack and the slim Hemnes console bench.

Console Table

If there’s room it’s worth adding in some form of slimline table to drop your keys and small change. It’s always best to go for one with a small drawer so you can hide your pocket shrapnel away from view.
In order to make a hall feel more like a room, add fresh flowers and a candle or reed diffuser. If there’s no space to squeeze in a table, then how about adding a floating shelf?

Mirrors

If there’s one thing to buy for a hallway to make it appear larger, then it’s a mirror. The bigger the better to maximise and bounce around the light. If a massive mirror is too grand then you could opt for several smaller ones.

Colour

We all know that a lighter colour makes a room appear larger, however will all the scuffs and scrapes that can appear on hallway walls it’s tempting to choose something darker. I’ve recently painted my own stairs and landing with a pale shade of Dulux Endurance Paint and have been really pleased with the durability and finish. Accidental scrapes from my handbags are easily wiped away.

Floor coverings

Obviously a hall floor covering needs to be hardwearing to deal with the amount of traffic but you don’t necessarily need to go for a dark colour. There are many paler carpets out there made of truly durable materials that can stand up to the test.

On the stairs you could choose stair rods and a runner rather than a full width carpet. The contrast between the wooden stairs and carpet tricks the eye into thinking the area is wider than it actually is.
Hallways are often narrow so a tip to create an illusion of a wider space is to choose a horizontal striped runner. Add a bit of personality with a cute doormat and you’ll have a beautiful as well as practical hallway.

We’ve created a Pinterest board for you crammed with even more hall and stairs inspiration. We intend to do this for our interior posts in the future so be sure to follow Rock My Style.

How do you store all your coats and bags? Have you found any genius solutions for organising all your hallway chaos?

Image sources: Basket & Hooks | Built in shelves with baskets | Vintage crates | Pull out drawers | Slide out drawers for shoes | Basement kitchen with under stairs baskets | Ikea console table | Ikea shoe cabinet | Console table with Hunters | Floating shelf | Sisal runner stair carpet | Striped rug | Large mirror | Multiple mirrors