Hallways – First Impressions Count!
The hallway is the gateway to your home. It’s the very first thing your guests and potential buyers will see when they walk through the front door.
Because it’s the place where you first walk into after a hard day at work it can also become a bit of a dumping ground for shoes, bags, coats, keys, packages and shopping bags. If you have things to go upstairs they will often sit on the stairs making it easy for the hallway to become neglected and overlooked.
So, what should you make sure is never on show in your hallway?
Shoes
Think about where your family and guests put their shoes when they come into your home. Do they leave them on the floor or is there a specific spot to put them? It’s worth investing in a shoe storage unit to accentuate the sense of space. You could consider investing in shoe storage bench to create a seating feature that’s also practical for taking shoes on and off, and storing them away.
Post
Mail generally arrives through the letterbox and lands onto the hallway floor. Consider fitting a post basket to avoid walking over piles of post when you first arrive home. When you come in gather up your post straight away and sort it out into either rubbish or anything that needs to be actioned. If you have a home office or desk get into the habit of taking post straight over to a particular area ready to be dealt with later. It’s also a good idea to have a no junk mail sign and make sure you remove yourself from mailing lists if you are inundated with brochures and leaflets you don’t want or need.
Console table
A console table can be a lovely addition to a hallway – especially if it has drawers to hide away keys, phones, chargers, menus etc. Choose something that blends in with the decor and can be kept clear and tidy.
School bags and shopping
Children tend to come in and dump their heavy school bags before grabbing a snack or turning on the telly. Think about some storage solutions and get the children into the habit of putting the bags straight into it when they arrive home. Consider using the same system as schools with a dedicated peg on the wall so they can keep the floor clear as soon as they arrive home. If you arrive home with shopping make sure you keep them off the floor and preferably out of the hallway.
Coats
Only keep out jackets and coats that you wear and put the rest in wardrobes or even in the loft if the items are seasonal, if space allows. This will reduce the amount of coats hanging in your hallway. You could also invest in a coat stand to keep them all in once place rather than on bannisters or hung over chairs.
Radiators
Radiators can often become cluttered with clothing, hats and gloves hung over them to dry and with pipes on show. A radiator cover can work wonders for making the area look clean and clear and can give you a nice surface for flowers or a lamp. They can either be bought in standard sizes or made to measure.
Items on their way to somewhere else
Because of its location, the hallway often becomes a place to put items that are destined for other rooms. It can be very tempting to leave them in the hall but try and get into the habit of taking things straight to their intended destination. There are also some nice handled stair shaped storage carriers to put items into that need to go upstairs.
When it comes to selling your home, first impressions last. Try and keep your hallway clean, clear and clutter free to help to give a better sense of space.
