Painting the staircase black has taken this renter's hallway from drab to fabulous

Transforming the cavernous hallway into a welcoming entranceway was a challenge. The space was drab, had no flooring and was charmless, plus being a rental home meant there were other restrictions too. But with a large footprint, the tenant knew that with some work and smart hallway ideas it could become more than just a doorway to the rest of the house.

‘I was determined to inject some ‘wow’ factor as the stairs are the first thing you see,’ she says. ‘But as the rest of the house is quite small, the hallway also needed to work hard as a space to get ready to go out, and it needed to include plenty of storage.’

‘People are always surprised to hear that my home is rented from a Housing Association. We were originally renting a garden flat in a busy town but I yearned for a place in the country and this house, being detached and surrounded by fields, ticked all my boxes.’

‘I had to think hard about the hallway decor because, being a new build, the place felt like a bland white box. My last home was quite neutral, but I wanted to be brave with colour here. However, my biggest fear was tackling the hall as it's such a huge, open space so I initially found it daunting.’

The hallway before

‘When I move I may need to return the place to its former white look, but as tenants we are allowed to decorate as we want to make the house feel like our homes, which suited me as I had big ideas for the hallway. It’s the first place people see so I wanted to create a bold statement that would make people go ‘wow’ when they step through the front door.’

‘Although some Housing Association homes come with flooring, sadly this place didn’t, so that was my starting point. However, I’d been planning my move for some time, putting money aside each month, so I had savings earmarked to lay the floor and went for a neutral, warm-wood laminate.’

‘I began my dramatic makeover by painting the staircase black, with the help of my boyfriend. It was a bold move and not to everyone’s taste, but as soon as I painted the first spindle I knew it was the right decision, so much so that I decided to let the stairs shine in their own right rather than dampening the look by adding a runner. We used Al Fresco Inside/Outside range paint in Blackjack by Frenchic.'

‘The next task was thinking about the high wall running up the stairs but first I had to wait for heating to be installed. I was one of the first properties trialing an infra-red heating system; it’s like electric wallpaper wired directly onto the walls and ceilings, and when it’s turned on via a remote or app, the surface radiates heat.’

‘When it came to wall decor, I originally planned to have a gallery wall going up the stairs but it wasn’t possible because nails would restrict the flow of heat, so I decided to add interest using patterned wallpaper instead.’

‘The heating engineers agreed to paper the space whilst their scaffolding was up, but this meant I had to make a quick decision. I ordered loads of samples, all completely different, only knowing that pink was a definite no. However, after being told the gold sample I preferred would interfere with the heating system, I did a quick U-turn and decided to give the pink version a go. I surprised myself but I loved the look and it complements the black so well. The design is called Wonderland Tropical wallpaper in Blush Holden by World of Wallpaper.'

‘Then it was a case of dressing the space with both good-looking and practical hallway storage ideas. Hallways are often forgotten about, but this space was so big that I wanted it to act as an extra room, so the decor and furniture had to mirror that.’

‘The shoe storage rack was originally white and had a bit of water damage, but it’s a great piece of storage so instead of throwing it away I gave it a quick sand and then painted it to complement the new decor. I used the same paint as for the staircase but in a shade called Dusky Blush.'

‘A heavy lined curtain in front of the door helps to keep draughts at bay.’

‘I thought the room was done but the white ceiling felt stark against the rest of the warm space so I took our shoe rack to be colour matched and we painted the ceiling the same colour.’

‘I don’t believe wreaths are only for Christmas, and like to consider the outside of my home as well as the interior.’

‘For a hallway mirror idea, I positioned the over-sized mirror at the top of the stairs which creates a statement and allows the light to bounce around the space, making the landing feel bigger.’

‘The house was fitted with radiators before the new heating system was installed so I’ve used the shelf to utilise the space above and also add a decorative touch.’

‘Adding the bench was an obvious choice to create a space to sit and take shoes on and off, and the hooks give an extra spot of easy-to-access hanging space.’

‘I love this space now. It functions well and I’m proud of what I’ve achieved, proving that you really can create a beautiful, statement space on a budget.’