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Hallways Design Dilemma

hallway panelling advice - paint or not?

3 years ago

We’re planning to redecorate our hallway in our Edwardian house and would like some advice!

A previous owner of our house has stripped the paint from all of the doors, door frames and the staircase, the wood is all good quality pine and original (although would have originally been painted or stained dark).

The wood panelling has been left stained dark, it’s good quality oak panelling but not original to the house and we think it looks strange being a different style and colour to the other woodwork.

Options are:
1: strip to bare wood, but this may still be a different colour to the pine doors
2: remove completely and replaster hallway, perhaps reinstate dado rails or similar to give character
3: paint panelling, if so what colour?

We don’t really want to repaint the pine doors, or door frames or staircase.

We’re planning to repaint the walls, replace the carpet and put up different wall lighting, any advice on colours that might work with the pine would be gratefully received!

Thanks

Featured Answer

Laura G
Original Author

3 years ago

Hi everyone, thanks for all of the advice!
We’ve painted the panelling a dark blue.
I’m planning to recarpet the floors and change the light fittings but thought you might like to see an update!

Comments (11)

minipie
3 years ago
Wow! I definitely wouldn’t remove it, it’s great.

I would either strip it and hope it ends up the same colour, or paint it. I do wonder though it will look odd to have painted panelling and unpainted door frames and doors, and you don’t want to paint those. So I guess try stripping it first and see if you can get the same colour wood?
Tani H-S
3 years ago
Won't it look like the same colour as the little understairs door you can see to the left of the image when stripped?
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PRO
R.A Interiors
3 years ago
Hi Icig, I agree with minipie, definitely keep the panelling! It's a beautiful feature and panelling is extremely popular at the moment so it's keeping you on trend without you having to change anything too drastically.

If you're open to it, I'd recommend going for a rich blue colour on both the walls and panelling, something like Farrow & Balls 'De Nimes'. That will beautifully compliment the warm orange tones of the pine and create a stunning, dramatic hallway.

I offer 3D mock ups of room designs if you'd be interested to see it come to life virtually, before making any physical changes.
Daisy England
3 years ago
Pine goes well against greens. Therefore I would suggest Dulux Tranquil Dawn or F&B Mizzle.
Sonia
3 years ago
I love panelling in all its forms. Painted panelling is very fashionable at the moment. I think painting it F&B Pigeon or one of those traditional colours would look fab. I’d paint all the wood but that is a mammoth task! I like the way they’ve used a lot of white but the handrail is dark.
PRO
CJ Interiors
3 years ago
Defiantly keep it, such a gorgeous original feature! I would go for a dark deep navy shade.
Jonathan
3 years ago
Personally I would paint the paneling.
Although I appreciate people love wood I wonder if it would look better if some of it was painted such as the panels under the stairs and even possibly the skirtings and architraves
Alix W
3 years ago
Hello, just to say, that looks like oak, rather than pine, to me. May not change how you feel about it, but might be worth knowing to find the right products for it.
Alix W
3 years ago
Sorry, just seen you know that! Ignore me!
Laura G
Original Author
3 years ago
Thanks so much to you all for taking the time to make comments. It seems unanimous that we should keep the panelling!

I’m leaning toward painting it (partly because I think it’ll be less work than stripping it!) and I really like some of the colour suggestions, I’ll order some paint samples!

My picture shows the brightest part of the hallway and makes the panelling look paler than it is near the stairs, the panelling is actually all dark like at the back of the photo. Away from the door the hallway is quite dark so I’m not sure whether dark colours will be too much, I’ll see what I think when the samples arrive.

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