hallway help please!

9 years ago

We're first time buyers and just moved into this house. It's outdated and we're on a tight budget. I'd like something fresh looking in the hallway but with a funky design for the feel good factor when I first walk in but I've no idea where to start! All the walls have dado rails and I've been told to remove them I would have to re plaster all the walls and that really isn't an option right now.
The whole house is magnolia and dark wood and I want something to lighten the house up as it doesn't get a lot of sunlight really. I think starting in the hall is the way forward and I'm hoping I can carry it through to the very small porch too. does anyone have any ideas please as I'm totally rubbish at things like this!

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Comments (4)

janeatquoins54
9 years ago
I am not sure if its Crown or Dulux, but one of them does a light reflecting paint for dark spaces. One thing I have done in my very dark lower hall (split level house) is to put large decorative mirrors around the walls - they make a focal point and reflect light around, giving an illusion of a little more light. Charity shops usually have one or two mirrors around, so would not cost a lot. Ikea do some really wonderful and funky designs for mirrors that just stick on like tiles. Very effective. I have also painted all the woodwork in my hall in white gloss. A bit time consuming, but it really has helped. Good luck in your new home.
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AL PAINTING
9 years ago
dulux diamond does reflective paint Janeatquoins54 for sure, very good quality paint, not cheap at all...
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Goodie on the lamps! Don't get me wrong, I love a mirrored table, I just don't think it is doing all it can in that spot. They are great in a bedroom and also in a dark corner in a living room. I'm sure you can find the perfect place to show it off. I don't usually like radiator covers either, but sometimes, and in the right material, they can work well. Go with a shelf mounted above it if you are unsure, but because your front door (more on that later) has those wonderful vertical lines in it, you could have a radiator cover with the same long slats. I think your door is great - it has strong but simple features, that I thought fit with your clean line aesthetic, while letting in light. I may be against the grain here, but unless your house is incredibly drafty and it is a 16th Century cottage or a French chateau, I wouldn't dream of having a curtain across a door. Call me crazy, but our last house was a wonky Victorian with a beautiful, enormous front door with stained glass in it and around it and the wind used to come in so strong around the edges that I felt like I was in the Arctic Circle, but there wasn't a chance I was going to cover up such a beautiful piece of architecture. Yeah, that is a bit crazy.... You could paint it in a cream to match the rest of the house, but make the other changes to the entrance hall first, live with it for a while (next year, as you say) and then see if you still want to paint it. I'll go and look for something for the floor now while other people tell you I'm wrong on the door curtain idea!
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I have just revisited this item and a thought has struck me. If you are intending to do the whole house room by room then it occurs to me that the hall should be the last area to do - simply to save tears. While you alter all the other rooms you will be carrying all materials and tools through the hallway - and of course that will increase the wear and tear factor, along with dings and scrapes from long and large bits of materials and furniture. I don't know the layout of the house, nor how badly other rooms need sorting out but I would start with rooms you actually use rather than simply pass through. Kitchen, living room, bedroom and bathroom. In fact I would suggest sorting the living room first before you get so moved into it that vacating it to work on it would be problematic. The kitchen and bathroom don't tend to attract the amount of clutter and furniture that living rooms collect, so are easier to clear to basics to start work on. During this process your hallway may well end up being a makeshift store for materials while work is going on.
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Jonathan
9 years ago
I still say remove the dado. Assuming it is a modern addition it will still likely need a plasterer but probably only for a couple of hours to skim over any damage. This job will likely be cheaper than you think.
hortonhearsawho2013
9 years ago
Removing the dado could possibly be cheaper and less time consuming than having to sand and paint it all out to white! I'd get a couple of quotes to get an idea of costs for the plastering. Definitely get a white in there to brighten up the space.

hallway help please!

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janeatquoins54

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