The hallway sets the mood for your entire home. World-famous interior designer Kelly Hoppen CBE shows you how to give it the wow factor.
More so than ever before, our home is our sanctuary. Due to the pandemic, we now live in a very different world and our homes have become the centre of our universe. Even though so much has changed, we all still want and need to be surrounded by beauty, warmth, luxury and practicality.
Having designed interiors for more than 40 years, I am as passionate about it today as I was when I first started. I live and breathe design, and am constantly thinking about the way we live and how we interact in different spaces as we evolve, grow and develop. With my knowledge and years of experience, I have learned that it isn’t just about the way things look – how we feel, the experiences we have, the understanding of what we need and what we crave, and how we share all this with whom we live is just as important.
Whether you are a young professional renting a small flat, a first-time homebuyer or an experienced homeowner who wants to restyle your home, this book is a go-to bible to help you create a beautiful, functional and relaxing home that suits your individual needs and reflects your personality.
With more and more people needing to create multifaceted spaces under one roof, I hope this book will encourage you to question yourself and your needs, as much as it will inspire you to push all the boundaries to create the timeless interiors you desire.
I have created a smaller book that can be used as a notebook, so it’s easy to carry around and use when you’re choosing designs for your home, wherever you are, with an easy index for literally everything you need.
How to really make an entrance
Halls and corridors are like the bone structure of a home, quietly playing a supporting role to the more extrovert rooms that wow us with their personality and style.
However, these spaces shouldn’t be neglected in the design stakes. Although they are not usually somewhere to linger, they are passed through frequently and are the first areas you see when you open the front door.
Hallways are good rooms for making an impact, as you may feel emboldened to experiment with more adventurous colour, dramatic texture or graphic pattern when experiencing it in small doses. Look at ways to make a bold style statement as soon as you open the door by creating a focal point to immediately catch the eye. This could be a luxurious wall finish, a theatrical ceiling light or an arresting piece of artwork.
Remember when you are choosing décor for your hallway and connecting areas, there needs to be a design thread or common theme to link these spaces together, so that nothing jars. You might choose to treat these areas as an extension of the primary living rooms, resulting in a calm, coherent feel, with one space flowing seamlessly into another.
Alternatively, you could take a bolder approach and give connecting areas their own design identity. An echo of a colour or a repeated texture or material used in the room beyond is all that is needed to create a sense of unity.
However, don’t get so wrapped up in the décor that you forget the practicalities. It is essential to build in sufficient storage for items such as coats, umbrellas, shopping bags and shoes. It will make your entrance area more relaxing to be in.
This is an edited extract from Kelly Hoppen’s Essential Style Solutions For Every Home, to be published by Frances Lincoln on 4 May, £14.99. To order a copy for £13.19 until 28 April got to mailshop.co.uk/books or call 020 3308 9193. Free UK delivery on order over £20.
