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A narrow hallway is one of the trickiest areas of the home to know how best to decorate. If your hallway is lacking in space and light you might be seeking ideas on how to make a narrow hallway look wider perhaps? Look no further, we explore simple styling tricks and ask paint experts to share their imaginative ideas to make small entranceways feel bigger.
Thoughtful paint tricks and savvy storage ideas can go a long way for creating a sense of space, even if it’s not actually there in an existing narrow hallway idea.
Problematic small hallways are the perfect space to experiment with more daring paint ideas. ‘To avoid the feeling of being hugged by an over friendly bear in a narrow hallway you need to keep the colours pale and the light source multi- directional’ advises Marianne Shillingford, Creative Director at Dulux.
‘Pale colours make small spaces appear bigger.’ However don’t fret if your are looking to go for on-trend saturated colours, the right paint idea can make darker tones work just as well.
Whatever your style and colour palette, a clutter-free entry that makes you smile every time you arrive home is the ultimate goal for any hallway idea.
Read on to find out how to make a narrow hallway look wider and more generous in size.
Image credit: Future PLC
If choosing trending dark paints shades, such as navy blue, almost black and charcoal greys it’s best to go all-in. by this we mean ‘colour drenching’, a term which has emerged time and time again with current paint trends. It simply means painting all surfaces, walls to skirting boards and even ceilings.
‘Dark colours can have magical effects in a hallway if you drench everything from floor to ceiling in the same colour,’ advises Marianne. ‘Have great lighting and loads of artwork to bring it to life.’
‘The visual effect blends all the corners and walls together and so you feel like the space is endless. It’s not for the fainthearted though and so if you are not a huge fan of dramatic impact, proceed with caution and opt for mid tone rather than really deep shades.’
Image credit: Future PLC/ Jo Henderson
A tidy space will always feel bigger in size, whether in the home. Especially a narrow entranceway because the small hallway area is not unnecessarily overwhelmed by items that block the path navigating through.
Of course the more streamlined a hallway space the better the light quality too, which goes a long way when it comes to making the space feel wider and more forgiving.
Opt for minimal storage firstly, so avoid any tables or racks you don’t deem ‘essential’. Keep items concealed within whatever storage you choose to ensure coats and shoes etc don’t distract the eye when entering the narrow hall space. Elevate storage where you can to keep the entire floor visible to enlarge the floor plan.
Buy now: Trones Shoe Cabinet, £22 for a pack of 2, IKEA
Image credit: Douglas Gibb
Using two contrasting colours to divide walls is a classic interior designer trick to push the ceiling away – affectively creating the illusion that the space is bigger than it is. Renowned interior designer Kelly Hoppen favours this genius idea for painting narrow hallways – to make the space feel bigger. Recommending, ‘paint along the hallway but only to your waist level’ Kelly expertly advises.
Going on to explain the theory behind why you only paint the bottom half the wall in a narrow space, ‘by doing that you’re framing it (the space).’ This smart use of colour helps to break up a solid corridor of walls.
In a particularly narrow hallway paint the lower half of the wall slightly less than waist height – especially if using a dark colour. This will avoid the darker tone from overpowering and having the reverse effect to making the corridor-like space feel more open.
Image credit: Future PLC/ James French
If in doubt with bolder colours, flow Marianne’s failsafe advice and keep the colour pale. Nothing is better than the best white paint for a bright white hallway idea, determined by how much natural light the narrow hallway gets throughout the day. Add multi- directional light sources to enhance the all-white colour scheme after the daylight has faded.
Image credit: Future PLC
Get creative with an alternative feature wall idea. ‘A great trick for making a long narrow corridor bigger is to paint the walls in a really pale colour (or white) and the farthest wall in a much richer colour’ suggest Marianne.
‘The deep colour visually attracts your attention and jumps towards you, making the space feel much grander and expansive.’
Image credit: Lizzie Orme
Mirrors are the great design solution for many interior problems, especially when it comes to making small spaces feel bigger. A hall mirror idea is a simple yet brilliantly effective way to welcome light to a hallway space. The lighter and brighter a narrow hallway feels the less enclosed and small it will appear.
A simple mirror also welcomes a reflection back into the small space, which can help to wider the persecutive of the limited area.
Image credit: Future PLC/ Jamie Mason
Consider a cool hallway colour scheme to open up the space. ‘Cool shades like soft blues and greens make it look bigger still because they visually recede’ says Marianne. ‘Which means the walls they are painted on look a little further away from us.’
This tromp l’oeil effect will alter the perspective, making a narrow hall appear wider and more generous in size. Be sure to keep the accessories and storage elements to a minimum, to avoid covering too much of the cool coloured walls.
Image credit: Colin Poole
Another way to take this paint trick even further is to add an on-trend wall panelling idea. On just one wall is most effective, as this hallway example shows – it helps to shift the balance of the narrow space. As if pushing one wall away from the other, the decorative detail is tricking the eye into thinking the space between the two walls is far greater.
Image credit: IKEA
A well lit space will always look better for having the right lighting in place. A well-planned hallway light idea will ensure a narrow hallway feels more inviting and generous. For immediate hallways, with a corridor like feel aim to place lighting centrally in the ceiling, to create a pool of light in the middle of the space. This idea is to almost push the walls outwardly from the lightest point, making it feel wider.
If the narrow hallway goes immediately up the stairs so the lighting is visible, try wall lights. Lead a path up the flight of stairs with lights on either side to frame the space. The light cast strongly each side is drawing attention and highlighting the stairs. Whereas an overhead light might cast shadows on the walls which in turn draws them in, rather than pushing them away.
Image credit: Dulux
‘Try a colour combo like Cornflower White on the top two thirds of the walls and ceiling with a lower band of Dulux Colour of the Year 2022 Bright Skies for the ultimate space expanding experience’ suggest Marianne.
Combining two light shades, in whichever way you choose, will ensure the space is bursting with personality but also in brightness – which helps to open up a narrow hallway space.
The post How to make a narrow hallway look wider with paint tricks and clever styling appeared first on Ideal Home.
Black Friday cordless vacuum deals can have you hundreds of pounds of some seriously high-tech cordless vacuum cleaners. Stick vacuum cleaners from Shark, Dyson, Beko and Miele are all great choices for Black Friday savings, and we’ve even reviewed many of the top options on the market in our best cordless vacuum cleaner guide.
Investing in a cordless vacuum cleaner will get your home ship-shape and ready for the Christmas decorations. A reliable vacuum is more important than ever as we stay inside our warm, cosy homes, but with autumn leaves and more time spend curled up on the sofa, our floors are likely to need a good clean. Whether you have carpet, laminate, vinyl or wooden floorboards, a convenient, cordless vacuum cleaner can eliminate any mess.
Black Friday deals are a few weeks off, but we’re increasingly seeing price drops as early as two weeks before Black Friday cordless vacuum deals begin. Get ahead of the deal hunters with our guide to the best Black Friday and Cyber Monday cordless vacuum deals, and our predictions of what to expect.
Image credit: Dyson
You’re going to want to spend £150 for a good-quality cordless vacuum that can clean up properly – although, with the Cyber Monday discounts on offer here, you might sneak that quality for less. If you invest more, you might get stronger, more consistent cleaning power, a longer battery life, and some very helpful tools.
Ideally, you’ll want a few tools that are stored onboard your vacuum. That way, you’ll be able to make a quick draw and switch, sharpshooter style, when you spot a cobweb up high or need to clean upholstery.
One other feature worth going for is a HEPA filter. This removes tiny particles from the air that can aggravate breathing issues such as asthma.
Often the home of Amazing deals, Amazon is a great place to look when buying a new cordless vacuum cleaner. There is a huge range of brands on offer and you can always scroll down to the reviews to see what other buyers think.
One of the reasons people love to buy the best vacuum cleaners from Amazon is their Lightning Deals when Black Friday and Cyber Monday starts. Keep your eyes peeled on their site (or ours, because we’ll be dropping our favourite discounts right here) to see exclusive limited-time discounts that tend to sell out in hours. When they’re gone, they’re gone!
Image credit: Dyson
Argos has been one of the UK’s most popular retailers for decades. After being in print for nearly 50 years, Argos was famous for its huge catalogues, detailing all of its products. It really was a staple for children picking out Christmas presents. Now that catalogue is virtual and many of Argos’ deals can be found online, where you can order for delivery or choose click and collect. You can pick up Argos products in their own stores or in various Sainsbury’s supermarkets across the UK.
Last year we saw some great cordless vacuum delas from Argos across Black Friday and Cyber Monday. This included the Dyson V8 vacuum, which at the time was the brand’s flagship stick vacuum. After a £100 discount it was just £299, but after the launch of the Dyson V15 Detect Absolute, we’re wondering if prices on the V8 will go even lower.
If you like the idea of picking up one of the best handheld vacuums, we saw discounts of 20% on already affordable top picks from Shark and Bush.
Image credit: Vax
Reinventing itself since the 1930s, Very started life as Littlewoods Home Shopping in Liverpool. Since then they’ve undergone many changes and merged with Great Universal Stores stores in 2003. Very went 100% digital in 2015 and hasn’t looked back, offering customers hundreds of designer brands and constantly having great products on offer.
Last year we saw savings on the Hoover H-Free 100 Pets, which is one of the best vacuum cleaners for pet hair if you’re on a budget. The price went even lower thanks to a £20 discount, making it just £129.
Another big save was on Swan’s Hyper Clean Cordless, which is a three-in-one vacuum with a 30-minute runtime. Appropriately, it was a third off at £199.
See the best Black Friday air fryer deals for more savings
Image credit: Shark
ao.com has nearly been around as long as its online retail rival Amazon, having been founded in 2000.Like Amazon, it has thousands of tech and electrical products to choose from, including the latest smart tech and TVs, to all-singing, all-dancing washing machines, fridges and ovens.
Unlike Amazon though, ao.com is purely an electrical and appliance retailer, meaning that it has in-depth, expert knowledge on all its products. Plus, ao.com has its own recycling plant that sustainably gets rid of your old appliances. So not only do you get a new appliance, but you save yourself a trip to the recycling centre!
Last year we loved the £100 discount on the high-tech Samsung Jet 75, and there was another amazing saving on the Shark Anti-Hair Wrap IZ201UK, down from £349 to £199. It’s one of the best Shark vacuum cleaners you can buy even a year on, so we’re hoping to see it go on sale once more with Black Friday cordless vacuum deals in 2021.
The post Black Friday cordless vacuum deals: save on Shark, Dyson, and more appeared first on Ideal Home.
