Buy the best vacuum cleaner for pet hair with our reviews of top choices from Dyson, Vax, Shark, Miele, and even iRobot. Pets are the furry friends we couldn’t live without, but when it comes to staying on top of their mess and shedding, they can make life a lot trickier. Many of the best vacuum cleaners are great on hard floors and carpets, but being able to pick up deep-rooted pet hair is a challenge that only the best vacuum cleaners for pet hair are up to.

Although many of us associate vacuum cleaners for pet hair with the classic canister vacuums by Miele or Dyson, many upright vacuum cleaners are up to the task of clearing away major messes. In fact, we’ve even reviewed some of the best cordless vacuum cleaners with attachments designed to remove pet hair from carpets and upholstery.

When it comes to the difference between a regular vacuum and a vacuum cleaner for pet hair, there is more than just power at play. The reason that many people need to stay on top of pet hair in their home is to keep things clean for those with allergies, so when choosing a pet vacuum, look out for one that’s hypoallergenic and with an allergy HEPA filter included.

Another thing to consider is whether the vacuum is bagged or bagless, because while bagless vacuum cleaners are far more convenient, without easy ejection of your pet hair you could end up with a clogged up dustbin. Every one of the best vacuum cleaners for pet hair in our guide have been tried by the Ideal Home team, so not only have we been able to rank based on performance, you can also find our specific thoughts on testing with our vacuum reviews.

What is the best vacuum cleaner for pet hair?

Image credit: Henry

Our number one in the best vacuum cleaner for pet hair chart is the Vax ONEPWR Blade 4 Pet as it delivers a great performance and its price makes it value for money. The Dyson Ball Animal 2 is our top upright and a real performer. Our recommendation for cylinder vacuum fans is the Miele Blizzard CX1 Cat & Dog Pro PowerLine. Prepared to invest? The Dyson V15 Detect gets our vote as the best premium vacuum cleaner. 

Best vacuum cleaner for pet hair 2021

1. Vax ONEPWR Blade 4 Pet

Best value vacuum cleaner for pet hair

Bagged or bagless? Bagless
Dust tank capacity: 0.6L
Weight: 3.1kg
Reasons to buy:

•  Lightweight
•  Manoeuvrable
•  Cleans up thoroughly
• Antimicrobial treatment to keep things hygienic

Reasons to avoid:

• Accessory kit could cost extra

We’re fans of the Vax Blade 4 vacuum. In our tests it scored well on cleaning up pet hair, among the other challenges we set it. But that model has now been joined in the range by the Vax ONEPWR Blade 4 Pet, which offers extra weaponry in the battle against shed fur.

Like many a stick vacuum, this version converts into a handheld and it’s this you can team with the mini motorised pet tool that comes as standard with this Pet model. It’s an excellent combination for getting to grips with pets’ beds, your upholstery, and inside the car. It’s great for actually lifting out the embedded fur as well as dealing with dirt.

The other special feature of this Pet model is the fact that the brush bar has been given an antimicrobial treatment to prevent the growth of bacteria and fungi on the bristles. Of course, you won’t notice any difference, but it’s an added reassurance that you’re cleaning with something that itself is clean.

We found this machine a great all-rounder, picking up dust, dirt and debris along with pet hair effectively from carpet and hard flooring. It’s easy to push under furniture as well as over open areas to make the job quick. It’s also comfortable to use on the stairs, thanks to the handheld.

Running time is important when you opt for a cordless model, and particularly crucial if you’re going to have to spend time on your pet’s favourite sleeping spots. The Vax gives you 45 minutes in standard mode, which we found adequately powerful for all normal tasks. But you could opt to spend a little more and get the dual battery model so you can do an easy swap and keep on cleaning for twice the time.

Ideal Home’s rating 5 out of 5 stars

2. Dyson Ball Animal 2

Best upright vacuum cleaner for pet hair

Image credit: Dyson

Bagged or bagless? Bagless
Dust tank capacity: 1.8L
Weight: 7.34kg
Reasons to buy:

• Beautifully manoeuvrable
• Reaches high and low
• Very efficient on carpets

Reasons to avoid:

• Needs a big cupboard for storage

The Dyson Ball Animal 2 suits fans of upright cleaners who want dedicated pet hair removal abilities along with effective all-round vacuuming. OK, it does need plugging into a wall socket, but thanks to a 10.81m cord, we didn’t find this an inconvenience.

For tackling pet hair, the machine comes with an attachment that uses rotating brushes to pick up what they leave behind on your (and their) upholstery. It attaches to the machine’s integrated wand handle and we found it achieved excellent results. The wand can be used up high, too, for other cleaning tasks although we found its length can make it a bit unwieldy.  

After that, it’s down to the cleaner head to remove the fur, mud, debris, dust and whatever else accumulates on the floor. We found this fantastically efficient on carpets, removing a whole lot of unseen but lurking fur, as well as on hard flooring, and three suction modes coped with all our dirt challenges.

We’re fans of the ball design of this cleaner, which makes it highly manoeuvrable, and it’s great for going around furniture, up to skirting boards and into corners. It also fits neatly underneath the sofa and other furniture to capture the fur that blows underneath.

The upright design of the model allows for a large dust container, which is easy to empty, but if yours is a small home, bear in mind that it takes up a fair amount of space when it’s not in use. 

Ideal Home’s rating 5 out 5 stars

3.  Shark IZ251UKT

Best vacuum cleaner for long pet hair

Image credit: Shark

Bagged or bagless? Bagless
Dust tank capacity: 0.7L
Weight: 4.1kg
Reasons to buy:

• Great on hard flooring and carpet
• Comes with all the attachments needed
• Perfect for long coats thanks to anti hair wrap

Reasons to avoid:

• Cleaning under furniture is a bit awkward

The Shark IZ251UKT is this vac’s briefest name. In full, it’s an Anti Hair Wrap Cordless Stick Vacuum Cleaner with Flexology and TruePet (Twin Battery). So, it’s a pet model, but offers other useful Shark tech in addition.

The TruePet part of the title is a pet hair removal tool that’s motorised and made pick up from deep in carpet pile and from upholstery efficient in our testing. It goes on the vac in handheld mode, and the combination is light in the hand and therefore great to use on the staircase as well as furniture.

The pet tool offers Shark’s anti hair wrap feature, as does the floorhead, making this the best Shark vacuum cleaner if your pets have long coats. It’s designed to prevent the hair accumulating around the brush roll, and we found it fulfilled its brief, cutting time spent on this cleaning-out chore.

We were delighted with this vac’s performance outside of its specific pet duties, too. It’s equally adept on carpet and different types of hard flooring, and gets up plenty on a first pass. Flexology means you can angle the wand to get under beds and furniture that’s raised up on legs. It’s handy, but does mean directing the vac is a little inaccurate as the set-up isn’t rigid like this. 

However, Flexology is definitely a boon if you don’t have a tall cupboard. It allows the vac to be folded down for more compact storage. It also makes the machine stable, avoiding the awkward propping of some stick vacuums.

Twin battery gives extra running time – a maximum of 80 minutes. Be mindful, though, that this is when using a non-motorised tool and won’t be as long when the pet attachment is called for. There’s a single battery version also available at a lower cost if you can do with less time before a recharge.

Ideal Home’s rating 5 out of 5 stars

4. Miele Blizzard CX1 Cat & Dog Bagless Vacuum Cleaner

Best cylinder vacuum cleaner for pet hair

Image credit: Miele

Bagged or bagless? Bagless
Dust tank capacity: 2L
Weight: 8.7kg
Reasons to buy:

•  Easy to use
•  Comes with tools on board
• Long cable

Reasons to avoid:

• Heavy when you need to carry it up and down stairs

If you find the top-heaviness of stick vacuums awkward, a cylinder cleaner that can be wheeled along the floor like the Miele Blizzard CX1 Cat & Dog Pro PowerLine could suit you a whole lot better. 

The vac offers a selection of features designed to deal with the fur left behind along with the dirt pets bring home. The floorhead is a turbobrush, which means it brushes the carpet as well as using suction to lift what’s got into the pile. For upholstery and pet beds, meanwhile, there’s a mini version that works in the same way.

Our testing revealed impressive results on both floors and furniture as it dealt with the furriest of surfaces. It’s undoubtedly a powerful vac for pet hair and more, but the one downside we found was that it has so much suction power that it was a bit of an effort to push on carpet, and blew light debris around. The suction can be easily adjusted, though, to save your muscles.

As many of us have allergies as well as pets, we like the lifetime HEPA filter which traps dust and allergens, along with the filtration system of this vac. It’s designed to separate the coarse and fine dust with the latter going into a separate filter. The result is that there isn’t an upward puff of dust on emptying, and the large size of the dust tank also makes this a less frequent task. 

The tools are on board with this vac, which avoids the trudge to the cupboard as you swap jobs, but this isn’t a cordless model and needs to be plugged in. But with 7.5m of cable we roamed widely in our testing without having to scrabble for a socket.  

Ideal Home’s rating 5 out of 5 stars

5. Dyson V15 Detect Complete

Best premium vacuum cleaner for pet hair

Image credit: Dyson

Bagged or bagless? Bagless
Dust tank capacity: 0.76L
Weight: 2.74kg
Reasons to buy:

• Powerful model with a full range of attachments
• Has laser detection
• Great battery life

Reasons to avoid:

• Investment buy
• Handheld may be too heavy for some 

The Dyson V15 Detect is a brand new addition to the company’s range. We tested the Complete model, which has two cleaner heads and eight accessories, and has the technology and tools to find and remove all your animals’ shed fur.

The first of this vacuum’s new innovations is laser dust detection. The green laser is integrated into what’s called the Fluffy cleaner head and, on hard floors, illuminates the dust you can’t see, along with – crucially – pet hair to ensure you don’t miss it. We were astonished by how much previously unseen fur was shown up in the green light.

Whether on hard flooring or carpet, the vac’s sensor sizes and counts particles on the floor in order to increase suction as needed for the hairy and mucky bits, and according to floor type. If you like evidence that a floor is clean, the screen display showing the quantity of particles removed in size ranges will also prove satisfying. 

Also handy is another new feature: the anti-tangle hair screw attachment. The motorised tool is designed for picking up both pet and human hair (we shed up to 100 strands of hair per day ourselves, Dyson says). In out testing, this was extremely efficient at removing fur from upholstery.

The conical shape of the brush bar of this tool is designed to prevent hair tangling and move it to the tip so it’s sucked into the dust bin, and in our testing the fur didn’t lodge there. The cleaner head also has special teeth to stop hair tangling around the brush bar, so you don’t have to remove it yourself.

Up to 60 minutes of running time from the charged battery gets our approval, as does the great range of attachments besides the hair tool. In our tests, the vacuum was a whizz at cleaning all round. Our only niggles? Although we understand the power saving gained by having to hold the trigger down to operate the vac, this won’t suit every user, while some might find the handheld a little heavy, too.

Ideal Home’s rating 5 out of 5 stars

6. Numatic Henry PET200

Best robust vacuum cleaner for pet hair

Image credit: Henry

Bagged or bagless? Bagged
Dust tank capacity: 9L
Weight: 8kg
Reasons to buy:

• Built to last
• Goes a long time before it needs emptying

Reasons to avoid:

• You’ll need to buy vacuum bags

Henry vacuums are renowned for their durability, and they’re beloved by builders and DIYers as well as those with all the usual cleaning requirements for their ability to deal with all sorts of muck with their powerful motors. The Henry Pet brings those qualities along with some extra pet clean-up features.

The vac has a special EcoBrush to deal with the pet hair that hangs about. Use it in place of the usual floorhead and the rotating brush bar driven by the vac’s airflow gets fur as well as dirt and dust out of carpets, upholstery and stairs. If your pets bring a characteristic niff to your environment, you’ll welcome the charcoal-activated filter with which the cleaner is fitted, too.  

To cope with the remainder of the dust and dirt that needs vacuuming this model comes with attachments for dusting, crevices and upholstery. We like the way two can stay on board and ready to grab as you go. Also a hit with us is this vac’s huge capacity, well ahead of our favourite bagless pet hair vacuums. Self-sealing bags bring dust-free emptying when each is finally full, but having to buy bags won’t suit everyone.

It’s not a lightweight at 9kg, but of course you won’t be lifting it except when it comes to moving from one floor of your home to another. Wheeling it round is a piece of cake: in our testing tight turns were no problem and the upright shape avoids the issue long cylinder vacs have when you turn too abruptly in a doorway or around furniture. It’s a plug-in model, too, but like its fellow Henrys, the cord shouldn’t hold you back as it’s 10m in length. 

This is a no-frills vacuum, but that’s to pay it a compliment. It’s simple to put together and to swap between attachments, straightforward to operate, and solidly built. It fits pretty neatly in the cupboard after cleaning as well.

Ideal Home’s rating 4.5 out of 5 stars

7. iRobot Roomba i7 Plus

Best robot vacuum cleaner for pet hair

Image credit: iRobot Roomba

Bagged or bagless? Bagless
Dust tank capacity: 0.4L
Weight: 3.8kg
Reasons to buy:

• You don’t have to keep up with the pet hair because this does it for you
• Self-emptying

Reasons to avoid:

• It won’t clean the upholstery

If getting enough vacuuming in to cope with the sheer volume of pet hair left on carpets and hard flooring is your problem, the iRobot Roomba i7+ could be the answer. As a robot vac, it doesn’t need you to push it along and it won’t even be stymied by a full bin because it empties itself into the base. It’s only after 30 bin-fulls that it needs you to take out the bag.

As well as a place to stash the contents of its bin, the base is also the vac’s charging station, relieving you of the need to plug the machine in or put the battery into a dock after a cleaning session.  

Powerful suction and two brushes promise to remove pet hair along with everything else from floors. The first is designed to loosen and agitate and the second, moving in the opposite direction, to extract it. Unusually, this vac’s bristles are made from rubber with the idea that they won’t bend and fail to capture the dirt but will stay close to the floor.

The second feature of this put-your-feet-up model that will prove a benefit in a home with pets is a high efficiency filter designed to capture 99 per cent of cat and dog allergens along with pollen, mould and dust mites for which those in your home irritated by these substances will thank you.

The other reason this robot vac is a champ if you have small or large furry creatures at home is its dirt-detecting capability. Sensors show it the areas that need extra attention after, say, dirty paws have tracked the outside inside. You can also direct it to vacuum the spaces pets favour via the app or by voice with Alexa or the Google Assistant.  

We reckon this is the best robot vacuum for pet hair and brilliantly labour saving. The drawback? It’s not going to clean the upholstery or your pets’ beds, so you’d need to splash out on this top-end design, plus another.

Ideal Home’s rating 4 out 5 stars

8. Shark Handheld Cordless Pet Vacuum Cleaner CH950UKT

Best handheld vacuum cleaner for pet hair

Image credit: Shark

Bagged or bagless? Bagless
Dust tank capacity: 0.45L
Weight: 1.39kg
Reasons to buy:

• It’s easy to grab
• Light and made to clean up fur
Reasons to avoid:

•  The leavings of a super-furry pet will exhaust the battery

The Shark CH950UKT is a handheld vac and, like many of the best handheld vacuum cleaners, it can spot clean. But what’s so desirable about this version is that it’s made for pet owners who just might specifically want to spot clean the fur left behind on the sofa when, say, guests are about to arrive.

Yes, one of the three accessories this nifty handheld comes with is a motorised pet tool you can fit on to the cleaner to sort out fur on armchairs and sofas, make a pet’s bed pristine once more, or clean the car with after taking the dogs out. Our experience? It lifts plenty, including the hair that’s worked its way in along with other dust and dirt.   

That’s not to say this neat machine is a one-trick pony. A dusting brush and a crevice tool are also included so you tackle other quick jobs around the house without having to get a full-size vacuum cleaner out of the cupboard.

We would put the emphasis on quick jobs, however. The fully charged battery promises a run time of 10 minutes and we pet owners know how long fur removal in even a small area can take when you’re doing the job thoroughly. You will get a light to warn you that it needs charging, though.

An easy-to-empty dust canister is a definite plus, and it doesn’t lose suction as it fills either. Maintenance is a piece of cake, too, and dust cup and filter can be washed under the tap.

Ideal Home’s rating 4 out 5 stars

Everything you need to know about buying a pet vacuum cleaner

What are the different types of pet vacuum cleaner?

Image credit: iRobot

Stick vacuum cleaners are generally upright plus handheld in one. Models designed to deal with pet hair frequently have a special attachment that can be used with the handheld, but the floorhead used with the stick may also have features that aid cleaning in homes with pets. As two vacuums in one, they can save space, but the top-heavy design can make them tiring to use. Often cordless, they’ll save the time taken plugging and unplugging, although these machines do need charging time. 

Upright vacuum cleaners are larger than sticks, but despite this can be easy to move over different floor surfaces. Going up and down stairs with machine in hand does require lifting more weight, however. Special pet attachments can deal with fur on upholstery.

Robot vacuum cleaners will get on with the vacuuming for you, making them a good choice if you’re having trouble keeping up with the amount of hair a houseful of pets – or a single shedder – creates. Bin size is limited, but self-emptying versions can extend the time before you need to go to the dustbin.

Handheld vacuum cleaners are great for quick pick-ups, and with a special pet tool, can target fur as well as spills when you don’t want to get a larger machine out.

How much should I spend on a pet vacuum cleaner?

You can find a vacuum for pet hair starting from around £120, but bear in mind that you could pay more than four times as much for a top-end model, while a robot vacuum will cost even more.

The best pet vacuums in our tests cost from around £260, and in this price bracket as well as those designed to deal with pet hair you’ll likely get additional features, greater suction power and more attachments.

What other key questions do I need to ask about pet vacuum cleaners?

Image credit: Miele

Bagged vs bagless?

You’re likely to have a strong personal preference on this one. Bagless vacuums, of course, save the additional expense of buying the bags, and making sure you have a constant supply. However, ease of emptying the dust bin varies between bagless models, and how much dust puffs up as you do does too. The capacity of their bins also differs and can be relatively small. Vacuum bags can fit in more and seal tightly when you change them.

Cordless or plug in?

There are also strong views on this debate. There’s no electrical lead to move from socket to socket with a cordless, and you won’t need to worry about running over a wire, nor tidying it at the end of the job. 

The plug-in models in our selection have generously long cords, but cordless vacuums set you free to roam. However, when the battery runs down you will need to stop cleaning unless you’ve invested in an extra battery. While running times can be long – like the 60 minutes of the Dyson V15 Detect – these vary according to the model. Be aware also that boosting suction means shorter running times.

The post Best vacuum cleaners for pet hair 2021 appeared first on Ideal Home.

In this Sage Bambino review I put Sage’s newest (and smallest) coffee machine to the test for a few weeks, making delicious espresso and lattes from home. The Sage Bambino is compact, and its controls are minimalist and easy to adjust to. It makes high-quality coffee, first and foremost, and the manual steam wand is perfect for budding baristas to experiment with making latte art or frothy cappuccinos.

Sage is known for making many of the best coffee machines on the market, including some of the options you’ll find in our best bean-to-cup coffee machine guide. The Sage Bambino is not a bean-to-cup though, it takes coffee grounds to make single or double shots of rich espresso. It’s not cheap, but this is the most entry-level of Sage’s coffee machines, and doesn’t skip out on the quality design you’d expect to see from the brand.

Ideal Home rated: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Reasons to buy:

• High-quality build
• Compact enough for any kitchen
• Speedy pre-heat
• Excellent range of filters
• Makes brilliant espresso
• The steam wand is very quick to heat up

Reasons to avoid:

• It is expensive
• Brewing is a little noisy

Sage Bambino

Image credit: Sage

Buy the Sage Bambino, £329.95, at Sage Appliances

Specs:

• Coffee type: ground
• Control type: manual
• Water tank capacity: 1.4 litres
• Pressure: 9 bar
• Power: 1600W
• Dimensions: 19.5 (W) x 32 (D) x 31 cm (H)
• Weight: 4.9kg

Getting started with the Sage Bambino

The Sage Bambino comes in a very lightweight box, and it’s pretty much ready to go once you take it out of the box. Sage gives you four filters with the Sage Bambino: two double and two single, one with a double-wall design and another with a single-wall, which is best for freshly-ground beans. These can be tricky to remove from the handle, but because I tend to stick to single filters, this wasn’t a big issue for me.

Included is also a tamper, which compresses 18-22 grams of grounds perfectly evenly across the filter. Other Sage machines come with a razor to perfectly dose and make sure your grounds are even, but the Bambino does not have one which is a shame.

The stainless steel exterior is smart-looking, and it paired perfectly with my kettle. The narrow design is under 20cm, so it slots easily into any kitchen corner. The water tank at the back is easy to lift out and refill, but it does sit at the back of the coffee machine, so it can be fiddly to put back in.

Included in the machine is a water filter that slots into the tank. This needs to be replaced every few months. Before using the machine I flushed out the system with about five cups of water, and I was ready to go.

Making espresso in the Sage Bambino

Image credit: Sage

You can make single or double shots of coffee with the Sage Bambino using the buttons. There is also a button to turn on the steam wand, or shoot a stream of hot water out of the steam wand, which is great for topping up espressos to make a longer coffee. There is no button to turn the coffee machine on, but you can just press either of the espresso buttons to start the preheat process. It takes just three seconds to preheat, so the coffee is practically instantaneous.

You get your portafilter into position by pressing up and twisting until the handle is facing you. The 9-bar extraction pre-infuses your grounds to extract the very best of the coffee, and my single and double shots of espresso were both topped with a delicious crema. The brewing is quite noisy, especially because the machine rattles slightly, but so are most espresso machines.

Making latte in the Sage Bambino

I enjoy a latte in the morning, so I would never consider a coffee machine that didn’t come with a milk dispenser or steam wand. The Sage Bambino has a steam wand that’s powered by 130˚C steam pressure. It’s best to get the steam wand up to temperature first by switching it on and letting it flush out any water before switching it off and putting the wand in your jug with the milk of your choice.

I had just finished writing the De’Longhi Dinamica Plus review when I started reviewing the Sage Bambino, so it took some adjusting to go from a milk dispenser to a steam wand. That said, it’s fun to get into making your own steamed milk and pouring latte, cappuccino, and macchiatos, coffee-shop style.

To turn off the steam wand you just press one of the espresso buttons and it will switch off. This takes a few seconds, and once you remove your milk jug you should instantly wipe the steam wand clean with a damp cloth to prevent the milk from getting burnt onto the end of the wand. I also flush out the wand using the hot water button after steaming.

Cleaning the Sage Bambino

The drip tray pulls away from the Sage Bambino very easily, and the red button lifts up when it’s time to empty it. Emptying is easy enough, but what I did notice was the markings on the side of the coffee machine. As with any stainless steel coffee machine, the Sage Bambino marks very easily, especially with drips of coffee or splatters from the hob. Keep a damp cloth handy to wipe it clean after use.

Should you buy the Sage Bambino?

At £329.95, the Sage Bambino is not a cheap coffee machine. It is a good quality option though, and when it comes to espresso machines, it’s backed by one of the biggest names in the business. I’ve tried cheaper alternatives such as the Swan Retro One Touch Espresso Machine, and while it does essentially a very similar job, the Sage Bambino is certainly capable of producing a higher quality of coffee.

This is a brilliant coffee machine for those who really care about quality coffee, but live in a smaller flat or don’t have the money to buy a bean-to-cup machine. Of course, the quality of the coffee depends entirely on the grounds you use, and it’s best to pair your new machine with one of the best coffee grinders to make the grounds as fresh as possible when you make your drink.

About this review, and our reviewer

Millie Fender is small appliances editor at Ideal Home. She reviews everything from the best pod coffee machines to air fryers from her own kitchen, meaning these tests have been carried out in the same conditions that you’ll be using the machine.

The Sage Bambino was kindly sent to Millie by Sage, and Millie tested for a few weeks before writing this review. This gave her the chance to test all of its functions as well as cleaning and check for any troubleshooting. While she prefers a frothy latte or an iced cappuccino, her partner is never running on less than three americanos, so the Sage Bambino was very thoroughly tested.

The post Sage Bambino review: a compact coffee machine for quality espresso appeared first on Ideal Home.

The often-neglected hallway is the trunk of the home that every other room branches off from. Colour psychologists believe the colour you should never paint your hallway is highly saturated red.

Thoughtful hallway colour schemes set the tone for the rest of your home, welcoming both you and guests in. We spoke to colour experts about red flags when it comes to decorating this high-traffic area.

Country Homes and Interiors | Housetohome.co.uk

The colour you should never paint your hallway

‘The first colour to really consider before using is red,’ begins colour psychologist Lee Chambers. ‘For some people, this can feel like walking into a warning sign.

‘The sense of threat and danger can feel anything but welcoming,’ he adds. If you like the idea of a rouge hallway, deeper shades like a rich maroon or oxblood could work.

They’re also having a moment after featuring heavily in Adele’s new music video… But anything too bright and vivid could feel jarring – and Christmassy when you don’t want it to be.

Contemporary hallway with red sideboard | Hallway decorating | Style at Home | Housetohome.co.uk

Natasha Bradley, Lick’s Head of Colour and Lead Interiors Expert agrees with Lee. She says that since it’s the first room you enter, you don’t want anything ‘too much,’ or tones that might make you feel agitated.

She recommends staying away from bright red, orange and yellow. ‘Those three colours, which are highly saturated, are the completely wrong colours to put in a hallway,’ she says.

Instead, Natasha recommends warmer, earthier versions that are a little more muted.

Image credit: Lick Paint

So, what are the alternatives? Lee Chambers suggests steering clear of red hallway ideas and going for a light, cheery yellow or a mellow peach.

‘Both bring warmth, a subtle positivity and a feeling of refreshment when returning after a long day,’ he muses. But what about if you want to make a statement?

Hallways are known for being a brilliant space to have a bit of fun because we don’t spend hours on end in them. Natasha loves seeing people make a feature of their hallway.

Ornate hallway | step inside Queen of Shops’ Mary Portas’ vibrant Victorian home | house yours | housetohome

‘You don’t spend all your time in this space so you can afford to be brave, but this doesn’t mean you need to go mad,’ she says. ‘I recommend choosing darker tones in a hallway because it makes the rooms leading off feel lighter,’ says Natasha.

We previously wrote about a similar Farrow & Ball hallway paint secret one of the brand’s colour experts uses in her own home. Dark hallways aren’t for everyone, though.

Colour consultant and therapist, Suzy Chiazzari warns against using dark shades of green, blue, grey and purple. These can have a negative effect on your mood and energy levels, she says.

The post You should never paint your hallway this colour, according to colour psychologists appeared first on Ideal Home.

A small hallway can sometimes feel more problematic than purposeful, when it comes to decorating and furnishing. But with the right small hallway ideas this compact space can be a wonderfully welcoming space – filled with smart storage and thoughtful decorative touches.

The hallway is often one of the most neglected spaces in our homes, a dumping ground for shoes, coats, post, keys and all the other general paraphernalia grabbed at the last minute when leaving the house. Yet, as the first area of your home to greet guests it is worth spending the time and effort to ensure your hallway has instant wow factor.

Small hallway ideas

When considering a small entryway decor it is best to stick to a neutral colour scheme on walls and floors to enhance the feeling of light and space, then inject colour with artwork, flowers and decorative ornaments. Hardwearing flooring is a good hallway idea as it is such a high traffic area, so wood and stone are practical choices, then simply add a mat or rug for people to wipe their feet on.

Painted walls are a popular option in the hallway as they are easier to touch up if the walls get scuffed and marked, but if you want a hallway wallpaper pick a subtle pattern that will add interest without being overwhelming the compact space

Increase the sense of space in your entrance hall and make a fabulous first impression with these inspiring small hallway ideas.

1. Conceal clutter from sight

Image credit: Future PLC/ Jo Henderson

Firstly it’s important to clear the clutter. Concealing all items will instantly help to make the small space feel more generous in size, simply because your eye won’t be distracted. Coordinating storage with the wall colour will ensure the small space is kept streamlined.

2. Choose plenty of practical storage

Image credit: IKEA

Invest in some practical storage solutions such as a seat with built-in storage, a console table with handy drawers, boxes or baskets, and of course a hanging rail or pegs for the coats and hats. There is a wide range of choices available from modern streamlined furniture to antique trunks, so whatever style you are looking for, you are bound to find something to cater for your needs.

‘Adding clever storage to your hallway makes it easier for everyone to make that stress-free dash out of the house,’ says Clotilde Passalacqua, Interior Design Manager at IKEA UK and Ireland. ‘Two-in-one furniture, like the PINNIG bench with shoe storage really comes in handy when you want to optimise a small hallway, whilst wall-mounted hooks will help you take advantage of the full height of your ceiling.’

3. Welcome more light with a mirror

Image credit: Future PLC/ Kasia Fizer

It’s one of the oldest styling tricks in the book, but it’s a proven winner! Positioning a mirror on one wall is a good trick as it will bounce the light around and help make the space feel larger. This idea works more effectively in a white hallway ides or any other light er colour, because of the pigment reflecting the light more.

Any hall mirror idea is always a welcome addition to check your appearance one last time before you leave the house.

4. Add wall lights to widen the space

Image credit: Future PLC/ Lizzie Orme

Lighting plays a key role in finishing a room off beautifully. In a small hallway space it’s imperative to ensure there is adequate light to use the compact space to its full potential. ‘The hallway serves a functional purpose, so don’t forget to introduce task lighting or brighter bulbs in areas where needed’ advises Peter Legg, Lead Designer, där lighting.

In a small, narrow hallway consider wall lights to add more ambient lighting to open up the space. Staggered wall lights will draw the eye outwardly to the point of focus, as if stretching the walls to feel further apart. Pair wall lights with directional over headlights to ensure the space is well lit.

5. Elevate storage to free up the floor plan

Image credit: Future PLC/ Dominic Blackmore

Being able to see more of the floor will automatically make any room feel more generous, particularly a small hallway area. Choose slim, wall-mounted cabinets to elevate storage off the floor and use the vertical space instead. This handy IKEA hack shows how shoe storage can double as a storage shelf too, to keep bits and bobs to hand.

6. Make a feature of coats and boots

Image credit: Future PLC/ Dominic Blackmore

Embracing the ‘clutter’ makes a small space feel less encroaching. A fun peg board-style wallpaper creates a sense of purpose on one wall. Paired with a simple peg rail and attractive baskets the space becomes immediately identifiable as the place to store garments, nothing more.

A handy bench provides an elevated seating area, where the baskets can be neatly stowed underneath – making the best use of limited space.

7. Revel in the practicality of smart shelving

Image credit: A Place For Everything

A simple shelf, above concealed storage units, provides the perfect place for keys, welcoming vases of flowers and family photos to give your small hallway a touch of personality.

Mirrors are always a great idea for small spaces, to reflect light. In a hallway they become even more valuable to quickly check your hair before you leave the house. A mirror with a shelf  in a hallway, well that’s just magic! You get the light, the reflection and a place to pop things to remember or keepsakes to display. Win, win.

8. Maximise space with bespoke storage

Image credit: Future PLC/ Dominic Blackmore

Maximise the decorative potential of storage by choosing built-in open units instead of those with doors. Place against a wallpapered wall – here, a grey geometric pattern not only makes a fresh backdrop, but turns each section of the storage unit into an attractive separate storage zone.

Introduce a zingy secondary colour for added up-to-date style and why not get the children involved with low level hooks just for them? Alongside signature yellow, use black and white accessories to make the space homely.

9. Single out a wall for pattern

Image credit: Future PLC/ David Brittain

Add a summery feel to your hallway with a splash of sunshine. The area under these stairs would be a dark, uninteresting space if it wasn’t for the uplifting flash of yellow wallpaper that cheers the room up no end. A yellow bin, cleverly used as shoe storage, adds a modern twist. Mix the tones from sunflower to sand with a standalone bench and coat hook in warming beech wood.

Buy now: Wallpaper, Cow Parsley, Cole & Son Contemporary Selection Wallpaper Collection, £100 per roll, Wallpaper Direct

10. Add a sense of depth with a stair runner

Image credit: Future PLC/ Polly Eltes

Look to the stairs to help open up an internal staircase. Hallways with steps that have a solid wall rather than open balusters can be among the trickiest of spaces to decorate. Make the most of this tiniest of spaces by making a feature of the stairs.

The stripped back oak staircase in this grey hallway idea is a thing of beauty, and it provides a visual contrast to the grey painted wall panelling either side. Fit a smart stair runner with a strong linear stripe that draws the eye upwards to the light-filled landing above.

11. Step up with colour

Image credit: Future PLC/ Claire Lloyd Davies

Liven up a space-poor hallway with painted stairs. Less is so much more in this modern scheme. Go for a striking blue paint on staircase risers and draw attention to them with brilliant white treads and backdrop.

Bring in a contrasting accent shade and use in just two places: a single riser at the top of the stairs and a feature pendant light. This works particularly well in vibrant, life-giving yellow. Finish with a large gilt mirror. Perfect.

12. Utilise every inch of space

Image credit: Future PLC/ David Giles

Use the dead space at the end of a narrow hallway to house an inviting bench. This clever idea makes great use of otherwise unused space. Build a straight bench, or take the opportunity to use the space for storage by adding a hinged lid. It’s perfect for hiding away unsightly shoes and also visually elongates the small space. Cover a cushion pad in a subtle patten to blend in with the neutral scheme.

13. Turn small into cosy

Image credit: Future PLC/ Rachel Whiting

Maximise the ‘snug’ factor in a narrow hallway. For a country feel, bring furniture and storage together for a look that suggests relaxed rather than cluttered. Separate two tones of soft blue on walls with a classic unpainted dado rail that picks up on the natural wood finish of a bench for a rustic edge. Soften with textured cushions and hang traditional hooks for coats and hats so they can be seen rather than hidden. Use the space under the bench to display authentic accessories to complete the intimate scheme.

14. Fake a window with a view

Image credit: Future PLC

Reflect light with a display of interesting mirrors. Small hallways often lack windows and mirrors are the classic light-enhancing solution. Popular window pane designs help to add to the illusion by welcoming light, with the design breaking up the sections of mirror – so it becomes less obvious as a standard mirror.

15. Make a statement with artwork

Image credit: Future PLC/ David Giles

Make a plain staircase interesting by creating your very own gallery display. Paint the area immediately behind the pictures in gallery like brilliant white, sure to draw the eye – then hang your chosen collection of framed prints and artwork.  Choose a mixture of gilt, white and black frames to reflect the diversity of your collection.

16. Tap into cherished country

Image credit: Future PLC/ David Brittain

Combine three wood finishes to give a hallway simple yet elegant style. Line walls with white painted tongue-and-groove panelling to keep the space bright and open, then bring in an easy-on-the-eye oak chest of drawers and a classic black painted coat stand for vintage charm.

Give the space personality with personal accessories and a pretty jug of colourful flowers.

17. Realise the potential of plants

Image credit: Future / Jo Henderson

If your hallway is too small to house large pieces of statement furniture, you may still have the space to fit a narrow console, ledge or shelf – or make use of a windowsill if you have one. Think about the decorative possibilities of potted plants. Select them according to their sculptural shape and size and use pots and planters for the colour elements.

Create a line of jolly specimens that will be as pretty as any picture. What’s more, you can swap and change individual plants or pots when the mood takes you.

18. Aim for easy elegance

Image credit: Future PLC/ Simon Whitmore

Initiate a warm welcome with a stylishly simple decorating scheme. Create an inviting hallway with a backdrop of soothing green walls and tasteful cream woodwork. Pick out typical hallway furniture, like the mirror, console and decorative light shown here, to work in unison to create a familiar and homely vibe. Continue the co-ordinated scheme with cream accessories, such as a jug and lantern.

What should be in a small hallway?

What should be in a small hallway depends on who lives in the home. But generally speaking all small hallways should have a place to safely keep keys (out of reach of letterboxes) and minimum storage which offers maximum potential. Hall hooks are perfect for small hallways to give more freedom on where you hang items – i.e above a radiator, where you might not be able to fit a storage unit.

How do you make a small hallway look good?

‘We are all familiar with the saying ‘first impressions count’ and a hallway is no different!’ says Emmie Brookman, Interiors Expert and Creative Director at Silver Mushroom. ‘Often hallways are the most neglected room in our homes because they lack natural light and tend to be on the smaller side.’

‘Adding a large mirror is one way to create the illusion of a larger space, and also reflects any natural light coming in’ she advises. ‘Hallways are there to be used, so thinking about the practicality of storing your items is important. Console tables are great for hallways as they’re thin and handy for popping keys and post on. This can then be decorated with a vase and some flowers to brighten it up.’

Adding thoughtful paint colours and a decorative wallpaper will work wonders to make a small hallway look good. Just ensure colour and pattern are balanced within the small space, to avoid it feeling even smaller.

Will you be trying any of these smart, small hallway ideas?

The post Small hallway ideas – simple decorating tricks to maximise a small entry hall appeared first on Ideal Home.