Sunday 11 November 2012

When Peach Goes Wrong - The Hallway Edition

Today is a special day for me...


And it's been a really nice one so far. There's a Hummingbird Bakery behind our flat that I usually try to avoid like the plague (without great success)... but as the calories don't actually count on your birthday, I took the opportunity to stuff my face with red velvet cake. Shortly I will be heading to Sushi Samba in the Heron Tower where I will continue to do so.

What has really consumed my thoughts most of this weekend though, was our hallway.

When we moved in, we painted the entire flat leaving the hallway for last, as it was all one colour, and kind of nuetral (which tells you what the rest of the place was like). Except we never got around to it.

The hallway is a sort of peachy beige hybrid, gets little natural light, and is teeny tiny. And I do mean teeny tiny. There is also an issue of a "slightly larger than I would prefer" shoe cabinet that cannot be moved, less than attractive flush mount light fixture, and an entry phone straight out of 1995 that doesn't work (we're 2 flights up so throwing the keys out of the window to our guests outside has become the norm. Classy.)


Apologies for the grainy pictures, and this is when it's sunny!

Now I do love peach, but I love trendy peach. I love peach in lovely American sized rooms, with loads of sunlight streaming through the windows, bright white textiles and warm wood touches. Our hallway is nothing of the sort.

So whilst brainstorming, I began to think about how in some small spaces, bold patterns can really make a statement without creating visual clutter. Like this:

via Desire to Inspire
via Apartment Therapy
via Lonny
via Apartment Therapy

However as we're renting, anything I do, will have to be undone at some point in the future. So I need to keep it simple.

Then I got to thinking about painting stripes like these...

via Lonny
via Country Living
via Frisson Design


I did begin to worry though, that I have more doors (6 including the front door) than wall in the hallway, which would drastically break up any design....

Which led me to the ceiling. Oh, yes.

via Vintage Luxe
via Kiki's List
via Viva Cindy
via Design*Sponge

BINGO.

Our ceilings are pretty high, so at least I don't have to worry about that closed in effect that can occur when ceilings are painted.

I still need to consider colour, width, and spacing of the stripes. (Heck I haven't even figured out when I actually plan to do this, but the seed has been planted.) So any of your suggestions, thoughts or tips would be greatly appreciated!

9 comments:

  1. I love your Photos. I love your blog. You have a New follówer from chile

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  2. Oh that sounds like a fun project! Going with a darker colour will definitely draw the eye up when in the hall.

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  3. Oh, and Happy Belated Birthday. I hope you had a great one!!

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  4. Hi there :)
    What a lovely post and a great idea! I had never seen stripes on a ceiling before but they actually work well and create a sort of tent or beach hut atmosphere, and they can also widen the space...a great idea for your hallway! I like the subtle beige stripes in the last picture the best I think. Alex

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  5. Thanks, I am now torn between a pale grey and a charcoal I think. Decisions, decisions!

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  6. You are so funny, that picture is hilarious! I hope you had a lovely birthday.
    I really like that ceiling that looks like a circus tent, that's very cool.
    I have a teeny tiny hallway too and I'm thinking of papering it in Marthe Armitage's Manor house and painting all the woodwork and the ceiling black. You have to go dark and cosy and have some crazy pattern in there. No point in making it try to look bigger so have some fun!

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    Replies
    1. oooooh, that sounds amazing! I can't wait to see what you do with your place, as a renter I will be living vicariously through you!

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