Your hall

I wish I'd taken a photograph of my hall when the whole family was here on Sunday - obstacle course and potential death trap come to mind!

When we extended 12 years ago we made sure we had a bigger hall.
We have open plan stairs going up with a juke box under. It is a bit dark so I have a couple of lamps and a console table. The walls are two different shades of grey with one feature wall which is silver with a leaf pattern.

Our hall is modern, in a bungalow five years old, there is quite a bit of space in the hall, a wardrobe for our clothes.Hangers under a shelf to hang outer clothing with a shoe rack under this, opposite a nice church type bench, to sit on while putting on shoes, also a mirror on one wall.This is all very good BUT here in Sweden everyone takes their shoes off on entering the house, consequently on Christmas Day when we had twelve people visiting for Dinner, the hall looked like outside a mosque on a Friday.

I live in a Salvation Army "Independent Living Unit" aka almshouse
My hall has a decoupaged bookcase, full of books I can no longer read. It has portraits of my sons on the wall and a huge Ammonite as a door stop.
This last worries me a little: such a cavalier use of a precious fossil but it's well protected and is so huge and heavy that it can't be displayed anywhere in my home.
I won't bother with a photo, my hall is rather uninspiring.

It used to be against planning rules but they were changed.
These houses are in Scotland but I have also seen Homes Under the Hammer making clear that the rules have changed.

against planning rules in Scotland ,you need to hav etwo doors between a bathroom and a living space.so an inner hall at least

I thought that was illegal nowadays FarNoth

I remember my auntie's bathroom being off the kitchen years ago (1950s)

A slight detour - I have a friend who thinks halls are a waste of space. She has had 2 houses which she was able to design for herself and she had all the rooms connecting, in a circular way,with no hall or corridor.
It did mean the bathroom was off the kitchen, in both houses, which is something I don't like.

As you were.

Kittylester, your hall is lovely and your furniture ditto. It is what mine would be like had I the space.

My hall has a blond wooden floor, white painted bannister and no room for any furniture. I would add some elegant mirrors to make the space seem larger and lighter but I don’t like the old woman who would be jumping out at me as she does when I pass shops!

If you have a small hall, as we have, lighting is important.
There are are 2 chandeliers in ours(they were here when we bought the place) one in the hall and one on the landing directly above.
And I have a lovely painting of my GGGF's sailing ship hanging from the landing rail. He was master of a ship taking 'coals from Newcastle'.

Probably it is the same lampshade then - I've just checked and ours is slightly askew. However, it is over the dining table so probably no-one notices as they're intent on the food!

I do like that bookcase.

jalima the lampshade was from John Lewis (actually drives me mad because it won’t stay properly horizontal) & the bookcase which is made of reclaimed wood, came from Arighi Bianchi in Macclesfield, which has to be one of the nicest shops in the world!
I was in the shop having lunch with a friend & saw the bookcase & just thought it would be perfect in the hall. I had just been left some money so I treated myself

I have hall envy, because I don`t even have a hall. Our front door opens directly into the front room. I do have a rear lobby inside the back door, it contains 3 doors including the back door, and is just big enough to open the back door wide and also hold the fridge freezer. It has walls and ceiling painted in sunny yellow, and white woodwork, with light grey stone effect tiled floor.

Our hall is very small. Opposite the front door I have an oak display cabinet which houses a small china collection. DH built a coat closet under the stairs where there is also a small 'cubby' area with a recycled set of drawers for gloves, scarves, address book and other clutter and the phone. Two doors lead off the hall one to the living room the other to the utility. I have two framed collections of Donald McGill seaside postcards on one wall which seem to surprise visitors and amuse our GC. I like our hall but would like to brighten up the cubby which is dark because its under the stairs.

Kitty Your hall is lovely and a good size, but I agree with other posters that I would remove the ceiling border, the wallpaper and the dado rail and perhaps paint the wall where your desk is in a bold colour.

Gillgran We had the same problem as you when we moved in with dated stairs. We stripped the stair rail down to the original wood and sealed it (non shiny. We then painted the stair rails with Little Greene Eggshell. This is oil based and much harder wearing than Farrow and Ball. It completely transformed it so if I were you I would have a go.

Love my hall it's what I first fell in love with about the house and it had aweful wallpaper. We have stripped all the wood back ane had oak floors put down. It has a curved wall with one of the 3 doors in it. Large understairs cupboard. We have radiator cover, long shoe bench opposite and a console table under the turn in the stairs. Huge mirrors on one wall and on first landing which help with light. Light reflecting paint in a cream/lemon & neutral carpet. Have the Christmas tree in the hall because when we first viewed the house looked at it and thought that's where the tree should go. Wish I could say it was tidy but too many paws in this household and gc to keep it spotless

Ours has wooden flooring and taupe wallpaper with "sparkles" through it,chosen by 9 year old GD who loves spakly things.Theres a door to the right as you come in for an en suite bedroom,ideal for Great gran when she visits ,then a downstairs loo ,our living room and facing the front door the kitchen /dining/family room...all 34 feet of it .Thats where we spend most of our day ,usually me cooking and the GC doing art or crafts at the table,Granpa with his laptop in the sitting section and the kittens hanging off their huge climbing /scratching thing.I love my house,I didn't when my OH bought it while on a morning run and told me later in the day.That WAS 30 years ago so he's fogiven .

Ebay the lot then paint it all white - that's what I'd do - spend the cash on a holiday

I don’t even have a hall. I live in a terraced cottage (am I allowed to call it that - remembering a previous thread?). The front door opens out into the living room with the stairs immediately opposite. I love my cottage!

This thread reminds me of the John Cleese and two Ronny’s sketch, I don’t know why, must be the ?.

Like M0nica, we live in a 15th century house & I can only dream of a hall! Our main door opens straight into our beamed kitchen and the original front door, now blocked up, went straight into the similarly beamed dining room. I would really love a hall - both of our adult children have sustantial halls, of which I'm certainly jealous. I married a farmer & his house 37 years ago so had no choice of house style! I do love it though.

Our hall is currently being used for goalshooting practice by 2 dgs!

As well as the "lobby" when we come in the back door, we have the front door (hardly ever used) opening straight into the dining room. I am feeling like some serious DIY is needed now to our lobby, having seen all your lovely halls - no way would I take a photo.

Some years ago DH built a 2 storey extension, so now have an inner hall with the nice hand made ash wood staircase going up.

We previously had a tiny cupboard off the sitting room, and the stairs were in it. Very wonky too.

Last week I counted 18 pairs of shoes in my hall - at least they took them off! Made the mistake of having a beige fitted carpet which shows everything. Should have had tiles or laminate. All these halls look lovely.