Inviting Entry Hall

I have a new client with a rare design dilemma...she has too much space in her hallway! 

The blue wall you see off to the right is actually a plastic film cover on the new white lacquered kitchen cabinets from Ikea.  This hallway opens up into the living room, kitchen and family room through various doorways so it all needs to work together.  The trim details on the lower wall of the hallway will be removed because it's too traditional for my client's contemporary taste.

We are working with a palette of shades of gray and will accent with pops of lavender and persimmon throughout the main floor family room and living room on the opposite side of the kitchen but visible from the main entry.

Here are some inspiration shots we're working with:

Mark English Architects of California

We are going to paint the steps, railing and posts of the staircase black while leaving the spindles in white.  Later on the entire railing will be replaced with a glass wall, but for now removing the carpet and painting will make the staircase more of a feature in the over sized hallway.

via House Beautiful

I love the drama of the black lacquered door against the white marble tiles, sparkly mirrors and crystal sconces.  The black lacquer will also be used to paint over a red brick fireplace in the family room (details in a future post).

On the center wall I want to place a back lit piece of art for both ambient and functional lighting in the hallway.  This light source will be very helpful when entertaining in the living room which is a long walk to the opposite end of the hallway to the powder room.

Vu unlimited

There are three odd-shaped windows in the double height hallway that flood the space with great natural light, but as you can see the white sheers left by previous owners are not very elegant (to say the least).  We are looking at a couple of options:  One option is to paint the inside trim in matching black paint (or dark grey) to frame out the windows and then we'll place a commercial-type film to frost the windows for privacy, yet still let in all the light.  We are considering a graphic artistic stain glass look in hues to match our colour palette or a white geometric pattern on a frosted background.  

My preference is a shade with a bold, graphic design that will enhance the black & white colour scheme.

via Delia Shades

The black trim around the windows really make the graphics pop! 

I also need to source an area rug for the front entry and a console, a bench, a couple of stools, artwork and accessories - all the pretty stuff.  Some more possibilities:

Stay tuned for the continuing saga of Hallway Adventures!