Your hallway can create a great first impression of your home for visitors and is crucial to ensuring your home welcomes people in instantly. Not only does this mean that it's important to spend enough time decorating it to perfection but doing so can also have the added bonus of boosting your home's value. Here, Nick Acaster, Managing Director of Stair Rods Direct gives his tips for transforming your property to give your property price a boost.
Our homes are our pride and joy, so it's only natural for us to spend enough time, money and effort decorating them to achieve our desired interior look. But, while the kitchen, bedrooms, and living rooms are usually the first on our agenda, it can be easy to forget other key areas of your home, like the hallway.
As the first area inside of your home that visitors will see, it's important that your hallway sets the tone for what is to come with the rest of your interiors. As well as this, giving this space an overhaul can boost your property's value, so it's well worth doing if you're after a great return on investment when it comes to selling. Here, I'll be sharing my tips on how you can transform your hallway and add value to your home.
Give it a fresh new colour scheme
One of the best ways to make a big impact in your hallway is to give it a fresh colour scheme that is completely different to your current one. A large hall space is likely to gain more interest than ones that feel small and cramped, so maximise the illusion of space with a fresh white colour scheme. Not only will this open up the area, but this versatile tone means that you can have more freedom when it comes to adding decorative touches.
When you're making home improvements to add value, it's important to remember to make changes you truly like rather than just focusing on what potential buyers might like. So, if neutrals are a little too boring for you, why not jazz up your hallway with an on-trend hue? Try incorporating Pantone's bright and beautiful colour of 2019, Living Coral for a statement splash of colour. If this is too bold, why not go for a stunning pastel for a scheme that will add subtle details to your hallway?
Make the most of your staircase
Your staircase will be a main feature in your hallway, so giving it some well needed TLC can certainly pay off. For wooden stairs that have been bare for years, I would recommend pairing these with a complementary runner. Whether you opt for a solid colour, or add creativity with a patterned version, adding an extra pop of colour will create another point of interest for your hallway. Plus, as runners stretch up your staircase, they can create an illusion of a much grander ascent, which is sure to get potential buyers talking.
If you've got carpeted stairs, and are committed to making bigger home improvements, consider refreshing your carpet colour. Traditional neutrals like beige are out, and there are now new takes on what neutral interior means, with grey leading the change. However, if your current carpet still has plenty of life left in it, why not add some stair rods for some extra style points? As these are available in plenty of classic and contemporary designs, there will be some to suit any home.
Choose clever storage solutions
Your hallway will have plenty of footfall, so it's inevitable for it to get mucky and a little cluttered every once in a while. But, you can combat this by introducing sleek storage into the space.
To do this well, you'll need to consider how you can incorporate storage solutions that will look like part of the décor rather than blindingly obvious boxes and bags packed full of bits and bobs. One way of doing this is to add a stunning console table that comes complete with drawer compartments where you can neatly store away keys and other items you need quick, daily access to.
If you're tired of seeing heaps of the children's shoes cluttering the hallway, you could even think about incorporating a bench that opens up into a shoebox. Keep this as plain as possible or decorate it with a luxurious throw and pillows to create a seating area people can sit to do up their shoes or wait for others.
Maximise natural light with mirrors
While a small hallway can feel cosy and inviting, a larger one is more likely to impress potential buyers, so you'll want to maximise the size of the space. Although knocking down walls and extending into other rooms might be an option for those with bigger budgets, it's worth knowing that you can do this without the need for any serious home improvement projects.
Mirrors can reflect both natural and artificial light to brighten up the space, with light bouncing off these to make it appear larger. I recommend taking advantage of this and placing one large mirror on one of the walls of your hallway and making the most of mirrored objects for decoration. This could include having plenty of metallic accents that will reflect light off their polished exteriors.
Preserve the flooring
It's hard work keeping your hallway clean and tidy when so many feet pass over the threshold of your front door every day, but you can minimise the visible damage by reconsidering your hall flooring. While carpet is lovely for instantly welcoming guests and giving them something plush to sink their feet into after a long day, the fibres are likely to attract dirt and debris, meaning your hallway looks dirtier, quicker.
To keep your hallway carpet looking better for longer, consider laying down an area rug. This will add extra detail to the space, and also help to preserve the beautiful plush carpet you've got laid down. The same can be done for laminate flooring that has started to become a little scuffed, too.
When done right, your hallway has the potential to boost your property's value, so follow my top five tips to enhance your home's aesthetic and impress guests and potential buyers alike.
Nick Acaster
Stair Rods Direct
