The hallway is the first area guests see when they enter your home. It can set the tone for the rest of your house, yet many overlook the potential for making the most of these spaces. Whether you're looking for something minimal or bold, traditional or contemporary, you can make this oft-overlooked space into something really special with our tips.

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Furnishing a Hallway: Things to Consider

Hallway Size

The size of the furniture you choose depends heavily on your space. Start by taking measurements of your entry space, including the doorway, to make sure any new items fit nicely.

Amount of Storage

Busy families might find their hallway is often just another storage area for coats, umbrellas and other household junk. But every home needs a space for these essentials. If you suffer from this, invest in things like shelving units or baskets and stackable storage (you might be surprised how much the hallway opens up when everything's picked up off the floor).

Adding Light

In the UK, our houses are known for having smaller, darker and narrower hallways, which can be difficult to work with. The first answer? Good lighting; picture lighting can add a dramatic touch to your wall art, while a row of pendants really comes into its own here, looking great lined up down a dark hallway to bring the light closer to eye level. Patterned wallpaper can really bring a dark hallway to life, especially in lighter tones, and runner rugs can open up the space and make it feel bigger.

Function

The great thing about hallways is, there's no specific function they have to fill. If your home's strictly a 'no shoes' zone, create a seating area for guests and family to remove their footwear with a wooden or upholstered bench or even a pair of matching stools. If space in your house is scarce (and in these areas, it usually is) coat racks, key holders or key boxes can make a hallway a handy storage area. Finally, console tables, vases and wall art can transform things from bland to statement-making with little effort.

The Overall Look

There are no rules when it comes to updating your hallway. Light-coloured pieces can keep the area looking cheery and also create the illusion of space, but they're not the be-all and end-all. Dark coloured furniture can actually make things feel cleaner, cosier and a bit more luxurious. Because hallways tend to be small, they're a really great area for you to try out ideas you're not sure about trying in other areas of your home.

Hallway Furnishings: The Essentials

Console Tables
Long console tables are getting more and more popular, pulling your space together and giving you a place to show off your favourite photos and decorations. Try a solid-coloured console table or smaller telephone table as a place for books, vases and decorative objects to sit on and create a 'vignette'.

Cabinets and Chests
Chests or cabinets sit low to the ground and help keep your space neat and clutter free, as well as providing an area for displaying items. You'll find them in styles from contemporary to traditional, lacquered to mirrored, which makes them an exceptional furniture option for many homes. Slim units look good between doors in a hallway, and you can even find combination units with drawers and coat hooks in one piece.

Shoe Storage
Families practically guarantee lots of shoes. And effective shoe storage not only looks good, but keeps things organised and makes muddy carpets a thing of the past! We've got high, low and slim shoe storage that'll work in every entryway, plus designs that close or fold away to keep visual clutter to a minimum.

Benches
Not only do benches provide sitting space, some offer built-in storage—and, as we mentioned, they're ideal for putting on and taking off shoes.

Coat Stands and Racks
Great for eliminating clutter and keeping your garments free from wrinkles, coat racks have become a design feature in their own right! If you're not a fan of single coat stands, try mixing and matching individual coloured wall hooks and placing them at different heights, for adults and kids. Coat racks are also a stylish way to store everything from keys and to-do lists to gardening tools—it pays to think beyond the hook.

Runners
Long rugs, called 'runners', are perfect for hallways and entryways. Visually, they can bring your look together while also protecting your carpet from visitors and busy family members. There's so many styles to consider, but chevrons and bold geometric designs look really good here. Like everything else, if you want to experiment, your runner might be a good 'testing ground' for looks elsewhere in your home.

Umbrella Stands
They might be easy to overlook, but umbrella stands are worth every penny come a rainy day! Like many of the items above, they can often be functional, or a work of art in their own right. Try one in a bright colour to give your hallwaty a pop of colour, while a funky patterned or printed umbrella stand is an inexpensive way to bring a new look to your entryway.

The Finishing Touches

Mirrors
Mirrors are a wonderful way to bring light into a narrow space. Nowadays, there's a huge range of shapes and sizes; try a big statement mirror if you have room, or mix and match lots of smaller mirrors for a trendy gallery-like effect.

Art
Even if you don't think you have the room for it, there's a piece of art to bring even the smallest hallway to life. Hanging a large statement piece of wall art like a canvas painting, photograph, or poster can be just what an empty hall space needs; or why not make your hall or entranceway the place to display your favourite sculpture of piece of wall art?