The hallway might be the first place guests see when visiting, but it's also the first space you see when coming home every day – and it's also the place you are most likely to leave feeling cluttered and unloved as part of a busy daily routine.
While preparing your home for autumn, consider updating your exterior space with a welcoming doormat, seasonal wreath, and lighting to illuminate the way on darker evenings. Then, once inside, ensure the space feels homely and inviting.
As the entrance to your home, the space should feel familiar, comforting and welcoming at all times. So if you want to make a welcoming hallway, it's all about decorating with things you truly love.
How to make a hallway look welcoming: 6 interior design tips
Hallways are the perfect opportunity to have some fun with your decor because they're more of a passing-through space compared to other rooms. You can feel emboldened in your choice of paint, wallpaper or rug, and swap things out as the seasons change.
Below, we have gathered some thoughtful ways to make your hallway clutter-free, cosy and embracing without breaking the bank. Similar to how you might style a hallway for Christmas, it's important to consider how your hallway looks in autumn – with all the extra layers and muddy boots.
1. Keep everything in order
As a busy area of the home, it's easy for clutter to build up in a hallway, and nothing feels less inviting than chaotic piles of coats, shoes and weather paraphernalia. In fact, it's one of the most common mistakes that makes your hallway feel smaller.
Therefore, it is crucial to start by decluttering your hallway and implementing storage solutions that ensure your space remains streamlined to cope with the extra seasonal layers.
Hallways are total clutter magnets, so it's a good idea to have a small edit of shoes, bags, and coats (our favourite professional decluttering methods will help). Consider a chic IKEA shoe cabinet hack for a bespoke storage solution on a budget.
RRP: £60 | Make even the smallest of spaces work harder by utilising vertical space with these ultra-elegant, sturdy brass hooks. With five hooks in total, you can hang keys, coats and umbrellas without worrying about overwhelming the area.
RRP: £32 | This brass umbrella holder provides storage with a touch of glam. More than just an attractive addition to any decorating scheme, it is also highly practical thanks to a handy internal drip tray.
RRP: £75 | This savvy storage unit is wall-mounted to keep floors clear. The concealed drawers ensure a collection of up to 6 pairs of shoes is hidden from view, so as not to affect the clean aesthetic of the wider space.
2. Prioritise warmth
When working on hallway projects, interior designer Amanda Lucas from Rooted Fig always ensures that there's a radiator positioned far enough from the front door so that it retains heat, but close enough that when you walk in, it feels warm and inviting. This helps make your home feel cosy and inviting when you step through the door.
Painting your radiators the same colour as the walls can make them disappear and adding a slim shelf above the radiator creates a useful spot for a key tray without taking up much space.
If your radiator is close to the door or you just want to make things extra cosy, you can add a curtain to hang across the door and use a draught excluder. Draught excluder tape around the door can also help keep things warm.
RRP: £7 | This draught excluder strip tape protects against chills, saving energy and money on heating bills, and reduces noise between rooms by up to 69%. It seals gaps 3mm-5mm and is self-adhesive, making it fast and easy to fit.
RRP: £30-70 | These striped curtains from Dunelm have lots of good reviews and are made of responsibly sourced cotton. They are unlined but will still add some warmth, and they're also machine washable, making maintenance a breeze.
RRP: £16 | A draught excluder is a no-brainer for keeping things warm and cosy. This striped option from Dunelm is available in grey and blue and has a cute frilled edge.
3. Use colour and pattern
Now you've sorted warmth in the practical sense, it's time to think about warming things up visually. The best way to do this is by bringing in one of the best hallway paint colours, patterns and textures.
Focus on large areas, such as the floor, ceiling or the wall going up the stairs. "If you have a long hallway, then a rug is great. It feels nice on your feet after you've taken your shoes off and feels cosy," says Amanda Lucas. A patterned, washable rug is a great way to refresh your hallway.
When choosing a rug for your hallway, we'd recommend going for a washable option or a jute rug, which is a hard-wearing, natural material.
If you have a large wall that needs some interior design attention, either going up the stairs or leading to the living room, consider painting it a warm, earthy tone or hanging some artwork. Alternatively, you can send the eye up with a wallpapered ceiling or add drama with a bold patterned tile.
4. Add a table
Hallways are often tight on space, but if you have the square footage, consider adding a sideboard or console table. This gives you somewhere to put down your keys, post, and so on, and if you go for one with drawers, it'll really help to keep your small hallway organised.
"If you have space for a sideboard or console table, then I would definitely recommend one," agrees Amanda Lucas. "Curate a display area with artwork or photographs, a plant and a table lamp, which feels cosy and inviting. Avoid the harsh, bright ceiling lighting you often get in hallways and go for something softer and warmer."
RRP: £169 | This console table is available in a range of colours, but we're loving this unexpected red to brighten up your entryway. Place wicker baskets on the lower shelf for extra storage.
RRP: £90 | This lamp makes a design statement with its chunky, glossy base and provides practical lighting as you return home on darker evenings. It's the perfect splash of colour in a more neutral space with its linen shade, which brings natural texture and soft diffused light.
RRP: £50 | Hang a mirror above your console table to enhance the sense of space and give yourself somewhere to check yourself before heading out the door. I've used this pond mirror for a living room project and love the organic, irregular shape and gold edge.
5. Use rechargable lights
Lighting might not deliver instant gratification in the same way that buying a new rug or houseplant might, but you just can't create a cosy hallway without it. Neglecting lighting is one of the most common lighting mistakes you can make in a hallway where you need layered lighting.
"I recommend trying some rechargeable wall lights – there are a lot of stylish options available and it means you can put them wherever you want without the limitations of plug sockets and wiring," says interior designer Sophie Clemson from The Living House.
Rechargeable lights from Pooky and Next add style and function – we've rounded up some of our favourites below. Position wall lights on either side of a mirror above a console table to create a stylish focal point for your entryway.
RRP: £75 | We love the stone finish of this rechargeable table lamp from Next. It has a 3-stage touch dimmer – touch it once to turn on, again to brighten, once more for full brightness, and a final touch will turn it off.
RRP £105 | This wall light from Pooky attaches to the wall and requires two tiny screws (and takes about two seconds!)...and to recharge, simply pop off the shade and plug in using a USB. At least ten hours of warm, beautiful light. Dimmable.
RRP: £105 for one | A pair of these wall lights will work well either side of a hallway mirror, and they come with a handy remote so you can switch them on and off and even dim the light easily. To recharge, simply pop off the magnetic shade and charge using the supplied USB.
6. Add personal touches
"Adding personality in the hallway is key, as it is the first space someone sees when entering your home!" says Amanda Lucas. "Add family photos in dark wooden frames, keeping them all the same in size and shape for cohesion. I recommend opting for black and white photos, as it keeps the colour palette lower, which can look stylish and classic, but the choice is yours."
Family photos, old and new, bring so much character, making things feel more homely and reminding us of special memories. We love these oversized mount photo frames from Dunelm, which are an affordable way to update blank walls and make photos look really special.
Displaying sentimental items such as photos, artwork and decor picked up on your travels is a brilliant way to give your space personality.
FAQ
How do I decorate my hallway for autumn?
"I love to have a wreath on the front door as it is just an instant invitation to your home and never fails to brighten things up," says interior designer Amanda Lucas. "Keep the colours similar and use florals that tie in with the colours of your home! Glass lanterns with candles look lovely on a porch with a stack of pumpkins."
Inside the hallway, Amanda recommends adding cushions in seasonal colours to a chair or a bootroom bench, and adding panelling to the walls that you could repaint seasonally if you wish. "Warm, dark green tones are so inviting and work so well in a hallway."
Don't forget the power of scent to make us feel happy and comforted the moment we walk through the door – try adding one of the best autumn candles or an essential oil burner to create a welcoming and warming fragrance that tells us we're home.
RRP: £29.99 | If you're not into strong, stereotypical autumn scents, then this is the perfect choice. It's not overwhelming like some spiced candles can be; it has just the right notes to guide you from summer to autumn.
RRP: £37 | A personal favourite of mine, the Feu de Bois scented candle by Diptyque brings all the sitting-by-the-campfire vibes and cosy winter warmth.
RRP: £28 | We love the scent of this candle, which blends juicy pomegranate and smoky guaiacwood. Jo Malone's candles are crafted in the British countryside in a signature glass design.
How to add warmth to a hallway?
We're not exactly talking about how to keep your home warm for less when we say adding warmth to your hallway. Instead, this is about how to make it look visually warmer and more inviting.
"Getting the lighting right in your hallway is essential for adding warmth to a space. The darker the hallway, the more confined your space will look. However, if you’re tight for space, choosing lights that will help enhance space is important," explains Melissa Denham, Interior Design Expert at Hammonds Furniture.
“If your hallway has a low ceiling, stay away from pendant lighting. They can bring the ceiling down and make your space feel cramped. The same goes for a spotlight. Having one light in the centre of your hallway creates a single pool of light that’s ineffective for lighting your whole space," she adds.
She also recommends scattering spotlights across your ceiling or specifically in the corners. By lighting the corners of your room, Melissa explains, it will spread the focus and make it appear bigger and much more welcoming.
What's a good colour for a hallway?
In the same way there are best bedroom paint colours, which are some specific hues that will look best in your hallway.
"When researching how to make your hallway more welcoming for autumn, a recurring idea will always be to paint your walls in a light colour. Brighter and lighter colours will help reflect the light, making your space appear bigger," starts Melissa.
"Steer clear of brash tones such as dark browns and burgundy, greys. Instead, opt for neutral ones that fall somewhere on the white spectrum. Good colours for small hallways typically include pale blues, sage green, and sandy shades of beige," she adds.
Melissa does, however, suggest avoiding feature walls within smaller hallways. Whilst they do add vibrancy and character, they can be really ineffective if you want to make your space look bigger.
Once you've got your hallway look inviting and warm why not try out some ideas for making your bedroom cosy? It's so important to have a place to retreat and rest, especially once the colder weather arrives.
