10 bright hallway colours to transform your entryway
The hallway is often overlooked and considered a less exciting area of the house. But think about how often you walk through it. How does it make you feel when you open the front door and step inside? More importantly, how would you like the entryway to make you and your visitors feel?
Creating a bright hallway that’s airy and interesting can change the way you and your guests feel on arrival. Make a great first impression with bright hallway colours.
Here’s our pick of the ten best bright hallway paint colours to liven up your entryway.
1. Yellow: the sunny hallway paint colour
What better than the colour of sunshine to provide a warm welcome? Bright yellow can really lift the spirits and make you smile. Typically, hallways are devoid of natural sunshine. A sunny, yellow paint colour can provide an uplifting boost of light and warmth where there is none otherwise.
Mylands' Wharf Sacking™ No.127 is a soft and creamy yellow which is warm and inviting. Used on the stairs and wall in this picture below, it works perfectly with a bolder, darker shade for contrast.
Stairs & Right Wall in Wharf Sacking™ No.127, Back wall in Sella
If the idea of an entirely yellow hallway feels scary. How about a yellow entrance as shown in the picture below? It’s enough to make an initial impact as you step inside the house, and add sunny brightness to a dark hallway.
DOOR & WALLS in Golden Square™ No.131, Walls in Burlington Arcade™ No.216
2. Green: the fresh hallway paint colour
A natural green colour scheme feels really fresh. It's evocative of the environment with myriad shades. Green can help to relax you as well, just like being out in nature.
The green shade you choose will be influenced by the natural brightness of your hallway. Light green is a wonderfully versatile colour which gives the perception of space. That can be a real bonus in a small or narrow hallway.
Dark green can make a great accent colour in a naturally light hallway. In the picture below, Mylands' Brompton Road™ No.205 deep green paint makes an attractive feature of the wooden panelling. The neutral walls surrounding it add to the hallway’s brightness and prevent it feeling enclosed. Deep, dark green works so well next to earthy shades and natural textures, such as wood and stone-tiled surfaces.
Paneling in Brompton Road™ No.205
3. Light blue: the calming hallway paint colour
How do you want to feel as you move around your home? If serene is on that wishlist, pale blue would be a perfect hallway colour idea.
Light blue provides a softness in an often stark and functional area of the house. It helps to make your space feel light and airy which can be hard to achieve in an enclosed, dark hallway.
Light blue pairs well with other pastel colours or white as shown in the picture below which features Mylands' Mid Wedgewood™ No.113 on the woodwork. It’s such a fresh and clean colour scheme.
Walls in Belgavia™ No.6, doors and woodwork in Mid Wedgewood™ No.113 and Pink House Pink
4. Pink: the playful hallway paint colour
Hot pink can be a bold choice, but if you want to make a dramatic statement then why not do so in the hallway? It’s the room that is seen first. It makes a striking first impression. Plus, it teases what the rest of your home has in store.
Pink is a wonderfully warm colour. It’s really inviting. It can be fun and playful, vibrant and dramatic, delicate and soft. It can liven up an otherwise neutral, say taupe or grey hallway, as an ideal contrast colour.
Mylands' Covent Garden Floral™ No.270 combines red and pink tones for impact. It’s a charming shade that you’d find in an English rose garden. For a less intense pink, check out Floris™ No.27 which is closer to a blush shade.
Woodwork and back wall in Covent Garden Floral™ No.270, front wall in Smithfield™ No.19
5. Bright blue: the vibrant hallway paint colour
There’s nothing like a bright, vibrant blue to bring energy to a room. It’s uplifting and bold with a real depth to it, much like the ocean. It brings a feeling of movement with it which is ideal for a transitional space like a hallway.
Cobalt blue is a really modern shade which will update a neglected hallway instantly. Evocative of sunny Mediterranean holidays, it is an eye-catching introduction to the rest of the house which will intrigue and impress your guests.
The statement blue feature wall below shows the beautiful paint colours of Mylands' Proper Blue™ No.67 with Sorrel Green™ No.207 on the woodwork.
Foreground Walls in Proper Blue™ No.67, woodwork in Sorrel Green™ No.207, Back wall in Cotton Street™ No.3
6. Orange: the warm hallway paint colour
Orange is a brave choice, but it’s also really fun. A splash of orange adds instant warmth. It's so uplifting and vibrant that it gives an instant energy boost.
A pop of bright orange is enough to do the trick. It could be your front door, a shelving alcove or the entryway. A bright orange front door (interior) is so eye-catching. As such, it draws the eye along the hallway which can be a beneficial visual trick in a narrow or small passageway.
Mylands' Lolly Pop™ No.205 dates back to the 1960s, so works really well with mid-century styling.
7. Peach: the fresh hallway paint colour
Peach may not seem a bright colour, but it does provide a warmth and softness that you don’t find with bright white. It’s a comforting shade which oozes freshness. It’s an easy wall colour to live with and it feels so relaxing.
It provides a great background for stronger accessories such as luxe metals or geometric fabrics or prints. It’s subtle enough not to vie for attention, but interesting enough to make a point. For a contemporary take, use peach alongside mid-tone wood and white woodwork.
Walls in Peach Flesh Pink™ No.268, Woodwork in Hoxton Grey™ No.72
8. Red: the dramatic hallway paint colour
A bright red hallway may feel a tad too bold. But red is such a showstopper that it shouldn’t be rejected out of hand if you want to add a touch of drama to your entryway.
A red front door looks classic yet still modern. Consider the inside of your door too. You can match paint colours on the front and back of the door, or mix them up. So if you want something more subdued on the outside for all to see, do so. But inside, add some personality and theatre!
Similarly, you could add some red paint to the lower half of your wall, but pair it with white or stone for example. It is such a wonderful accent colour that adds depth, warmth and interest.
Door in Mortlake Red™ No.290
9. Grey: the refined hallway paint colour
Using grey paint in your hallway can make it feel bright and airy. It’s a soft and calm shade with timeless appeal. If your hallway is naturally dark, a pale grey will lift it and add much-needed lightness.
Different greys add warmth or coolness, so choose mindfully depending on the vibe you want to create. A light grey like Mylands' Grays Inn™ No.167 will add warmth and works particularly well next to white. Stirrup™ No.114, however, is more silver in colour and it’s less warm. A warm grey can make a good contrast colour to pale walls on woodwork, dado rails and door frames.
WALLs in Archway House™ No.106, doors and Architraves in Blackout™ No.41
DOORFRAME in Hoxton Grey™ No.72, door in Grays Inn™ No.167 & Honest John™ No.58, Walls in Honest John™ No.58, Bannister in London Brown™ No.287
10. White: the light hallway paint colour
It may not be exciting, but sometimes only white will do in a hallway. It brings a freshness and light to a sometimes dark space that’s devoid of natural light. It’s a simple way to brighten up that internal space, particularly in a small hallway. Don't forget that there's a multitude of shades of white paint ranging from bright white to off-white.
Use a white hallway as a backdrop to interesting artwork or alongside a bright feature wall to add warmth and personality. The vivid blue staircase shown in the picture below is made all the more striking as it stands out against the white skirting and white walls around it.
Walls in Maugham White™ No.2, Stairs in Boathouse™ No.33, Bannister in London Brown™ No.287
Things to consider when creating a bright hallway
A bright hallway can provide a lovely, warm welcome for your guests (and yourself) as you enter the house. It can entice you inwards to discover what else is in store in the rest of your home and tease your chosen home decor. It can lift the spirits, relax and comfort you. But do remember that it needs to enhance, rather than compete with, the decor of the living room , kitchen and/or dining room that it adjoins.
Mylands paints have been formulated to last. Hallways are high traffic areas of your home so you want a paint that will endure the inevitable scuffs. Our matt emulsion paints are hard-wearing and created to cope well with busy lifestyles.
For more hallway design inspiration and DIY advice, read our blog on hallway paint ideas.
