The Block 2018: The mistakes you are making when designing your hallway

Last week was hallway week on The Block, and the contestants are discovering that if first impressions count, then creating a chic but friendly hallway is mandatory.

“It’s a must, but definitely one of the most challenging spaces to navigate,” says designer Suzanne Gorman from Studio Gorman. “Hallways are often narrow and lacking natural lighting, so it is vital to ensure yours is free of clutter, well-lit and a stylish and welcoming space.”

Both Hayden and Sara and Courtney and Hans struggled to impress the judges with their room reveals, discovering that cohesion is one of the key ingredients when designing the perfect entrance.

Lighting

For Hayden and Sara, pendants and LEDs were the ideal way to fill their long narrow hallway with light.

“A great choice,” says Gorman. “As with all rooms, it is important to incorporate at least two types of lighting – task lighting (for when you are looking for a missing shoe) and ambient light to create an intimate and calm feel. Mirrors are also effective for giving the illusion of space and reflecting light.”

For Norm and Jess, skylights provided their hallway with beautiful natural light by day.

Related: View the five Gatwick apartments for sale

• Kerrie and Spence: 1/34 Fitzroy Street, St Kilda
• Hans and Courtney: 2/34 Fitzroy Street, St Kilda
• Sara and Hayden: 3/34 Fitzroy Street, St Kilda
• Norm and Jess: 4/34 Fitzroy Street, St Kilda
• Bianca and Carla: 5/34 Fitzroy Street, St Kilda

“A shaft of light from a skylight gives a real sense of wellbeing,” says Gorman.

“I like that they are placed to the side to allow a shaft of light to wash the wall. It also makes a beautiful architectural statement. I would suggest hiding the framework of the skylight with recessed architectural framing.”

Floor runner

One of the easiest ways to inject colour and texture into an empty hallway is with a long, statement runner.

“It’s an effective way to lead the eye down a hallway,” agrees Gorman. “Use a colourful rug to bring drama and fun, or a subtle palette to bring together a scheme.”

Judge Neale Whitaker loved the floor runner Bianca and Carla chose to decorate their hallway, saying, “What a difference it makes to the feeling of homeliness and welcome”.

Storage, furniture and decor

A great way to break up a long, narrow walkway is by transforming the area closest to the door into a purposeful entryway space, ensuring it is fitted with storage and hooks to hang jackets, stow shoes and leave car keys.

“Keeping items off the floor using hooks, shelves and wall-hung cabinets is an effective way to clean up clutter and gain maximum floor space,” says Gorman.

Luckily entryway storage can be both purposeful and design-driven says Gorman, who loved Bianca and Carla’s choice of a gorgeous custom-made console for stowing personal effects.

“No matter what your style, choosing functional beautiful pieces is always possible, so long as you keep them tall and narrow so they fit the space,” she says.

Jess and Norm were faced with an extremely narrow hallway with a very tall ceiling, so a mirror, artwork and small marble shelf was all the decor that was required. Judge Darren Palmer loved the cohesion between the marble hallway shelf and the marble kitchen bench.

Art

With an endless wall space spanning 14 metres, winners of this reveal Kerrie and Spence decided to create a gallery-style walkway. Upon entering their art-filled entrance, judge Shaynna Blaze exclaimed, “It’s so grand”.

“I love this idea,” says Gorman. “Art is the perfect way to say welcome to our home.”

Whether it is one or two pictures in the midpoint of the hallway, a line-up of art spanning the entire length, or a hallway crammed with eclectic pieces, the hallway is the perfect place to be creative.

“I loved Kerrie’s vintage articles about The Gatwick,” says Gorman. “In the same way that art can tell the story of the family who lives there, this tells the story of the building.”