For My Collection

Some people collect spoons, model trains, beanie babies...   I collect photos of homes that have the US flag displayed.  I just love it. - Especially when it's not too "folksy".

See more of my collection here.  If you see any good photos for me to add to my collection- please pass them along.  ;-)

Photos from One Nation Under God

Lisa's Hallway Makeover

Christine,
I'm in need of your help. As you can tell by the pictures my front hallway, stairs and my hallway upstairs, are in need of a serious makeover! We do plan on putting a carpet runner down the stairs, they're a bit of a death trap. I do live in Ontario, Canada so mats are needed at the front. My main concerns are paint colour, seeing as how everything including the floor and doors are painted the same colour. It's my New Year's resolution to get this sorted out, we've lived in the house for 3 years and don't plan on moving anytime soon. Thanks for your time, looking forward to hearing from you.
Regards,
Lisa

Hi Lisa,
I see that your first concern is paint color- but as I have said many times- paint is the very last selection. So- I will not start there- and neither should you. ;)

Your bench is too large. Move it to a better location in your home. If you want a bench here- that's great- but I'd get a smaller one.

I would remove the chair rail. You have some terrific moldings - great size base and window trim- but the chair rail is first of all- installed too high, and secondly- too small. Look at the size of the chair rail next to the window trim- it is smaller than the window trim. (All of you should now be appalled- and gasping for air.)

Add some wallpaper. What a perfect place for wallpaper. You can add style and interest and personalization and color and pattern and texture- all with one selection. Wallpaper. I selected a toile for you- trying to find something that coordinated with your trim color. However- if changing the trim color is part of your plan- select whatever wallpaper you'd like to- than select paint colors from there. Get wallaper samples - make sure they match your trim color. Get a style that is consistent in color and style with the decorating in the rest of the home. You don't want to create a disconnect by falling in love with a contemporary paper if your home is decorated in a traditional style.

Your floor should be a different color than your trim. I would paint it a shade of brown- again- wallpaper selection first- then use the colors there to make the perfect paint selection.

I love your door panel style. I can tell that you have a charming older home. The new California tract homes that I live in don't begin to have such great style in their doors and knobs.

I liked this toile from York.
For your stairs- I would go with a sisal runner. Simple and classic- a bit more modern than the paper- keeping the look current and fresh- while at the same time traditional and charming. Remove your wall decor- add a cool mirror like the one from Uttermost at the top of the post. I don't have a great shot of your wall space in the hall itself- but if you have a good location- add a sconce or two. Can you see it? I can and it looks terrific. A true makeover for your hallway. If you don't want to do wallpaper- do it anyway- you will thank me later. ;)

Happy New Year everyone! Anyone else have home improvement New Year's Resolutions?

For more hallway posts click here.

Not Your Hum Drum Hallway...

At a reader's request I posted a few months ago on hallways. I came across one in my Jan/ Feb 2010 Elle Decor that I wanted to share with you. I can't really decide if I like it. There are definitely aspects about it that I like- but I think overall- it was perhaps a bit overdone. Maybe if not so many walls were turned into photo galleries... What do you think?

Cool things to notice:

1. Beadboard- even (and perhaps especially cool) on the ceiling.


2. Lighting. I would like to see a shot of this at night with the artificial lighting...


3. The black doors-- super cool. I love them.


4. The red frames. Far less common than black- and oh so perfect.


5. All black and white photos. - I'd say this is a must have in this type of arrangement.

What do you think?

Heavenly Hallways

Hi Christine,

Just wondering if you can some time dedicate a blog to decorating hallways in a fabulous way? Mine is dark and narrow and I hate how the paint color looks in the evenings (a neutral that is just entirely the wrong tone). It probably has to do with the lighting. I was thinking would sconces be better than ceiling lights? Or maybe a combo of both? I would love to give that hallway some interest. There is no way to put any furniture because it's too narrow for it so I'm left with plain walls, doors and ceiling. What would help most? Paint color? Wallpaper? Wood mouldings? Picture Frames? Mirrors? I want it to be unexpected, a place that I don't dread seeing when I come up the stairs. I didn't see a category for hallways in your blog so thought maybe you want to expand your repertoire.
As always a HUGE THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!
Sonia

I remember when I was a younger girl, (about 7 years ago) I had a client with this super long hallway with ten foot ceilings. I had no idea what to do with this hallway. It was only about four feet wide, so I could not add any shelves or furniture. Luckily, her husband got transferred to Oregon before we got that far. :) Years later, I have lots of ideas. What should I have told her? She had large expanses of boring drywall. It needed to be broken up into manageable sections. She should have added hardwired sconces. Then you can hang some wall décor, and it feels grounded - to scale - not like it is floating in a large sea of drywall. She should have added wall trim at about eight feet, and a wainscot up the bottom three. This would have brought her enormous walls to a better scale. In an area like this with no furniture, the wall décor should be hung at eye level. I have seen some coved ceilings in hallways that are beautiful - with lighting hidden in the coving. If you have the width, you could add architectural arches that would break up the space. Have your colors blend with the main portion of your home. To add interest, you can change the wall surface - like the brick wall at the top of the post. Hallways can be the perfect place for an art gallery or photo gallery. If you have galleries, consider track lighting or directional lighting to highlight photos. If you have ceilings over eight feet, use hanging lights instead of flush ceiling mount lights.... and always sconces - every hallway needs sconces... When the end of the hallway is not a door, it should be your focal point. Have it lit - make it beautiful - add a niche if there is space. Create something worth walking toward. When you have a hard surface, break up the stretch with runners. Rugs are beautiful - adding them to your hallway will make it beautiful. Wallpaper your hallway. Adding pattern can disguise what otherwise might be a long narrow space. Adding a chair rail, like was done here below in the Mosaic Hotel in Beverly Hills, helps with scale, requiring smaller art to fill the space. Remember this post though- no whimpy chair rails! Don't forget scale. Just becasue it is a hallway doesn't mean you can start breaking rules.

Don't simply ignore your hallway. Every space in your home is an opportunity to express your family's personality, create beauty, and invite others. Anyone have any other ideas for hallways?