Tori Summers, Director of Design & Innovation, highlights the most important things tradespeople should consider when creating a new hallway space for customers.

Hallways are all about first impressions, and importantly they can set the tone for what to expect from someone’s home.

Homeowners will often give priority to other rooms in the house, such as their kitchens and bathrooms, but the hallway should not be forgotten.

When talking with a customer about their new hallway, it can be a real opportunity to help them showcase their sense of style and love of interior design upfront, so it’s worth knowing how to help them capitalise on the space by being armed with the advice on what things to consider.

A well-designed yet practical entrance space can be key to putting the smile on a homeowner’s face when taking that first step into their home after a long day at work, or returning from a relaxing break away.

It should evoke a welcoming and inviting feeling, and when thinking about the hallway it’s only right that their front door plays a part. The external door could be considered as the ‘smile’ that welcomes them and any visitors on approach, inviting them in to unwind, and feel at ease and at home.

Hallways are spaces that can offer almost near limitless design, showcasing a homeowner’s personality upfront, but they also need to remain functional as transitionary spaces leading to the rest of the home.

While a hallway should definitely look the part, we can’t ignore the fact that its primary role is to lead on to other spaces, so it has to be hardwearing and prepared for a high amount of footfall traffic, and be able to cope with a lot of tasks, it’s the first place that the weekly shop is placed, and often the site of muddy shoes and wet paws.

It’s a buffer zone between outside and inside to protect the living areas, and more often than not a storage space for coats, boots and umbrellas.

When it comes to redesigning customer’s hallway, outside of the overall style there are some key things to consider. Just like any room in their home, encourage them to think about how they would like to use the space going forward, and not how it is currently being used.

What is the primary function of their new hallway? If it is about wowing visitors, statement pieces of furniture and accessories are a good starting point, but without foregoing style, doors, floors, stairways and walls are key to creating an entranceway to be proud of.

Howdens, the UK’s number one trade kitchen supplier, and supplier of joinery products have put together a handy guide on how to create the perfect hallway.

Doors – Internal and External

No hallway revamp is complete without a new front door, and potentially internal ones too, helping your customer choose the right front door for them and their home will depend on a few different factors.

The first being whether they would prefer a full panel (no windows) or part glazed, whether that is a small section or a larger proportion closer to half the door. The next decision is if they would like to be able to paint it or whether they would rather let the wood do the talking, as this will help them decide on which door and type of wood to go for.

At Howdens, our hardwood and veneer doors are supplied either unfinished or primed, leaving enough design freedom to either varnish or paint with a personalised colour of choice. 

Just like the front door, there are several choices of internal door types to choose from, from hardwood to the more budget-friendly high-denisty fibre board. With many modern and traditional styles to select from, homeowners can also choose to have part-glazed to let natural light shine through to the other rooms, or opt for a full panel to create defined spaces to help keep the other rooms private.

Similarly to Howdens’ external doors, our range of internal doors are supplied either unfinished, allowing customers to stick with a more rustic feel if they’re looking to keep it natural with a coat of varnish or wood oil, or primed if they’re looking to inject colour from the get-go.

Flooring

Hallways experience some serious footfall as they are the main room that connects the whole house. It means that whatever flooring your customer chooses, they need to know it will be up to the job of being able to withstand plenty of traffic while also looking great.

One choice of flooring that has grown in popularity (and with good reason) over the last few years is Luxury Vinyl Tile or LVT flooring. It is a low-maintenance alternative to solid wood or stone flooring as the advancements in printing technology allow for these materials to be replicated, but without the maintenance often associated with these natural materials.

The printing process features non-repeat, high-resolution imaging, with timber grain or stone-like markings embossed onto the graphic layer. On wood-effect LVT the different species, colours and grain patterns appear very much like the real thing, while stone-effect LVT comes in an array of colours and styles, from dark grey through to cream and beige, and even marble with its unique veining.

Other options include engineered flooring, or laminates. With engineered flooring, the decorative top layer must be real wood, and advancements in stains and finishes means engineered floors are not only sustainable but suitable for nearly every room in the home.

Laminate flooring is another option that can be cost effective and a floor type that has  improved greatly and with thanks to the way it is manufactured and locked together there are now water resistant options available such as QuickStep Hydro at Howdens.

Walls

Choosing a wallcovering for a hallway that’s fit for purpose, doesn’t mark easily and looks great may seem like an impossible product to find… however that’s where wood wall panelling comes into its own! We’re seeing it used in both traditional and new build homes and, as it can be painted, a dash of personality can be added, from neutral tones through to vivid shades.

It isn’t just about adding a touch of sophisticated glamour either as wood panelling can be used as a way to cover uneven walls and protect the surface behind.

Howdens offer both natural timber and moisture resistant MDF wall panelling and is a versatile feature that can be added to hallways, either as a half-wall or full-wall finish.

Staircases

If the hallway project is full refurbishment, it might be that the homeowner needs to consider the whole hallway, including their staircase. Choosing a solid wood staircase is a great starting point and leaves plenty of room for adding personality. It can either be stained, painted or use stair runners or full carpets.

From this starting point, customers can choose from several different styles of spindles that complement traditional or modern homes, including glass panels or Metal rod spindles if they would prefer, along with a selection of newel posts and caps.

Even if they aren’t investing in a new staircase, they can still choose to update these elements to give their hallway a completely new look while remaining cost-effective way.