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.

Chair Rails and Shadow Box Colors

Hi Christine

On your website, you mention that the darker color should always be on top of a chair rail. But, many pictures on your and other websites show white at AND below the chair rail with a color on top. Typically the white below the chair rail has shadow boxes as well. Do you think white at and below the chair rail with a color on top works? We have golden brown hardwood floors in the dining room with a darker brown dining room set. I wanted to do Benjamin Moore antique white in a semi gloss at AND below the chair rail, with show boxes below the chair rail, Benjamin Moore atrium white on the molding around the archway to the living room and door opening (no door) to the kitchen, with a fairly dark blue (Benjamin Moore Blue Lapis (2067-40) eggshell on top of the chair rail. Do you think that would work? What should I paint the crown molding and ceiling in? The room is approx 12 x 13. The dark blue is the thing that I question the most.

Thank you for your time.
Mike

Dear Mike,

If I actually said that the darker color is supposed to be on top- please show me that post- I would not have meant to say that. To avoid confusion- I will try to be more clear- but the subject itself is somewhat confusing- so- follow along here.

1. When you have two colors below and above the chair rail- I would put the darker of the two below. Why? Yes- there is a reason. The darker shade is more visually heavy. It is subconsciously uncomfortable to be in a room that is a little top heavy. Having the heavier weight lower feels better- subconsciously.
2. When the area below the chair rail is a wainscot- the rules change. Your wainscot is part of your wood trim. In most cases- it is better for these to all be the same paint. Same paint on the window casings, door frames, baseboards, chair rail, picture frame mouldings, floor skirts, and wainscoting. (This is a most of the time rule- not an all the time rule). Frequently this color is white. White as a wainscoting below the chair rail and a color on top is perfect. Does that make the room visually uncomfortable because of the top heavy thing? No- because the visual weight of the mouldings is more than the darker color. However- sometimes- I think this is pushed a bit- when the top paint color is too dark- like in the photo above. I personally think the paint color is too dark here- and the room would be more comfortable with a lighter shade. I know the desired effect is drama- and perhaps with the right window treatments, and other furnishings- this might look amazing- but I will say that as is- it is a top heavy room.


3. If I were to do the shadow box- or picture frame moulding like you are describing- I personally- would paint it all like it was wainscoting. To me- that is what it is trying to be- and when it is all painted the same white- I think it looks the best. I would treat it like wainscoting. Paint it the same color as all other mouldings. For example- I do NOT like the photo above. I think it would look better to have it all white below the chair rail. Theoretically you shouldn't be able to really tell it is not a real wainscoting- and yet here they are drawing attention to it. I don't like it. It's like hanging a sign on your fake purse that says, "I am not really louis vuitton."

So there- is that clear- or still confusing?

Too Much Negative Space

Hi Christine,

I came across your blog and would love your opinion on something. The first attached picture is the living room of a house we just bought. I am told the woodwork around the windows is of very nice quality and is admittedly in really good shape. However, its not my style. I am more of a white molding type of girl. My aesthetic is black furniture, white couches and punches of color with rugs, pillows, accessories, etc. Do you think painting the moldings white would be a terrible idea? I am also kinda in love with the black moldings I’m seeing popping up more and more in interior design but think that may be a bit too risky since much of our anchor furniture will be black. Any other general suggestions for the room? The furniture is not mine (current owners) by the way and we are starting from scratch with furnishing so any suggestions are most welcome! The baseboards are white- and the window casings are wood. I think your purse already doesn't match your shoes- so go ahead and change your shoes. Translation: paint your trim. Your window trim should always be the same as the baseboards. The furniture arrangement is hideous- but I really need a floorplan to help you with that specifically- but I will say that the focal point is the TV- and yet the majority of the furniture does not face it. (I know this is all the previous owner- I just don't want you to make the same mistakes.) The rug is floating in the middle of nowhere- leaving a huge negative space in the center of the room. See this post on negative space. If you had your furniture drawn on a floorplan- and then made a shape showing the area without furniture- that is the negative space- if it is a big area- that's not good. Pull in the furniture- bring it around the TV better- consider an arrangement like the sofa and two chairs that I gave to this reader. Or perhaps have two sofas perpendicualr to the TV with a large square ottoman between them.
My second question is about the second picture – it is the dining room which is open to the living room in the first picture (notice the same black leather chair in each picture to get the general layout). Do you think we need to paint both rooms the same color since they are so connected as one space or can we do something different with the dining room? I am also a huge fan of wainscoting and always dreamed of a molding happy formal dining room but I don’t think I can add that in this space since it's so connected to the living room. Thoughts?

If you add wainscoting- it should be the same color as the trim. This is a good reason to not paint your trim black- as black wainscoting would be way too dark in a small place like this. You need a huge house to pull that off. Like in the movie Ghosts of Girlfriends Past- keep in mind that house was a huge mansion. These two rooms share a wall- and therefore a color pallet. Does it have to be all one color of paint- no- but it needs to coordinate seamlessly. Right now there is one green wall- and yet that wall is not especially great in any way. I think it would look better to do more than one wall in a second color if you choose to use one.

Thanks much!
Amy

If you choose to add wainscoting- be consistent in style with the craftsman trim you have- whether it is painted or not. Below are a couple of examples of craftsman wainscoting.

You have a beautiful house- great floors- good trim size- it will look fabulous!

Thanks for writing in!

Christine