Oh - those hallways are better finished and decorated than some of the rooms we live in Here goes - floor is flag-stone tiles, set in a diagonal pattern. Lovely to look at - nightmare to clean. Half-painted, half timber panelled walls. A small pillar on which hangs all our holy objects - from holy water font ( Vatican), hand-made St Brigid's cross (school), stained class crucifix (Lourdes), Holy Family brass ornament (Knock), Hannukkah menorah (from north London). A beautiful hand-crafted coat rack, designed and made by my 16yr old for Woodwork exam. Here hangs that one-size-fits-all anorak that ended up in the back of the car some years ago and has never been reclaimed. Everyone can use it so no excuse about getting wet or cold when asked to go out to car or out to bin or bring in/put out cat dishes. A myriad of sets of keys that only each owner knows what they are for. Various school-bags, lunch boxes, kit-bags, boots, helmets, hurley sticks, badminton rackets, wellies, hob-nail boots take up temporary residence in the hall until the house-fairy offers to put them away for their owners ie throw them outside the front door where she can't trip over them (amazing how quickly the owners find a proper home for their goods under the threat of a night outside!) A second-hand side board that currently houses family photographs and trophies etc on top and a motley mix of household bills, badminton subscriptions and accounts, Greeting cards and writing paper and other stationery (no biros tho!) a drawer full of hats, caps, scarves, gloves, hi-vis jackets and dog leads. A lovely print of my home county which has 1920 b+w postcards of my town mounted around it. Then there is the oil PAINTING. It is a version of 3 Spirited Horses in a Storm. It is 6ft wide, 3ft high. Has a distinctive lack of colour - brown, cream + khaki - dust colours. OH dug it out of a skip in London in 1988 + delightedly rushed home to hang it in our abode. Except we lived in a 1-bed flat and didn't have any straight wall long enough to hang it on! Undeterred he hung it on the stair-wall. So no option but to look at it. It has followed us ever since and I am heartedly sick of the sight of it. Cannot get him to part with it. How I wish it could get damaged somehow .... Any suggestions ....?

Thanks for your suggestions so far. Here are some pictures. The wood is not original, approx 30 years old. Stained I think, rather dull now. I plan to replace the carpet, and paint the walls - the blue is very cold. Reluctant to paint the wood - too much time and effort when so many other rooms also need attention!

Removing the console, changing the flooring and creating more interest on the walls, as mentioned above, would help. Also, creating a focal point at the end of the hall, perhaps by turning the bookcase around, or placing the lower cabinet there if it fits, with a painting above and a (faux) plant on top, using patterned wallpaper above the dado rail, perhaps panelling on the bottom part, and a row of mirrors on the long wall or a large mirror are all tricks to make it visually less narrow. https://www.houzz.co.uk/photos/traditional-hallway-and-landing-traditional-hallway-and-landing-london-phvw-vp~12578864 https://www.houzz.co.uk/photos/townhouse-central-london-traditional-entrance-london-phvw-vp~67103968 https://www.houzz.co.uk/photos/malvern-east-transitional-hallway-and-landing-melbourne-phvw-vp~28664422 https://www.houzz.co.uk/photos/monee-ponds-victorian-federation-transitional-hallway-and-landing-melbourne-phvw-vp~49082224 https://www.houzz.co.uk/photos/entrance-transitional-entrance-chicago-phvw-vp~58742561

The brass has all gone, as has the old reception desk and that alone has opened up the space hugely. We have also removed a section of the shelving at the top of the panelling which I think is going to look better as it is decreasing the shadowing. The place hasn’t been touched for at least 20 years. I agree with lightening the floor and perhaps adding some protection I high traffic areas with some rugs. On the wall I am thinking a soft mushroom colour or even a green. I would like to go bold but as we are in the highlands I am torn with the tradition of muted colours. I am investigating lighting to replace the dated spots and was thinking of playing with strip leds hidden along the top of the panel