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95 hallway ideas to make a great first impression
“It is easy to forget that an entrance hall is a room,” says decorating maestro Rita Konig. “It often receives corridor status, but it is, in fact, an important space. As the place for arrivals and departures, it sets the tone for the rest of the house, so it needs to be welcoming.” For this reason, pay as much attention to the stuff in a hallway as you would in any other room, and don’t use it as dumping ground for furniture or art that has no home elsewhere.
Just because you’re moving through a space regularly to get to another room where you might spend longer, that doesn’t make it less important – if anything, it makes it more important. The hallway is nearly always the part of a house that you and your guests will encounter first, so make sure it leaves an impression, perhaps by hanging a statement piece of art in it or by introducing an unusual colour.
Hallway ideas: decoration
Since hallways, especially in city houses, tend to be narrow, the walls are an important feature. Opt for a warm paint colour, some elegant wall panelling, or a patterned wallpaper to lend the space character. Also consider adding wall lights, for a gentler glow than an overhead light. This is a great place to display art. We’ve seen some brilliant examples of statement pieces taking up practically an entire wall, but gallery walls are also a great option in a hallway, perhaps displaying a collection of photographs or botanical prints.
“Traffic is a consideration when you are decorating,” notes Rita. “The floor, for example, has to be practical while remaining in keeping with the style of the house.” We love a flagstone hallway, or the traditional tiles you can still find in Victorian houses, but sisal or jute can also be a great, hardwearing option for this space.
Don’t forget to take into account the other rooms you can see from a hallway – if you have easy views into lots of rooms or one particular room, try to keep the colours of the walls tonal, and think about positioning hallway mirrors to allow unexpected glimpses throughout the house. Pocket or sliding doors can also work well for the rooms that lead off a hallway, especially if it is a dark or narrow space, allowing the doors to be open most of the time, letting light flood in.
Hallway ideas: furniture
“The furniture here should be good,” continues Rita. If you have enough space, consider a hall table, either a console table that can provide a space for keys, post, along with flowers, lamps and decorative objects, or something a bit grander to go in the centre of the hallway if you have a larger space. “The hall table can be quite magnificent – just as it is in many of Robert Kime’s projects, and in William Yeoward and Colin Orchard’s house in Gloucestershire.” A bench or pair of chairs can also be a great feature, allowing people to perch and take off their shoes, or providing a place to wait as you prepare to leave the house.
Hallway ideas: storage
Finally, hallway storage is absolutely key if you want to maintain tidiness. Hallways are always prone to get cluttered up with shoes, bags, umbrellas, coats and other paraphernalia. A bench with storage built in underneath can be a great option, while wall-mounted storage or a simple row of hooks can work well in super small spaces. If you have a bit more room, a coat rack, wardrobe or built-in joinery can look rather distinguished.
Hallway ideas to make a great first impression
Simon Brown1/95Notes of blue tie this airy hallway together in this Victorian house in south London. The wall and woodwork are painted in Farrow & Ball’s “All White” and “Oval Room Blue” respectively, and the table lamp is by Porta Romana with a Penny Morrison lampshade. The stair runner is Sophie Cooney’s “Eye Design” in Blue.
Alex James2/95A Walter Harrowing painting and an Imari umbrella stand add distinctive touches to this hallway in Louise Jones's 16th-century Surrey farmhouse. The doorway offers a glimpse of a chair in Colefax and Fowler’s ‘Eaton Check’.
Christopher Horwood3/95The hallway in this handsome Georgian rectory in Hampshire with contemporary country interiors by Tamsyn Mason is painted in ‘Sudbury Yellow’ by Farrow & Ball. The house has typical Georgian proportions, with the drawing room off one side of the hallway and the dining room on the other. An antique runner adds further colour to the hallway, which features an antique Welsh dresser sourced by Tamsyn.
James McDonald4/95The walls in the hallway of this colourful South Kensington house by Kate Guiness Design are painted in Pure & Original's ‘Blue Reef’. A pendant light from Rose Uniacke hangs overhead; the console table is from Robin Myerscough.
Christopher Horwood5/95This tiny hallway in a London flat by Carlos Garcia is simply delightful. The panelling, painted in Fenwick & Tilbrook's ‘Red Squirrel’, lends it bags of character, and we love the little shelf high up on the wall for bags and other paraphernalia.
Lucas Allen6/95When a series of events got in the way of her initial plans, interior designer Bunny Turner decided to move from London to this former rectory in Oxfordshire, which turned out to be the perfect place for recovery and renewal. In the hall, a cast of the Elgin Marbles from Lassco hangs over the door, while a panel of Andrew Martin’s ‘Constantinople’ wallpaper serves as a clever alternative to a tapestry above a Turner Pocock x Lorfords Contemporary bench.
Alixe Lay7/95The long lantern roof lets huge amounts of daylight in in Guy Ritchie's farmhouse, redesigned by Edward Hurst. At night the hall is lit by several cream ceramic and glass rise and falls. The stairs and hall are painted in Paint and Paper Library Masai.
Paul Massey8/95For interior designer Philip Hooper, joint managing director of Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler, his own house in Somerset offered a rare opportunity for experimentation. In the hallway, the vivid turquoise of Little Greene Paint & Paper’s ‘Canton’ complements a de Gournay chinoiserie wallpaper in a more muted grey-blue.
Rhapsody9/95"I’m not afraid of using colour and that’s something my interior design studio is known for," explains Ariel Okin, the designer behind this colourful entryway. "I wanted the boot room to feel joyous and inviting: the striped wallpaper and green paint give it punch without being overwhelming," she continues. "The chequered fabric on the bench seat offers another contrast of textile and colour. I wanted it to feel as if it had come together over time and I’ve used lots of pieces my mother had saved from my childhood home."
Michael Sinclair10/95In the hallway of Martin Brudnizki's 17th-century Sussex flat, a runner from ABC Carpet & Home and velvet curtains lead the eye to the front door where a collection of plaster casts by Peter Hone and from Brownrigg, along with a Michael Murfin trompe l’oeil from Henry Miller Fine Art, stand out against walls in Edward Bulmer’s ‘Invisible Green’.
Christopher Horwood11/95This house in Cornwall has had a serene, comfortable makeover courtesy of Sims Hilditch, who made excellent use of wood cladding throughout the house. ‘A big portion of the house was taken up by a large central staircase and we wanted to celebrate it,’ says Hannah Linford, the senior studio lead at Sims Hilditch who oversaw the project. 'We added tongue and groove panelling to keep a calm feeling but introduce texture’, she explains.
Astrid Templier12/95Original black and white tiles can be very beautiful, but hard to decorate around. In this Herne Hill house, designer Pandora Taylor kept the existing checkerboard tiles, which saved on budget and felt historically relevant to the house. but used the dusty blush of Edward Bulmer's ‘Jonquil’ (at 40%) to soften the monochrome design.
Christopher Horwood13/95Although stairs are often covered with runners, it can be incredibly pleasing to leave them bare (provided the wood is in good condition). This Grade-II listed house in Spitalfields was built by Huguenot silk weavers in 1721 and retains many original features, including the wonderfully creaky staircase that snakes up its five floors.
Paul Massey14/95Red may be a scary colour for some, but designer Cath Kidston has used it to great effect in the hallway of her London house. Farrow & Ball’s ‘Picture Gallery Red’ in an eggshell finish was used for the walls and woodwork, while the striped runner is from The Swedish Rug Company and the stair carpet is by Sinclair Till.
Christopher Horwood15/95Behind the door of an unassuming Edwardian house in London, the artist Natasha Mann has created a richly patterned world of her own design. We love the bold sky blue colour which greets you as you walk in, and the hand-painted Moroccan frieze on the ceiling draws the eye upwards.
Owen Gale16/95Hallways are transitional spaces and nobody tends to spend much time in them, so they can be places to go super bold with the decoration. This hallway in the 8 Holland Street Townhouse in Bath is saturated with colour, and is delightful to glimpse from the doorways of other rooms. The scheme was inspired by the City Palace in Udaipur, painted in a combination of green (Morris & Co's ‘Double Boughs’), pink (Morris & Co's ‘Chrysanthemum’), yellow (Paint and Paper Library's ‘Muga’ and blue (Paint and Paper Library's ‘Blue Gum’).
Paul Massey17/95The hallway of this former millhouse in the Cotswolds sits behind a rather wonderful, heavy, wooden front door. Behind it, panelling in Little Greene’s ‘Normandy Grey’ sets off a painting by Endellion Lycett Green.
Christopher Horwood18/95Orlando Atty began with the hall when refreshing this Robert Kime-designed house in Wiltshire. Orlando suggested that the undistinguished pine floor should be replaced by antique French oak planks, which have transformed the feel. Given the importance Robert placed on the role of a rug in a scheme, Orlando suggested they build the room around the existing one. Rosie found a Georgian parcel-gilt mirror and paired it with an unembellished side table – staying true to Robert’s maxim to mix simple objects with grander ones.
Michael Sinclair19/95A clever layout rejig, a mixture of vintage and contemporary design and lashings of lovely fabrics have upgraded this flat belonging to Benni Frowein, CEO of Schumacher. Schumacher's Textured Check woven paper wallcovering and Hoxton porcelain tiles in black gloss from Mandarin Stone create a dramatic monochrome look in the hallway.
Mark Anthony Fox20/95The interior designer Anna Haines has create a deeply sophisticated and serene home of this Grade II-listed former rectory on the outskirts of Bath. Using a predominantly pale palette of natural hues, and by layering antique textiles, her choices have brought harmonious charm to its interiors. In the hall, Howe London’s ‘Irish Slim’ table and a Georgian mahogany chair from The French House stand on the Victorian floor tiles.
Paul Massey21/95The arresting hallway of this house in Cheshire designed by Rita Konig creates a moment of serious architectural drama, with its double-height plate-glass windows, contemporary staircase and floor in black sandstone tiles from Lapicida, which contrast with walls in Edward Bulmer’s ‘Trumpington’.
Dean Hearne22/95In the charming flat of the artist Daisy Sims-Hilditch, an internal window between the kitchen and the hallway, which allows light to flow into the darker hallway from the kitchen window. It is papered in Soane's ‘Seaweed Lace’. The mirror is from 8 Holland Street, and an Anglepoise lamp from Howe illuminates a bobbin console table from Chelsea Textiles.
Simon Upton23/95The hallway of this 18th-century dairy on the Dorset coast designed by VSP interiors is a lesson in keeping things light, bright and airy. An antique hand-painted console table stands in the hallway.
Paul Whitbread24/95This house in Oxford has been carefully revitalised by Charlotte Boundy. The hallway is painted in Edward Bulmer Natural Paint's ‘Aerial Tint’; a ‘Convex Globe’ lantern from Jamb hangs overhead.
Owen Gale25/95The original 19th-century chequerboard floor of this Paris house is still intact in the hallway and echoed by the inky walls and white trim. It leads on one side to the dining and kitchen areas, and on the other to the sitting room.
Chris Horwood26/95As she and her family are big readers, Cassandra Ellis made sure to incorporate as many built-in bookcases into her hallway design as possible so that as you’re walking down, you can pull a book from the shelf.
Paul Massey27/95This previously awkward hallway space in a Maltese house, that leads to the lightwell has been transformed by new floor tiles, Cole & Son’s ‘Parterre’ wallpaper border and a selection of vintage and inherited upholstered furniture.
Ollie Tomlinson28/95The owner's collection of Oriental rugs feature prominently in the hallway of this Regency home designed by Anahita Rigby.
Mark Fox29/95At Alfred Bramsen's Hackney flat is Art Deco in style, and the front door to the flat still has an original motif on it. Plants and books make for other easy decorative elements.
Chris Horwood30/95At Sally Wilkinson's rented Chelsea flat, the entrance makes a friendly greeting with artwork, antiques and objects. Tree artwork above door is from Collins and Green Art. Chair is from Sunbury Antique Market and has been recovered in an antique textile. Vase by Amanda Lindroth. Rug is vintage from Etsy. Console table was existing with flat.
Ray Main31/95‘This hall was not especially interesting, so we decided to create a pitched ceiling,’ says Emily Todhunter of Todhunter Earle Interiors – tongue-and-groove panelling in Farrow and Ball's ‘Lamp Room Gray’ accentuates this new feature. The owners' collection of antiques, including the rug, chairs, and wall-hung clock, along with new curtains in ‘Dominica’ linen by Penny Morrison, introduce colour and texture, and make this entrance feel like a comfortable room in its own right.
32/95Nicola Harding's bold use of colour sets the scene for a vibrant and characterful house in Berkshire. The walls are painted in ‘Chelsea Green II’ by Paint & Paper Library, with a dash of blue provided by the vintage loveseat upholstered in corduroy from Brisbane Moss (also used for the door curtain), and the custom Rosi de Ruig lampshade that partners the table lamp. In order to make the space feel more dynamic and less like a typical country house, Nicola has used an eye-catching mix of mid-century and Art Deco furniture.
33/95‘We wanted our hall to be inviting as well as intriguing,’ explains stylist Sarah Corbett-Winder of her London house. A trio of Farrow & Ball colours – ‘Dead Salmon’ on the wall behind the door, ‘Copper Beech’ below the dado and on the door and architrave, and ‘String’ on the other walls – creates a characterful look. With its original chequerboard floor tiles, a console table from LASSCO, Brunswick House, SW8, and a faux olive tree, the scheme is evocative of an Italian atrium.
Paul Massey34/95Ben Pentreath has employed an artful palette of pale colours and natural materials to give the entrance hall of this beautiful Arts & Crafts house in London a light and airy feel. Panelling painted in Farrow & Ball's ‘Wimborne White’ provides an elegant backdrop for Edward Balden's Brighton Pier linocut, which hangs in an alcove above a William Morris bench. The botanical set of framed pressed ferns that lines the wall above the staircase echoes the natural tones of the bench's woven rush-cord seat and the oak beams and banister.
Paul Massey35/95“You should always paint the space with the lowest light level in a dark colour,” says Nichola Harding, explaining her choice of atmospheric ‘Squid Ink’ by Paint & Paper Library in the hallway of this eighteenth-century house in Bath. Plaster mouldings and doorways are picked out in white eggshell for a smart contrast.
Lucas Allen36/95“The hard finishes in a hallway need to make maximum impact, as there are few soft furnishings to add interest. Here, the paint finishes, art and light fittings are the main players,” says Hugh Leslie. Walls in a combed paint effect in Farrow & Ball's 'Oxford Stone' set the tone for a sophisticated scheme and showcase a pair of bold abstract paintings.
The chandelier is by Stilnovo.
Emma Lewis37/95An entrance hall can be a wonderful place to display a treasured collection of art or antiques. Here, in this spacious London townhouse designed by Amanda Baring, the large-scale porcelain Wall installation by renowned contemporary ceramicist Edmund de Waal adds texture and mesmerising detail, as well as a sense of depth. The all-white scheme – from the walls and woodwork to the upholstery and wall-mounted candle holders – was inspired by de Waal's distinctive artwork.
Paul Massey38/95By painting the woodwork in ‘Bidulph Bronze’ from the Farrow & Ball archive, Sigmar's Ebba Thott has made a strong feature of the staircase in this Victorian house. The bespoke Michael Anastassiades chandelier adds a contemporary note.
Paul Massey39/95In the lower-ground-floor entrance to her friend Annabel White's house in London, designer Suzanne Sharp – formerly of The Rug Company – had the tongue-and-groove panelling (which conceals plenty of useful storage) painted in Farrow & Ball's rich ‘Rectory Red’ for a dramatic effect. The paint's shiny gloss finish also helps to maximise the limited amount of natural light by bouncing it around the room. A colourful rug completes this eye-catching scheme.
Jan Baldwin40/95Even for House & Garden’s former decoration editor Wendy Harrop, extending and reviving a neglected, dark and pebble-dashed brookside house in south west London proved to be a challenge – but her efforts have been amply rewarded. Wendy designed the lanterns for this widened space. Mark Nichols’ Barque painting rests on a clever slimline shelf with vintage cane backpacks brought back from Bali.
Simon Upton41/95The entrance hall at the late Robert Kime's beautiful flat is enlivened by a distinctive animal portrait on a large scale, as well as rugs hanging on the walls.
Dean Hearne42/95When interior designer Nina Litchfield first encountered this unusual apartment in south-west London, it was distinctly dreary, but it couldn't be further from that mood now. The hallway of the flat is lined in the same highly patterned fabric, Andrew Martin's ‘Noah’ design, as the living space, which helps to unify the space with its low ceilings. The kitchen opens up to the right as you go down the hallway, with the main bathroom at the end and two bedrooms on the left.
Christopher Horwood43/95Lucy Williams’s west London home’s hallway is a study in pink; Myland’s ‘Soho House’ adorns the walls and reclaimed quarry tiles line the floor. In a complementary tone, the stairs are painted in Paper & Paints’ ‘Porphyry Red’. The ceiling light is a Beata Heuman piece, whilst the pine wall light is vintage.
Anya Rice44/95In Robert Carslaw’s house in the West Country, panelled walls painted in ‘Silk Ribbon’ by Dulux frame the doorway to the entrance hall and the dining room beyond.
Michael Sinclair45/95In this former agricultural building on a Wiltshire farm, Thea Speake has introduced colour courtesy of a door curtain in antique ticking from Tobias and the Angel, enlivening the hallway’s otherwise calm stone floor in limestone from Beswick Stone.
Simon Upton46/95The owner of this 1830s London house wanted it to be restored to its original style, which interior designer Max Rollitt achieved by retaining its idiosyncrasies and, including the original dentilled cornicing in the hallway illuminated by an 'Original Globe' lantern from Jamb (available in two sizes; the smallest measures 57.2 x 40.5cm diameter and costs £2,640).
Alexander James47/95In the grand double-height hallway leading into West End producer Eileen Davidson’s Victorian home, John McCall has used a custom-mixed yellow emulsion on the walls to set off the red of the antique Ersari carpet from Robert Stephenson.
Mark Anthony Fox48/95The bright hallway in artist Haidee Becker’s Canonbury house is simple and cool, with walls lined in artworks including a lino print by Haidee’s daughter Rachel. Bare wooden stairs lead upstairs to Haidee’s studio.
Simon Brown49/95In this flat by Beata Heuman, the front door opens straight onto a hallway with a playful, striking pink floor inspired by an 18th-century floor Beata saw in Palermo on her honeymoon.
Alex Lukey50/95Colette van den Thillart sourced a Verner Panton light for this Toronto house; the sofa is a Le Corbusier design. Patterned rugs on the floor lead the eye naturally into the drawing room through the doorway – a welcoming reception space that visitors are encouraged to proceed into.
Simon Brown51/95A pair of 18th-century chairs upholstered in ‘Luce’ red silk damask by Fadini Borghi from Pierre Frey contrast with Robert Kime’s ‘Basilica’ wallpaper in this elegant hallway of a Hampshire house by Henriette von Stockhausen. The antique lamps are from Duke’s, with shades from Vaughan.
Paul Massey52/95The nickel-plated hanging lamp in this simple Georgian hallway in Gloucestershire is one of two from Phillips and Wood, London. The pew was sourced in an antiques market in Tetbury; along with the stripped wooden floor, it lends the space a calming, airy simplicity.
Simon Brown53/95An original ancient stone entrance is respectfully modernised and incorporated into the hallway of this 15th-century farmhouse in Carmarthenshire, Wales. Family oil paintings, an inherited dresser and rug, and what owner Willa Lloyd calls “a very temperamental clock” emphasise the history of the space without cluttering it.
Michael Sinclair54/95The hallway of interior designer Pandora Taylor's house is painted in Farrow & Ball's 'De Nimes', with woodwork in 'Off Black'. A vintage Murano glass pendant hangs from the ceiling, while Pandora found the sconces at TAT London.
Simon Brown55/95The lantern in the entrance hall is a discontinued design from Colefax and Fowler.
Schooled in matters of taste by her mother, when Emma Burns inherited the former stables that her parents had progressively converted as a weekend retreat, she put into practice the principles that now guide her professional work as a designer.
Michael Sinclair56/95This hallway in Audrey Carden's London house is simple and sophisticated in black and white, with a photograph by David Hilliard on the far wall.
Michael Sinclair57/95Having previously been divided into flats, this 19th-century house in Hampstead has had a sense of harmony restored by Maria Speake of Retrouvius, with creative use of reclaimed materials and eclectic vintage pieces. Here, leaded glass panels and doors, made to match the original doors on the other side of the hall, balance the space and offer privacy for the dining area while allowing natural light into the hall.
Alicia Waite58/95Grounded in a respect for tradition and love of old buildings, Emma Ainscough has brought a refined playful spirit to her London flat, using her favourite colours and patterns throughout. The hallway is papered in Common Room's reprint of Charles Voysey's famous 'Lioness & Palms', a wallpaper she came across on a project and knew she had to use herself. 'I added a dado rail and papered just the top half of the room. I thought it would be overpowering to do the whole wall. It’s my favourite area because it’s such a statement, but because you’re passing through it isn't overwhelming.'
Alicia Taylor59/95In the hallway of a Scandinavian-inspired Arts & Crafts villa in Surrey, Todhunter Earle created a clean white hallway with a useful bench that incorporates storage below the seat.
Sharyn Cairns60/95This hall, found in designer Ben Pentreath's Georgian parsonage, has original blue lias stone flags and a lunette window bringing light from the sitting room.
Paul Massey61/95The original tiles in this entrance hall were revealed when only when the lino was removed. They were the only internal detail that could be salvaged during the extensive renovation of this glamorous Twenties chalet in the French Alps, designed by Kate Earle of Todhunter Earle.
Simon Brown62/95A series of Oushak runners lines this long central corridor of this Oxfordshire house by Chester and Toby Jones. Two faience ceramic lions flank a green neo-classical console. 'That enfilade is all Chester – it’s part of his genius,’ says Toby. He has broken up the long corridor with a top-lit, barrel-vaulted space, defined by pilasters with simple capitals, with the imposing console at its centre.
Elsa Young63/95The Battersea cottage in which decorator Victoria von Westenholz lives with her husband and their two young children is strikingly pretty and immediately intriguing. In the hall Papers and Paints mixed a custom green for the walls. The sisal runner is from Alternative Flooring.
Simon Brown64/95The boot room at architect Ptolemy Dean's house in Sussex has a lunette window salvaged from a basement kitchen in Northamptonshire and terracotta floor tiles made locally by Aldershaw in Sedlescombe. These design features sit beautifully within the painted wood panelled room.
Alexander James65/95Reclaimed early-nineteenth-century floorboards from a Welsh chapel feature in the white hallway of a restored Weaver's house in Spitalfields. The light blue door and red fabric-trimmed mirror add colour, while the stairs and floorboards hark at the building's heritage.
Alexander James66/95The back door of this Edwardian villa designed by William Smalley is reached through a sleek panelled cloakroom.
Paul Massey67/95Susan Deliss is an textiles dealer; it only seems right that she have an antique Suzani hanging on the landing outside the main bedroom in her French country home. A motif from this piece of fabric inspired the decoration around the doorway, which was hand painted by Max. Make like Deliss and let pattern take over a space - let it jump off the fabric and onto walls, floors, ceilings and other furnishings.
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The hallway of Hannah Cecil Gurney's London home is covered in a textural, soft wallpaper designer by her family's company: de Gournay. It's a welcoming space filled with warm colours and soft light.
Luke Edward Hall69/95The hallway of Luke Edward Hall and Duncan Campbell's London flat is painted in Farrow & Ball's fresh 'Folly Green' colour, which brightens a potentially dark space. A colourful antique kilim from the Rug Store in Richmond sits on the floor beside a plaster ionic capital by Peter Hone. The walls are covered from floor to ceiling with framed prints, exhibition posters and maps. Luke and Duncan collect 20th century exhibition posters from the likes of Picasso, Hockney and Calder, with the yellow Matisse one in the hall being a favourite of theirs. For framing, they use Circa 48 on Brecknock Road, which is just a stone's throw from their house. 'It's incredibly reasonable and they can supply just about any frame you wish,' says Luke.
Kate Martin70/95An original coved plasterwork ceiling features in this handsome panelled hallway, whimsically adorned with a spider embedded in a dainty floral web.
'All the principal rooms flow out from here but, when we began, the doorways were of different heights,' says designer Graham. 'Our first decision was to rationalise it.' To unite the space, they evened out the door frames and added matching panelling to some adjoining rooms.
Interior design duo Keech Green reworked and redecorated this London flat for their young clients. The result pays homage to the house's Arts and Crafts heritage and also the couple's favourite local football team.
Alexander James71/95An assortment of black-and-white photographs and engravings decorate the hallway of our locations editor Lavinia Bolton's Chelsea flat. (See 100 ideas for hanging art for more tips.) Many of these pictures were made by Lavinia, who studied painting and drawing at a Chelsea art school before landing her first job, working in the English furniture department of Sotheby's in New York. 'I had an absolute ball,' she says.
The simple colour scheme makes the hall feel airy and light, which accentuates the height of the space. The original teak parquet floors also emphasise its width - wide enough for departing guests to put their coats on without bundling into each other.
Owner Lavinia Bolton needs no introduction to regular readers of House & Garden, as she has been one of its legendary house finders since 1986. Between then and now, she has scoured the British Isles and beyond in pursuit of the best in interior decoration, and at last count has visited about 4,000 houses on behalf of the magazine. This is the first time that one of her own houses has featured here. 'After all these years,' she says with a laugh, 'I thought, well, why not?'
Alexander James72/95The owners of this newbuild beach house in the Bahamas turned to trusted interior designer John McCall to provide their house with a British sensibility, practical furnishings and interiors that are not 'too beachy'. Artwork and accessories - like the beautiful rattan lights - give a nod to the seaside location. Most of the furnishings in the house were shipped from England, with crates filled with finds from John's favourite sources, including Soane, Charles Edwards and Christie's.
Sarah Hogan73/95Narnia-like surprises abound in Susanna Swallow's enchanting cottage, located in the unlikely urban setting of Shepherd's Bush. She inherited this Wedgwood dessert service on display, although you can still sometimes find pieces from this eighteenth-century pattern in antiques shops or on eBay. Create a similar effect with Wedgwood 'Renaissance Gold' plates. Prices start at £25 for an 18cm plate. The shelving was made by AJA Brothers, who also carried out the building work.
Simon Brown74/95In the hallway of Alidad's opulent house, walls in pink suede with gold braidwork create a bold backdrop for the desinger's collections of prints, artwork and antiques acquired over the years, including an English neo-gothic chair upholstered in green chenille. The striped wool carpet is by Roger Oates Design.
Davide Lovatti75/95Walls in a bespoke khaki gloss by Papers and Paints establish a Georgian feel in the hallway of Tara Craig's tiny London flat. A well-placed window stops the narrow passage from feeling dingy.
Paul Massey76/95Olivia Outred covered the walls of this corridor with wallpaper in a custom chartreuse-coloured version of ‘Pineapple’, from Blithfield’s collection of designs by the 20th-century block printer Peggy Angus. Tim Page Carpets supplied the plaited jute matting. The white linen cupboard on the right is from Core One Antiques.
Lucas Allen77/95The hall in print maker Cameron Short's restored Georgian home leads to the back office with the workshop on the left. The hall itself is eclectic and full of vintage accessories such as the 'Bonfield' sign which is an original from the shop which Cameron has turned into a workshop.
78/95The upstairs landing at this country home designed by Veere Grenney has walls in one of his delicate fabric designs offset by yellow curtains.
Rachel Whiting79/95The artist owners of this London house called on interior designer Beata Heuman to create a family home full of fun, distinctive design and punchy colours. A pink painted cupboard offers a chic storage solution in the entrance hall.
Simon Brown80/95This eclectic hallway can be found Hannah Cecil Gurney's flat. An African tribal feathered headdress hangs above the doorway which leads to the dining room. The intricate grey toned wallpaper is from de Gournay - a company Hannah's father set up in 1986.
Michael Sinclair81/95This shot is from the conservatory of Lady Wakefield's Twickenham home does just as well for hallway inspiration: two columns found in Stockbridge, Hampshire, stand alongside a display of delftware on the chest of drawers.
Simon Upton82/95A linen cupboard is a useful addition to the first-floor hallway of Keith McNally's family home in Notting Hill. The owner of restaurants in New York and now London (most famously Balthazar) used an unusual technique to get the aged look on the walls.
Richard Powers83/95A tiled staircase can look spectacular, but is hard to achieve due to the weight of the tiles and the necessity for a perfectly flat surface. The staircase at the house of design writer Maryam Montague, just outside Marrakesh, looks tiled, but the risers are in fact painted with designs that Maryam created in collaboration with stencil artist Melanie Royals. Melanie's stencils are available to buy from her website royaldesignstudio.com.
Jake Curtis84/95The entrance to designer Ben Pentreath's flat is through a white door onto the stairway, the walls of which are covered in framed artworks. The print based on Radio 4's Shipping Forecast (centre) is from Flowers and Fleurons, a small letterpress workshop in Brighton that produces hand-printed limited edition prints. This particular one is the 'Finisterre' edition in subtle greys, printed for Ben Pentreath.
The pendant light is 'Beat Wide Black' from Tom Dixon, while the red chair on the right is a Prince of Wales Investiture Chair from 1969 designed by the Earl of Snowdon.
Michael Sinclair85/95A fossilised hippo skull from a Parisian flea market is framed by an indoor garden of ivy, ferns and ficus in this vicarage belonging to the couple behind lighting brand Porta Romana. Some of the planters are Compton Pottery originals and the table was custom-made by Porta Romana.
Alexander James86/95An oak-panelled mezzanine area with a door to a bathroom forms a spa-like place to sit in this Edwardian villa designed by William Smalley.
Alicia Taylor87/95As you enter the house, the light-filled hall leads you towards the back door and into the garden. Formerly the home of Howard Hodgkin, this Victorian house in west London has a bohemian history, which the current artist owner has carefully maintained. A Robert Buhler landscape of France from the Forties hangs against a 'Braulen' wallpaper from Nina Campbell.
88/95With a long expanse of blank wall, hallways are often the perfect part of the house to create a tableau of objects. In this house by Hackett Holland a pair of lamps on a console table frame a mirror.
Tom Mannion89/95The hall of this Cornish rectory is panelled in a typical late eighteenth-century manner. Its interior designer Max Rollitt wanted to 'reinforce that with appropriate furniture. The hall is simple so the furniture is restrained. I've mixed a painted church pew dating from 1780, with a Hepplewhite-style card table. The pink cushion, in nineteenth-century antique silk, is from Katharine Pole.'
Simon Brown90/95In the front hall of their 16th-century farmhouse in Suffolk, antiques dealer Tarquin Bilgen and his garden-designer wife, Isobel, used trompe-l'oeil panelling in striking dark green and red (painted by Alan Dodd) to highlight a collection of Ottoman portraits that Tarquin inherited from his father. The couple had Alan paint similar effects in their spare bedroom[/link] and their upstairs hallway.
Simon Brown91/95Designer and architect Ben Pentreath created this scaled-up version of Rocque's 1746 map of London for the staircase at his friend and business partner Bridie Hall's Canonbury house. The map starts with Canonbury at the top. 'Of course, in 1746 this was still a field,' Bridie points out. 'In retrospect we should have chosen the Victorian version; then we would have been on there.' Like the look? Create something similar of your own at Surface View.
Paul Massey92/95Maps look fantastic in frames. This huge example in designer Guy Goodfellow's house has been neatly cut into sections spanning floor to ceiling, taking on a similar look to a mural or finely patterned wallpaper. Symmetry is key to getting this look right. Make sure the gaps between your pictures are scrupulously even.
Rachael Smith93/95This blue entrance hall has flagstone floors and a very smart radiator cover. The Georgian mahogany chest of drawers was bought from Richmond Hill Antiques.
Paul Massey94/95The front entrance of Bradwell Lodge leads into a domed neoclassical vestibule with access to the Tudor wing to the left and, up the steps to the right, the Georgian wing.
Simon Upton95/95This traditional entrance hall is comfortably messy, a mix of elegance and clobber: the hatstand piled with coats and straw panamas, the diagonal chequerboard of the stone floor edged with a scatter of children's shoes. A pair of alabaster urns on scagliola columns stands guard on either side of inner doors, and there is a view across a hall into the dining room and the drawing room. The invitation has been extended even before the owner ushers you inside.
Combining classical proportions and traditional furnishings with the informal elements of family life, this house in Cornwall has proved to be the perfect acquisition for its owners.
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