The
Hallways
Please mind your head!
My entrance hallway is ridiculously small, so small in fact that I had to abandon the idea of a pendant light because the ceiling is so low! Guests would bang their heads upon entering and leaving the cottage each time, but we got around that. Martin had the genius idea of taking my love for fairy lights and using them as our only source of overhead lighting in the hallway. Twinkly, ambient lights, connected to the mains, now wind their way through the hallway and up the stairs and I love the end result!
I chose ‘Inchyra Blue’ by Farrow and Ball for the hall, stairs and landing because it’s a really clever, beautiful shade. It appears blue in some light, yet at other times it takes on earthy, green hues. This adorns the walls and ceiling because I tend to shy away from white ceilings, unless the walls are are also white. For me, a dark ceiling brings with it a warmer, cosier feel that suits a vintage inspired room very well, but it’s all down to personal taste and a white ceiling can work well in your room, if that’s your preference.
Our rear hallway links our front reception rooms to the rear kitchen, bathroom, utility room and back garden. I chose to paint it black after purchasing a painting by Deborah Tilley. She is an artist who was involved a few years ago with painting magnificent pieces around our local town of Haverfordwest on shop buildings – each painting was auctioned off and I bought that piece because I loved the colours so much. Black was the perfect backdrop for this piece of art. A Janet Stocker original also compliments the hallway vibe and a zebra print cabinet slots in perfectly to provide a home for my table lamp. Slate floors carry through into the kitchen and bathroom - a traditional, classic flooring that is both timeless and practical.
It dawned on me recently that no two wallpapered rooms are next to each other and I have separated each one with a painted area. My front hallway is painted and either side, my snug and dining room are papered. My rear hallway is painted, which leads to the kitchen and bathroom where wall paper dresses both rooms' walls. I understand why I have done this because by separating them, each area 'pops' and really stands out! There must have been a strong but subconscious feeling in me that wallpaper everywhere would have been a little too much pattern for the eye to behold!