Redecorating a dark Victorian hallway

3 years ago

Think is a classic question but I would really appreciate some specific advice for my hallway. I’ve just moved in to this late Victorian terrace and this is what I’ve inherited. The photos are taken on a relatively sunny morning albeit in November, and as you can see it’s still dark. The front door faces west so doesn’t get direct sun. There is a bathroom at the top of the stairs with windows facing east with glazed door that offers some light but but which is mostly blocked by the stairs.

The dark hexagonal wallpaper will go as will the magnolia painted walls above dado rail. To my surprise the tiled floor isn’t original but is in keeping with designs of the Victorian period. Whilst I would have chosen something brighter I like it enough to keep it rather than go to the expense of replacing.

I’d love to go with a dark blue or a green below the dado, painting the skirting and dado the same colour but I think it would be too dark. So I’m thinking a pale grey paint above and below dado with white woodwork. The pale grey is just to pick out the period feature better with a slight contrast. On the whole I’m thinking this light scheme will maximise light and make the floor more of a focal point. I plan to change the stained glass in vestibule door (which isn’t original) for something nicer but mostly clear/colourless to maximise light, and the front door will be replaced at some point for one with more glazing. I’m also thinking of adding glazed panels to the internal living room door (next to entrance) to borrow some light, and all a wall mirror opposite. The carpet on the stairs will go to be replaced by a runner, possibly a beige colour with charcoal border to match colours in tiles. Stairs painted white.

Am I in the right lines? Any other ideas? I wondered about replacing the second flight of stairs for open stairs to allow light and open the space but may be a bit extreme.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (17)

Sonia
3 years ago
What a beautiful hallway and the floor is gorgeous. Your suggestions sound great to me and a runner with a darker edge is so smart. You could paint the bottom of the dado a deeper, but not necessarily a darker, shade. Something like Pigeon by Farrow & Ball has that period feel. Oval Room Blue is also a possibility. But if you want to keep everything light and airy, it would work. Something like Ammonite (pale grey) or Skimming Stone (taupe/beige)? Here’s just a few ideas - first Ammonite, then Pigeon and finally Skimming Stone.
Carolina
3 years ago
Hi, here's a similar hallway revamp, which turned out lovely I think. They've painted the woodwork dark and kept the rest light. https://www.goldisaneutral.co.uk/home/2019/4/30/hallway-makeover-before-amp-after-battling-the-beige
Related Discussions
Need help matching Old Gold dining chairs
Q
Comments (2)
Your old gold chair color is a bit hard to match with today's color palettes which usually use a softer gold. Have you thought about taking a blue into the dining room? Blue and gold is a very elegant combination and will compliment the mahogany floor and table. You could look for a stripe or a damask for the drapes or a wallpaper that would incorporate your chosen colors. An oriental rug would be a good way to tie in colors.
...See More
Need help for hall stairs landing areas
Q
Comments (5)
I am a fan of black as a disappearing colour! If the tha bannisters were painted black the Victorian look of cast iron would fit. The walls are too pale , would you consider a dark green( FB Green Smoke) under the rail, next to the carpet, and a much lighter version above( FB Light Blue or Pale Powder). Not really sure of the shade of green in the carpet, it might be more FB Oval Room. I am fond of the Pugin look but realise it is powerful and invariably used with very dark paints. We changed our ginger brown stairs, over 3 storeys to white. 13 years later the effort was not only worth it but the pain has subsided too!
...See More
Our new hallway
Q
Comments (22)
What a wonderful hall looks fantastic. For the carpet I would (budget allowing) use chrome or brass stair rods on each stair would look brilliant in there. You could always get an old or cheap console table & paint it yourself in silver or bronze etc.
...See More
Hallway advice needed!
Q
Comments (17)
Hi. Have you ever considered a real interesting eye catching piece of art work to really brighten up an area, I think a select piece of art would really make the space stand out, add interest, colour, texture and add a great talking point to the room.... Please check out my website if you like the idea and please get in contact, commission work is also welcomed so if you like a particular style I can do in a select colour palette and size as an original piece…..I’m also able to produce all original paintings in high end print format, in any size same or smaller than the original. (all within proportions to the original so not to cause distortion) All prints shown are Giclee prints onto soft textured fine art media. All prints come with a white border these can be made to measure too. So lots of options, www.guigsart.co.uk
...See More
Richard Stocks
Original Author
3 years ago
Sonia, thanks so much for the ideas. I think pigeon could be interesting below the dado rail, and hopefully will be light enough. I wonder if it would make sense to paint a light colour (I like all your suggestions) above to dado and see how that changes the light, then take the dark paper off and hopefully that will tell me if a deeper shade would work. However I like Carolina’s suggestion of dark woodwork which would be a small area but add impact, possibly meaning I could stick to one colour for the rest of the walls.
Richard Stocks
Original Author
3 years ago
Carolina, thanks for your advice. As I say, I like your idea of dark woodwork. Do you think it would work to paint the skirting and dado rails dark (maybe also door frames), maybe a grey similar to the dark grey tiles, but leave the two ladies (Florence and Minnie!) above white?

Also makes me wonder if painting the stairs dark would work, with a light runner to keep light levels up?
E D
3 years ago
Great hallway. 👌

Although hallways painted in dark colours can look impressive and dramatic in photos, in practice I prefer light hallways.

Just my personal preference.

Here’s an ideabook I made earlier. 🙂

https://www.houzz.co.uk/ideabooks/112611984/list/victorian-staircases
Sonia
3 years ago
Hi Richard, funnily enough I bought a tin of Pigeon to paint the bottom half of the dado in my tiny and dark hall. It’s such a gorgeous colour, but I love green in all its forms. I’m just waiting for my decorator to have a free spot to do the painting........I pray it will look good!🙏

Your idea of painting above the dado in a light colour then stripping that wallpaper off and trying a darker shade below sounds sensible. However, I do love Carolina’s idea too. Yes leave Florence and Minnie white 😊
Carolina
3 years ago
If you go down the dark woodwork & keep te rest light-route, I would keep the dado rail in the colour of the walls. Just for a more modern look. Love the dark painted stairs with light runner. And yes, I'd leave the ladies white, I think.

A light cream colour for the walls, something like the cream in the tiles, maybe a touch lighter would be lovely.
Juliet Docherty
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
I think this is really tricky as there are lots of variables. The first thing is to compare like with like, so images of dark halls would be a good starting point. A light flooded hall with the same features will look different to yours. If it were mine I would paint everything Dulux pure white (trade) and then put a pale dust sheet up the stairs to see how much more light is reflected. That may help you get the value right before looking at the colours. I'm with ED when it comes to light halls, Im not a fan of darkness. Another thing to think about is how saturated the walls are. In dimly lit spaces, greyed out colours can lose impact so more saturated colours can elevate the space.

In terms of greys there are lots, blue cool greys, slightly red greys etc. F&B Shaded White and related colours could work well with the tiles which contain yellow.
Sue S
3 years ago
Would also paint door to kitchen in a light colour, and consider putting in glass panels to replace wood. Am also a great fan of strategic mirrors to bounce light around.
Richard Stocks
Original Author
3 years ago
Colourhappy, I was thinking the same as I’ve no concept of how light the space could be if I maximise the light.

ED I have the one of the photos in your idea book in mine, below (looks like all white walls with the blue and white tiled floor).

I’ve also added a couple of similar examples but with darker terracotta tiles similar to mine. They all seem to have gone with all white or white and very light grey. Perhaps that’s my safest route, but as Colourhappy says if I start with white I can go from there.

One thing I did read is that in spaces with little natural light, whites can take on a full grimy appearance rather than opening up the area

https://www.houzz.co.uk/magazine/8-hallway-colours-that-arent-white-or-grey-stsetivw-vs~123918666

Also can anyone recommend a light grey with a hint of green (not a yellow green but more a warmer more earthy tone) as I think that would compliment the terracotta and other colours in the floor.

Thanks everyone for your input!
Marylee H
3 years ago
T Gray
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
Firstly, that is a lovely hall and floor. Is the inner door and glass original too?

We had some really 'interesting' decor in our Edwardian hall too that made it very dark. Plus not very much natural light, even though the front door was 1990 bathroom glass double glazed. it was all orange pine skirting with alternate wide stripes of purply grey and dirty yellow. As the hall has no natural break reaching right up to the attic room we decided to go very classic neutral. Warming up the space was important too as it is west facing. We also have a mainly brown and blue original encaustic tiled floor. We also found the original front door in the shed and restored it.

We wanted to make the floor the star but also have a classically neutral look. We painted the walls in F&B Old White and all the woodwork except for the doors in Slipper Satin which is a complementary white.

90's door

Orange pine

New door and colour scheme

Not fantastic pics (from last Christmas!) but it has made a huge difference to how we feel when coming into the house.
Richard Stocks
Original Author
3 years ago
Colourhappy, I was thinking the same as I’ve no concept of how light the space could be if I maximise the light.

ED I have the one of the photos in your idea book in mine, below (looks like all white walls with the blue and white tiled floor).

I’ve also added a couple of similar examples but with darker terracotta tiles similar to mine. They all seem to have gone with all white or white and very light grey. Perhaps that’s my safest route, but as Colourhappy says if I start with white I can go from there.

One thing I did read is that in spaces with little natural light, whites can take on a full grimy appearance rather than opening up the area

https://www.houzz.co.uk/magazine/8-hallway-colours-that-arent-white-or-grey-stsetivw-vs~123918666

Also can anyone recommend a light grey with a hint of green (not a yellow green but more a warmer more earthy tone) as I think that would compliment the terracotta and other colours in the floor.

Thanks everyone for your input!

T. Gray - I had to check the F&B website for Old White as I was expecting something more white, but actually it could be just the job. F&B seems to be the go to paint brand with people on here. Is it worth the extra money?

All the internal doors are the original pine doors, although the interior entrance door glass isn’t original and I plan to replace it with something more sympathetic, and to my taste, from a local stained glass specialist.

I read that Victorian doors were generally intended to be painted. Clearly mine are not and I’m not sure whether to do so - not easy to undo!
pannacotta
3 years ago
Little Greene Portland Stone is a lovely slightly green based neutral and there are several shades of it. I have used it in my home and love it, its a great colour.

https://www.littlegreene.com/portland-stone

I love your hall. Lots of lovely features.

I am pondering how to decorate my dark victorian hall too, not easy it is?
Marylee H
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago

Contemporary version of a dado. Same colour both below & above,

but in different sheens.

Inchyra Blue?
Juliet Docherty
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
If it were mine I would paint it a stone colour to give some warmth. That's because on a personal level, after renovating six houses when I think back to the ones I liked the most, natural stoney colours make a space feel warm and that is always the defining factor of a home. Warm for me means colours that exclude cool greys which I think work beautifully in sunny rooms. I also think you need enough 'oomph' in a colour, so really subtle off white will just disappear. I second Portland Stone, it's a really versatile colour. Stoney Ground, Old White, Shaded White would all be colours I would test. It's a huge job doing a hall, so maybe it's worth going classic?
T Gray
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
Colourhappy's comment is exactly why we went classic neutral. I do NOT want to ever paint my hall again! :-D

I am a fan of the F&B colour palette and ethos (bought all their books!), not so much the prices for such a large amount of paint required. I got Johnstons to mix the paints because they do a pretty good match and the paints are a very good value for money, mid price point paint. FYI Leyland are Johnstons trade name. Some folks have had issues with colour mixing of some of the paler colours so buy test pots (they are huge by the way!) and check you are happy with the colours produced.

The complementary white advice from F&B was a key decision. Slipper satin is a subtle cream, a stark white would not give the softness and warmth that we ended up with.

Re the doors painting or not, we took ages to decide to cover the miles of orange pine skirting, paneling and unpainted doors. In the end we knew the skirting had to be done, which led to the paneling being done too. That lightened the hallway significantly. The door architraves were next then we decided the doors actually looked good with all that done. The inside of the front door however needed to be pale, like the paneling to help with lightening the place up.