I thought it was high time that I gave my very narrow Victorian Hallway a makeover! Before, it was a bland white entryway that lacked any character, depth or colour… it certainly wasnt welcoming! Like all my Interior projects, our budget was small and fully reliant on some hands on DIY. Here’s how we did it..

Hallway Dimensions

So you get the gist of just how pokey my Hallway is, here’s some measurements: At just 1 metre wide and 5 metres long, in our house, we have to go down the Hallway one person at a time! Or, one person and a small child if we smush!

But its not all bad news, what we lack in width and length, we make up for in height. Like most Victorian houses our home has very high ceilings, roughly 3.2 metres high!

This is great news, it gives the illusion of space! So, I may not be able to swing a cat in there, but the height of the space does prevent it from feeling too claustrophobic. I can work with that…

Deciding On Colours For My Victorian Hallway

You may have noticed from the other rooms in my house that I am not shy about using colour! I especially like warm and moody tones! Or, Huggable colours, as I like to call them!

When you live in the UK as I do and return home after a day spent in cold and blustery weather, coming home to a warm and comforting home is exactly what I need! and so do my kids.

So How do I decide on colours? I usually start with something I love, such as a cushion, a rug or even a piece of art. I then simply pick colours from it and create the room around it.

For example the artwork below of an Autumnal woodland scene was my inspriration for my Victorian hallway….

From this Picture, I picked greens, reds and browns and pulled together a space that represents all those lovely tones! From the wall colour to the artwork to the rug and doors, each colour has been represented in some way…

Oversized Art

I love it! It makes a bold statement and fills large spaces of wall…particularly helpful when decorating old Victorian houses like mine! Worried about the cost? Dont be, here’s a cheap and cheerful Hack to save the Pennies…

Heard of Amazon? They sell huge ‘tapestries’ made of cloth, which are perfect for Stretching on to a wooden frame and creating your own, supersized, Canvas Art ! The 130 x 150 Autumnal Woodland Tapestry cost me just £11.98!

We went out and bought 5 lengths of wood 18mm x 28mm and fashioned a frame using corner brackets and fixed a central bar to prevent the frame from flexing. I then stapled the fabric on to the frame, pulling the fabric tight for a taut fit, I used a glue gun to tidy up the corners, then hung it on the wall.

See my Van Gogh Tapestry below from my Bathroom Renovation for a visual…

World Map

I repeated the same process with the Historical map of the world by my front door. Although the original version of this map was first created in 1788 by Kitty Ellis . A cotton reproduction Tapestry is available of Amazon for as little as £8.99

The Gap Fillers!

Once I had the large Tapestries on the Wall, I wanted to fill the gaps that were left behind (I am a fan of maximalist interiors afterall! Less is not always more in my case!) But of Course, I didnt want to spend a fortune on new frames and prints…

I headed over to ebay and bought several, already framed, vintage prints and paintings. Each one costing no more that £5.00.

The Priestess of Delphi

I have long admired the Artwork of British Artist John Collier. This Piece ‘The Priestess of Delphi’ created in 1888 is a beautiful example of his work. The original, is an oil on Canvas, but I had to settle for a high quality Print!

She was so Much More Than a Beautiful Painting…

Also known as the Oracle of Delphi, she was said to be blessed with divine wisdom! It was believed that the prophesies of the Ancient Greek God Apollo were conveyed from her lips. Decisions of State were said to rest on her words and even the ancient Greek armies would not march without her blessing.

Her position at the centre of one of the most powerful religious institutions of ancient Greece gave her incredible power. She would consult not only on warfare and matters of state but also lend guidance to those suffering from lovesickness, and other personal problems. She was highly regarded and people travelled thousands of miles just to seek her counsel.

If your going to have a symbol of a strong woman at the entrance to your home…she’s probably a good one to have!

My Ugly Front Door!

My Front door is fit for purpose, it keeps out the rain and cold and has several multi point locks to keep the home safe. It has everything a front door should have! There’s only one problem, its bloody ugly!

Originally, the plan was to replace the door completely with a brand new spanking one…However, the boiler decided to die a death right in the middle of winter! So the budget for the door, plus a whole lot MORE went on replacing the boiler! Que sera, sera…

What can you do? A word I have become all too familiar with over the years, inevitably reared its head… COMPROMISE- such a filthy word sometimes isn’t it!! But nethertheless, one I have come accustomed too! And honestly, overtime, ive become quite fond of it. Compromise I have learned, is not always a bad thing, just an alternative thing! It is a circumstance of affairs that can lead to creative thinking and even save you some money too!

Instead of spending £1000 on a door I can spend £25.99 on a pot of UPVC Paint!. I bought Paintnuts UPVC Window & Door Paint – RAL-9011 – GRAPHITE BLACK Matt 500ml Tin. Its fabulous stuff! Simply clean and dry the door and frame, then paint. I needed no primer or sealant and it dries in record time! As you can see below, it completely transformed the door and by extension, the entire look of the Hallway.

Victorian Hallway Decoration & Curtains

Other than the Artwork I have added to the hallway, a radiator cabinet, a mirror, lanterns, candlesticks and Faux plants. Normally I would have preferred real plants, however, they wouldnt survive very long on top of a heat source! So, here’s that word again..compromise! The leaves of these ‘mother in laws Tongue’s’ faux plants may be plastic, but they are still quite lovely. Similar can be bought here

The plush Green Velvet door Curtain is from Jysk –AUSTRA 1x140x300 velvet green . Sold in single panels, I bought two to give a more abundant drape.

Wall Paint

For the walls I chose a Pastel Olive, not too light , not too dark…perfect for such an enclosed space. I bought Wickes Vinyl Matt Emulsion Paint – Pastel Olive No.816 – 2.5L

Rug

Picking the warm tones from my Autumnal Tapestry I chose this traditional style runner rug off Amazon, it adds colour and comfort to the space without overwhelming it.

The welcome mat is from coir products

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Storage

There is no room for coats in this space, I have understairs storage for that. However, I did want a storage solution for our umbrella’s. I found this lovely Vintage Antique Style Heavy Duty Cast Iron Umbrella Stand. It’s compact and attractive and works wonderfully well in such narrow quarters.