Paint Colour Ideas for Small Hallways

Considering that the hallway sets the scene for your home and is often the first space your guests will see, it’s one of the most important rooms in your house to get right. However, hallways are often the smallest and narrowest areas of our home, which can make them feel more dingy than welcoming.

Luckily, all it takes is a lick of paint to transform a room. A quick solution is choosing paint colours for the hallway that make your space feel bright and spacious. If you’re lacking hallway inspiration, don’t worry; there are many designs you can explore to create the illusion of it being a bigger space.

We’ve put together our favourite small hallway ideas and decorating tips for how to make a narrow hallway look instantly wider with paint.

Before You Start

Always paint in a well-ventilated area and cover any surfaces with a dust sheet to prevent paint stains. We also recommend you read our DIY Safety Tips before carrying out any home improvement projects.

Small Hallway Paint Colours

Classic White

When it comes to colour ideas for small hallways, white paint is a classic choice. If your hallway is lacking in natural light, a bright white – free of any undertones – will give it a crisp and clean feel.

If you’re not feeling up for a completely white hallway, there are many off-white shades available. Dulux Heritage has a variety of whites with undertones of greys, blues, yellows and even greens.

Any of these hallway paint colours will create a luxurious feel in your small space. What’s more, they can be creatively accessorised with those warmer, darker tones you once thought you had to avoid.

Top tip: Use more than one shade of the same colour to add depth. Another great idea for a narrow hallway is to paint the ceiling 1-2 shades lighter than the walls. This will trick the eye by adding depth to the space.

Calming Blues and Greens

One of the more traditional ideas for painting a hallway is to use shades of warm red with brown undertones to make the hallway feel grand. However, these can often have the opposite effect and make a space feel tighter and heavier.

When it comes to the colour frequencies in cooler tones, they hit our senses slower than red-based colours – helping your small hallway look bigger. If you’re searching for a neutral shade that still incorporates colour. Light blue or green paint will add a splash of freshness and brightness to your hallway – evoking feelings of calm and tranquillity.

Soft Neutrals

Much like white, soft grey and taupe paint colours can add an element of ease and openness to small hallway spaces. If you’re not a fan of crisp, pure white, a softer neutral shade is a great colour for narrow hallways, as it’ll have the same brightening and widening effect.

Timeless and elegant, soft neutrals often have lilac undertones that look great alongside whitewashed wood furniture for an earthly, modern farmhouse feel.

Top tip: Fix any problem spots (like holes and cracks) in your walls with fillers and sand the whole area to create a smooth surface before you begin to paint.

Pastels

Pastel tones such as light lavender and barely-there pinks are perfect small hallway paint colours – particularly if you’re feeling a little bold with your decisions. These paint colours will create a welcome luminescence to your small hallway space – yet have just enough depth to establish texture and interest.

Daring enough to create a slight statement, yet modest enough not to overwhelm the hallway, pastels are an ideal hallway paint idea for those who want to create a happy and relaxed entrance to their home. The key to using pastel paint colours is to choose its very lightest shade, as this helps you maintain those light-reflecting benefits of lighter tones.

High Sheen Finishes

Choosing a colour in silk finish will intensify its light-reflecting properties, further enhancing how you can make a small hallway look and feel bigger. Make sure to check out our paint tools and accessories as it’s all about getting the right tools for the job to achieve the perfect finish.

Small and Narrow Hallway Decorating Ideas

As important to creating the illusion of a bigger room is the decor we choose to widen our spaces. So, in addition to using our small hallway paint ideas, make sure you decorate your entrance strategically to complement your new colours.

Mirrors, for example, are a great addition to any small room. Whether you would prefer to go for lots of small ones to create a feature wall or for one statement wall-to-ceiling piece, mirrors will reflect light and make it bounce off your other walls, creating the illusion of a bigger space.

Invest in a runner mat to draw the eye down the length of your hallway space and make it feel even bigger.

Another simple narrow hallway idea is to install spotlights or light fixtures with multiple bulbs in your ceiling. This will create several sources of light, rather than having just one centralised fitting.

Whatever flooring option you choose, keep it darker than the colour you’ve chosen for your small hallway walls. Your eyes will be drawn upwards towards lighter areas, therefore making your small hallway feel bigger.

Top tip: Now you’ve transformed the hallway, get inspired to refresh other areas of your home with our wall panelling guide.

And there you have it! These small hallway ideas are sure to get you inspired. Don’t forget to upload a photo of your new hallway to social media and tag us @Homebase_uk.