6 Hallway Ideas To Make Your Home Feel Really Inviting

Get the styling of your hallway right and it will set the tone for your entire home. Whether you have a modest city space or a sprawling country pile, we’ve listed some really easy ways to style an entryway with home accessories that will not only add personality to the space but also help one of the busiest parts of the home function with ease.

From trinket trays that will keep things in order, to mirrors for those final ‘fit checks, mood-setting lighting to fragrances that will give your home its signature scent, scroll for six easy hallway ideas using simple accessories…

Invest In A Console Table

A console table is one of those pieces that will seriously elevate your space. Whilst being functional – a great place to keep your keys, the post, sunglasses, etc – they are also the perfect way to make a curated space in your home’s entrance with everything from family photo frames to a fresh vase of flowers.

If you’re a fan of the country pile, chintzy look and want to make a serious investment Sharland England – Louise Roe‘s brilliant homeware brand – has a beautiful scallop-waved rattan console. A statement in itself, it will look regal styled with a single statement vase. Similarly but with a slightly more relaxed feel, Mrs Alice’s Madeleine rattan table has an open shelf at the bottom for extra storage space and would look great styled with coffee table books, photos, trinket bowls and two little lamps on either side.

Our top pick if you’re on a budget? Wayfair’s Beauman console, which comes in a deep espresso wood and vintage-inspired design, will have visitors thinking it’s an antique heirloom for an absolute steal at under £170.

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Set A Mood With Great Lighting

Ask any interior designer and they will say the one rule of creating ambience in your home is with lighting, and getting it right in the entryway will set the tone for the entire house. We love a big statement ceiling light to open up the space but in the evenings, if you want to create that cosy, cocooning feel, it’s all about little lights.

If you’re lucky enough to have a roomy console in your hallway, make a statement with two large table lamps on either side. The symmetry creates a plush feel, whilst the lamps offer a warm feel but adequate light without using ‘the big light.’

We also love a sweet little lamp – ideal for smaller tables and more cluttered consoles – check out Pooky for their incredible range of rechargeable lights that do away with messy wires. And if you have a mirror in your hallway – more on those later – two wall lights on either side will create a homely feel as soon as you walk into the space.

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Create A Signature Scent

Whilst a room should look beautiful and function for you, we can’t deny that we love it when a room smells divine too. It’s also a way of stamping a deeper personality into your space, creating a scent that family and friends will immediately think of you when they smell it.

There are so many brilliant perfume brands doing home fragrance well and it comes down to personal taste. A few of our favourites include Bamford for enveloping notes that draw on nature; Diptique for their potent candles that not only look great but smell divine even when not lit; and St Eval for designer-feel scents on a budget – their Bay & Rosemary diffusers and candles always get compliments from guests.

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Add Personality With Artwork

Art in the hallway can be used to add a pop of colour to a dark space, inject personality into a very functional area and tie in the whole aesthetic of the room, by picking out certain colours. Much with all accessorizing in the home, it comes down to personal taste, but whether you’re into florals or the current obsession with all things Western, there’s plenty to choose from.

Favourites of ours include Tuft Luck Studios’ cowboy watercolour for a touch of Americana cool; Studio Ham’s sweet hound print; and Lucy Mahon’s charming “We’ve Got A Lot To Be Happy About’ flower meadow illustration – a heartfelt reminder for the whole family in the most hectic part of the house.

For something a little cooler, photography will add a modern spin – check out Slim Aaron’s cult snaps of Getty for a wealth of iconic faces. Or for a cheeky (and super affordable) piece of art, we love Etsy’s ‘The Homebody Club’ print.

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Add A Mirror

Not only is a mirror in the hallway essential for doing a quick ‘fit check before you leave, but it will also open up a usually crowded space and let in more light.

Whether you have a modest space for a simple rectangular mirror – we love Inside Story’s colour-pop bobbin designs – or room for a full length – Soho Home’s Adiden wavy mirror of dreams has been top of our wish list for years now – there are plenty of designs to choose from.

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Keep Things Neat With Trays & Trinket Trays

Keep keys in a permanent spot, never forget your sunnies and organise yet another set of bills to come through the letterbox with our edit of cute trinket dishes and trays.

For something timeless and elegant but with a pop of personality, we love Addison Ross’ lacquered scallop trays. They come in multiple sizes but the small is perfect for popping atop a console. For something more muted and understated, you can’t go wrong with a bit of rattan – Habitat has some great affordable options.

And if you’re in the market for something a little more fun, Maison Falneur’s pink porcelain clamshell will add an unexpected pop of colour and L& Clay Ceramic’s “I Stay Out Too Late” will give guests a giggle when they step inside.

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