Hi Steve,

If you're thinking of going all out, we have somestunning murals that could really help brighten the space. They're made-to-measure and are as simple as wallpaper to hang.

Feel free to roam around our website and see what takes your fancy, but the leaf section springs to our minds for this area (no pun intended!)

Let us know if we can help!

Nicole @ Wallsauce.com

Hi diy_steve, Here are a few ideas from our range of Little Greene Paints and Ca' Pietra flooring showing both traditional and modern styles. If you go for a neutral or light shade on the walls, a bold statement on the floor would look great!

Hallway in Period Home in Blue and White Tones · More Info

Bright Hallway in Green and Neutral Tones · More Info

Beautiful Period Staircase With Contemporary Decor · More Info

Traditional Landing in Neutral Tones · More Info

Victorian Style Home With Geometric Floor · More Info

Period Home with Traditional and Modern Furnishings · More Info

Hi Steve,

Something like this would look great in your hallway.

If your budget allows, removing your dado rail will give
your hallway a more modern feel, as well as opening you up much to more
decoration options. Alternatively, if you use our Dulux Colour Mixing shades,
you can get wood paint mixed up in the same colour as that used on your walls,
which will give the space a lovely, contemporary feel.

For your woodwork, I would suggest opting for a Satinwood
finish rather than Gloss. It still has a nice sheen to it and it offers much
more durability than you’ll get from a gloss paint.

In terms of carpet, it really depends what you want to do
with the walls. If you’re keeping your walls beautifully simple like the image
above with a soft green such as Dulux English Mist 4, a bold stripe would work
really well and would be a great way to add more colour and prints to the
space.

Alternatively, if you’re going to opt for paint effects,
wallpaper or a stand-out feature wall, I would suggest going for a plain carpet
that compliments the rest of the space. Don’t think you have to stick to a
neutral carpet if you’re going for something plain - using a fresh palette of
bright white and Dulux Blue Seduction, with a striking denim coloured carpet,
can create a beautiful finish with great impact.

I hope this helps and please let us know what you decide to
go for.

Sarah-Jayne

Dulux Design Expert

www.designer.duluxamazingspace.co.uk

I would start by finding out what needs doing when you strip the paper off - it may need skimming. When I removed my dado rails they were stuck on with adhesive and took with them significant areas of plaster. If you do decide to keep them you have had some good advice from all of the above. I would chip in with my tip about sisal flooring on stairs. I have always used sisal as although it is costly, it really keeps it's looks and is therefore a good investment. I would consider putting in LED lights and it terms of paint colour for wood, consider a just 'off white' instead of pure white.

My hallway is very similar to yours and I've just finished stripping off wallpaper. I'm going to keep my dado rail and paint it with Dulux natural calico ( soft white) not as harsh as white. Keeping the handrail in wood, but painting the rails etc in the same natural calico. Satin wood quick dry is much easier to work with and comes in water based . I would use natural colours on the walls , maybe a slightly darker shade below the dado. For the stair carpet a natural colour maybe darker shade than the colour below the dado . ( I had a stripe carpet before and soon got tired of it ) Brighten the floor with a colourful rug instead . Hang a statement mirror to reflect more light. If you decide to remove the dado I would go for something like the stripe wallpaper above to add height.

I've just finished my hall which has an original dado rail, but smaller hall than yours. I finally used Dulux Egyptian Cotton on walls (a nice stone colour), Dulux White Satinwood on dado rail and skirting boards (looks fab against the walls). Took me ages to choose a stair carpet! I wanted a stripe, but as my hall is rather dark, most of them looked bland. I finally chose Crucial Trading Mississippi range, colour Plum/Lime. It cost more than I'd budgeted for but they have the best colour combinations and I don't regret it! A good tough carpet too. I did try and post some pics but there seems to be a problem. I'll send them later, if I can. Good luck!

Finally, some pics!