Seller's Guide: How's Your Hallway?

What does your hallway say about your house? Is it a well-planned entrance that gives a tantalizing taste of a harmonious, spacious home?

Or is it a dingy dumping ground for shoes, pushchairs and football boots, with mismatched, dirty paintwork, and a picture of your Great Aunt Mabel staring down at prospective buyers?

Although it's the core of the home, the hallway tends to be passed through, and passed by, and seldom receives the same attentions as the other rooms.

But, as architects and designers are increasingly aware, a spacious-feeling hallway not only creates an important first impression, it actually makes a house seem bigger.

Tina Jesson, founder of home Stagers, believes that, when attempting to sell a house, the hall's gotta have it.

"People make up their minds within seconds, so if it doesn't give a good impression it can let the whole house sale down. If the area is dingy and full of stuff, your buyers will feel that the house is too small and dingy too."

First of all, and I know it's boring, boring, boring, but you have to clear out the clutter.

Feng shui consultant Tom Coxon agrees: "From a feng shui perspective hallways conduct the energy from the front door to the rest of the house, so basically they need to be large, wide, free of obstructions and uncluttered."

Obviously, this means putting the bike in the shed, and recycling the pile of free newspapers and pizza flyers, but there's more.

Tina Jesson advises her clients to limit the number of coats hanging in the hall to one per family member, and to try to do the same with shoes. "In this area less is definitely more," says Tina.

"If you go with hooks on the wall they really need to be in a recess, say under the stairs. Coat stands are OK if you have the room, but they take up space. I'd recommend that you put them away in a wardrobe."

Once your hall is clutter free, you can get out the paints.

Although neutrals are usually recommended, if you have a large, period house for sale, painting with deep traditional colours can emphasise the pedigree of the building, and give a really grand entrance.

But such a bold colour scheme won't work for most of us with small hallways. Pale colours are a safer bet, but there are still a few tricks that will improve the sense of space.

Paint skirtings the same colour as the floor to give the impression of a larger surface area by blurring the edges of the room.

Always paint the ceiling white unless it is very high (in which case try painting the area above the picture rail a deeper shade than the walls.)

You can square a narrow hall by painting one of the shorter walls with a naturally advancing colour such as red or yellow. The longer walls will appear shorter, and the hall will feel a more pleasant shape.

In the same way, putting coat rails along a shorter wall, or painting the door and surround the same colour as the wall will deceive the eye and appear to widen a long skinny room.

Try keeping the same coloured walls and flooring in the hall and the rooms it opens onto.

On a viewing day, make sure that the doors are open, and you'll find that the boundaries between the rooms blur, as the hall borrows space and light from the neighbouring rooms.

"Dark houses don't sell," says Tina Jesson, "so make sure you invest in the right lighting."

For a low-ceilinged hall, use uplighters to make it appear further away. And for high ceilings, use pendants.

But what about making more use of natural light? If your front door is solid wood, could you put a glass panel in? If not, what about using glazed interior doors?

And don't wait until your viewers arrive to flick the switch. According to Tom Coxton you can energise your hallway by leaving the hall light on for 45 minutes before and during a viewing.

Floors: No Flaws

pic source: London Mosaic Restoration
Anyone entering your house will find his or her eye naturally drawn downwards and along towards the stairs, so you can't afford to present a prospective buyer with worn out carpet or grubby lino.

Again, pale, neutral colours are a safe choice, with sanded and sealed floorboards, while stone is a favourite in period houses. Classic Victorian tiled floors are also a big hit with buyers.

Natural floor coverings such as sisal or coir are also popular, but whether you opt for this or traditional carpet, make sure it's suitable for such a high-traffic area, and not too pale and easily stained.

Painted floorboards can also look dramatic, and in a dingy hallway, painting the floor and the skirting in a white silk can help make the most of any available light.

Just don't forget to invest in doormats for both inside and out - you really don't want your prospective buyers bringing with them the rain, mud, and worse, and walking it all over your lovely new floor.

Finally, much as you may love them, Tina Jesson says that a 'rogues' gallery' of family photos can alienate potential buyers.

"It needs to feel as though they can just move in," says Tina, "so I keep pics to a minimum and just a photo by the side of the bed."

A mirror on the wall has the opposite effect, however. It actually gives a potential buyer an image of themselves in your house. In addition, mirrors are an instant way to add light and increase the feeling of space.

Tom Coxton says that the energy flow, and, therefore, people's perception of the size of a small hall can be improved through the correct use of mirrors.

Tomas advises placing a large mirror (over two feet high and wide) on the side wall at about head height, but never on the back wall, especially opposite the front door.

1. Clear the clutter!

2. To create depth, place a mirror opposite a picture.

3. Furniture, such as a narrow consul table can look nice, but avoid anything that can become a dumping ground!

4. Don't paint a dark colour below a dado rail, it will make your hall look stumpy.

5. Paint skirtings the same colour as the floor to give the impression of a larger surface area by blurring the edges of the room.

6. Always paint the ceiling white unless it is very high (in which case try painting the area above the picture rail a deeper shade than the walls.)

7. For a low-ceilinged hall, use uplighters to make it appear further away. And for high ceilings, use pendants.

8. On a viewing day, make sure that the doors are open, and you'll find that the boundaries between the rooms blur, as the hall borrows space and light from the neighbouring rooms.

9. A 'rogues' gallery' of family photos can alienate potential buyers.

10. Invest in an inconspicuous key holder, then you'll know where to look so you can hand them over when you move.

Nikki Sheehan