I received hardware from D. Lawless Hardware in return for writing this post. However, any opinions expressed are still my own and I promise I would only recommend products that I love and use myself!
We lived in our house almost a year before even touching the upstairs hallway. Since we didn’t have kiddos and the only people in that hallway were the occasional Airbnb guest, we just weren’t all that worried about it. But once we started working on our little boy’s nursery , we got inspired to update this space!
Like most of our house, it was painted a yellowy-tan with orange-toned wood trim (we had already painted the trim in this picture, but you can see what it looks like in the before pictures of our son’s nursery). There’s one big window opposite the hallway, but otherwise it gets almost no natural light and felt very dark and closed off.
A couple hours of work, some coats of paint, and a few pretty frames later, it looks so much better! If you’re looking to update your hallway, I recommend you try these five things that we did. They made all the difference and our hallway is now a space I love walking through!
1) Paint the walls a light, neutral color.
It seems like when a lot of people try to brighten a space without much light, they lean towards bright, cheerful colors. These colors can actually absorb the light to make it seem darker, and they also can throw off the flow of the house if you have different colors in all the rooms connecting to the hallway. One of our favorite ways to make spaces feel connected is to use paint colors off the same paint chip (that little card you get at the store). We chose a cool, white-gray that is the lightest shade on the paint chip where the other paint colors in our upstairs come from. This helps the whole space flow and it reflects beautifully the little natural light that we do have!
Paint Color: Behr Irish Mist
2) Bring in as much cool white as you can.
Orangey, wood trim darkens and ages a space so quickly. One of our first steps was to paint all the trim in the hallway white. It was a ton of work (and we had some much-needed help from my brother-in-law to paint all those doors) but it made a HUGE difference right away. We also installed new baseboard trim from Home Depot, something we’ve gradually been doing in our entire house. It brought out the cool, airy feeling of the walls and made the rooms seem bright instead of like dark spots along the hallway.
3) Update to hardware with silver undertones.
Our whole house had bright, shiny gold and brass doorknobs and hinges (see pictures below). They looked so out of place with all the cool white and gray tones in our house, so updating them was high on the to-do list!
I loved these satin stainless knobs from D. Lawless Hardware. They look so much more modern but still feel simple and classic. Updating hardware is a great way to update the whole hallway if you don’t have the money to replace old doors (which we didn’t), and a place like D. Lawless Hardware is the perfect place to find affordable, stylish hardware!
4) Use simple, crisp wall decor.
I’m all about gallery walls and bold statement pieces on walls, but a hallway without much natural light is maybe not the best place for these. We used a few simple white frames from Ikea ($9 each, baby!) and some pictures I printed at Target to fill the walls and they add a little style and color without being overwhelming. Hallways are transitional spaces, so choose pieces that will catch your eye without having to linger too long. Since this is a space where mostly just family will be, it’s also a fun space to display favorite photos. I chose 5-6 photos that tell our love story, starting with a picture of us holding letters, an engagement pic, a wedding pic, our pregnancy announcement, and then a maternity picture. I’m excited to put more pictures with our little one on the opposite wall when he arrives!
5) Spray paint old vents or light covers.
Our house had all sorts of yellowed light and other switch covers. I brought them out into the garage, sprayed on a coat or two of spray paint, and voila: they look so much better! Spray paint is magical, y’all. When in doubt, use it.
Do you have the same problem with dark hallways as we do? What have you done to update them or brighten them up?
I love this! When I built my home two years ago I painted some crazy colors and I recently have started to love neutral – so we re painted the whole house practically an off white/cream and I love it! I love natural light and it makes everything so much brighter! You did a great job!
Alicia recently posted…DIY Farmhouse Shelves
Thanks, Alicia! We are all about the neutrals and you’re so right…they make everything brighter and more open!
What an amazing change! This is exactly what I’ve been spending the last week doing! Whoever owned our house before us painted all of the trim this ugly dark brown, and it was hideous. I’ve been painting it all a nice clean white, and I can’t believe the difference it has made. I love that you even updated the hardware to silver tones.
Samantha recently posted…Why Moms Need Wine
Thanks, Samantha! Oooooh I hated all of our wood trim when we moved in. It takes FOREVER to paint it all white (as I’m sure you know) but it’s so worth the effort!
I love the before and afters! Isn’t it crazy what a difference just the paint color makes?! Our upstairs had the same feel–dingy and yellow. Such a great renovation, Lauren! 🙂
Julie Hood recently posted…aiden’s birth story
Thanks, Julie! Adding bright, neutrals makes everything feel so much brighter. I bet your upstairs is so much prettier and more fun to be in now!
Lauren, I can’t believe how drastic of a change your two hallways look – they don’t even look like the same house!! As I read this, I peered upstairs to my hallway that could use some brightening. The biggest thing for us are our doors, which we need to update or paint white. I love how bright and airy yours looks and am very inspired. Pinning for sure : )
Lindsay recently posted…Ways Moms are Mean Girls (and Why This Needs to Change)
Thanks, Lindsay…it amazes us too! I’ve heard doors are a beast to paint, so you’ll have to let me know if you try that.
I have a dark hallway, so read this with interest! I already have white walls but think I will move to brighter, silver hardware as well. That is a great suggestion. Thanks!
Trish recently posted…Did You Know Tuesday – Almond Joy
Thanks, Trish! We love how much brighter everything looks now!
Just the change in paint color really made a difference! And yes to silver tones, almost all of our house is in this goldish tone and brown tone and some of the hardware we can’t remove (it’s attached to the door) so it really darkens parts of the house since we chose to not paint when I was pregnant.
liz @ j for joiner
Thanks, Liz! It really is amazing how little changes like paint and hardware can make a difference. I hope you guys are having fun turning your house into a space you love! 😉
Love the before and after! Great tips – your home is so light, airy, and crisp. Love it!
Topaz & Sapphire recently posted…Women Who Work – Leslie Woods of Raleigh Raw
Thanks! 🙂 We love it too!
I seriously don’t understand everyone’s obsession with yellow/brown tone walls. Our house was filled with them and they just sucked up all the light! The worst part is that our house was built in the 70s so there are very few overhead lights and our front room is completely reliant on lamps (this is my pet peeve!!) We chose similar color to yours and have painted our entire house. It’s so much brighter now! I can’t believe the difference it made!
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Yes, me neither! Oooooh that would be so hard. I love lamps for the style and cozy feel, but sometimes it’s so nice to just flip on an overhead light for convenience. I bet your house looks so much prettier now!
I love the change you guys made! It’s amazing how just a few updates can make a small space like a hallway feel SO much bigger and brighter! I swear, I need you to come decorate our house, when we eventually buy one!
Erin @ Very Erin recently posted…Destructive Habits We Need to Quit
Thanks, Erin! Haha you’re so sweet 🙂 I bet your house is beautiful!
It looks so good!! I need to get more done on our home so that I can post more updates!
Amberly recently posted…Bucket List Date Night: Midway Ice Castles
Yes please! I always love getting sneak peeks into people’s houses 😉
oh my gosh, I LOVE the after photo. The whites are so spectacular. We need to update our hallway downstairs, but the walls are wooden and paint won’t stick:(. I’ll have to check out that hardware for our doors…and add some beautiful crisp pictures in! The kids hallway upstairs was already a lighter shade of blue, but I would love to add some photos with white frames up there too. Thanks for the suggestions, Lauren!
Lauren Jane recently posted…What I’m Bringing to Birth this Time-After Over Packing for my Last!
Thanks, Lauren! I love all the whites too. Hmm wooden walls would be a fun “challenge” to overcome. Wooden paneling can be so pretty when it’s painted! It’s a pretty big project but I bet could be beautiful .
I helped someone paint their great room that had dark paneling. OMG. We put a primer on first and then 2 coats of a light gray and it out so pretty! Its hard to imagine they left this paneling up for 30 years!!! It wasn’t hard to paint at all. We all used rollers and it was done in about 4 days. Huge room!
Such great tips! I love light greys and whites for darker spaces because they really do just brighten it so so much. Your hallway looks fantastic now!!
Thanks, Hannah. I love them too!
Our upstairs hallway has dark old (50+ years) wallpaper that we are ready to get rid of. I will be using some of these tips when we finally tackle it.
Beth recently posted…Adopt Me: Harley and Darcy
Oh man, wallpaper is such a struggle. I bet that will be a big project but make a huge difference!
I wish we had a picture of the hallway from before we did any of the trim – the transformation would be even more drastic!
Such a beautiful transformation! I love the cool, bright colors. Our house had the original oak trim and brass fixtures when we bought it (plus some hideous wall colors) — so far those are the only things we’ve changed (I’m itching to paint more walls!!) but it has made a huge difference. Thanks for the inspiration! I’m tucking this away for when I update the dining room. 🙂
Brittany Bergman recently posted…Love Letters: To My Husband on an Ordinary Day of Marriage
Thanks, Brittany! I hope you follow that itch (in all your free time with work and baby, you know?) and paint it. I love seeing the transformations when people do!
I NEVER think about the hallway when updating rooms in our house! But, you are totally right, it can really make or break your mood as you move through it. I always have a hard time matching paint colors around the house so thanks for the tip of using colors from the same sample card!
Lori recently posted…February Favorites: Leading Men
It’s such a random space but really does make a difference. That’s one of our favorite tips…using similar colors helps everything flow!
I looks so much better! It’s crazy how just a new color schem can transform a space!
LOVE IT!!! I did the sunroom lighter. It had 2 red brick walls and 2 walls of sliding doors! It took me a couple of days to paint that red brick white and the difference was amazing. I like the neutral tones in a home and accessories make the difference, love those new picture frames in white. D Lawless Hardware has so many gorgeous styles to pick from. I’ve replaced my kitchen cabinet knobs several times and the ones I found at DLawless are the ones I’ve gotten so many compliments on!!!
Thank you for posting your makeover!
Oh I bet that was GORGEOUS! One of my secret plans for our house is to somehow get a whitewashed brick wall. I love the look! I’m glad you like D. Lawless too…I’ve used them for so many projects and I love all their stuff!
I get a lot of compliments on this sunroom. I wish I would have had a paint sprayer to use instead of a roller. It would have been faster, but it turned out beautifully. I would post before and after pics, but not too sure where or how to post on here!!!
Neighbors who have a similar home were astounded by the difference. I do alot of online surveys, so I had a lot of points saved up. Off to Lowes for paint, and it was all free!!!! That’s the kind of updating I like to do!!!
I bet! Ha yeah I’m not sure how you could share them here. I bet it’s so pretty though! Paint is such a cheap, easy way to upgrade and completely transform a space. I love it!
HI,
It’s looking really amazing, i am going to renovate my home next month in summer vacation. i got amazing idea form your post and follow in my home
Step 6, take photos on a bright sunny day as opposed to the dark night like the before shot.
Ha you are correct, that was unfortunately the only shot we remembered to take before! I promise it was a big difference though!