Our little hallway has had a makeover. Fresh paint, pictures and a brand new light fitting. The light was a devil to hang, took us nearly four hours one Saturday afternoon but, I am happy to report, did not test marital relations as Mr. Wells was a picture of patience and positivity.
What a difference a few changes make. Not that it was terrible before, just a bit bland and tired. We replaced the hall light recently, but the upstairs lampshade was put up as a temporary measure when we moved in five years ago. Things don’t move fast around here. The pink paint sat out in the shed for six months before it made its way onto the walls. Which makes it all the more sweet now it’s finished.
Sweet is the appropriate word. Choosing the pink paint was something of a rollercoaster. We were aiming for dusky but ended up with more of a marshmallow hue. Not exactly as intended but not a total disaster either. Went for the shade Pink Ground by Farrow & Ball but had it colour matched by Valspar at B&Q and think this is where the problem lies. We used the Valspar Premium Blend v700 Walls & Ceilings in Matt and while the quality of the paint is great, the match is not. It’s not the same. Not dramatically different either, but the Valspar is definitely more yellow. Which was surprising as we’ve used the colour matching service before with great results. Our living room is painted with Valspar colour matched to F&B Downpipe and the shade is spot on (full post here). Win some, lose some. Though not really lose at all as despite being a little thrown by the pinkness initially, now we are pretty delighted with our new sugary walls. Are you ready for the after pictures?
Ta-da! Ditched the radiator cover, more for practical rather than aesthetic reasons – the front door used to hit it, preventing it from opening fully which was incredibly annoying and yet not sufficiently annoying as to remedy it sooner. Would have been great to have a fully opening front door for the pram years, but hey ho. It makes the already narrow hallway look and feel so much wider. Wide enough to accommodate a planter, even. I am not allowed plants as they are expensive and I kill them but this plant, Clive, had been looking a bit sad but seems to be flourishing in his current spot next to the radiator. (I know, don’t come at me green fingered people.) We painted the radiator with the same paint that we used for the wall and the finish is really good. Above it we hung the Habitat Patsy Mirror and the Large Oak Picture Rail from The Futon Company. The upstairs light fitting is an absolute bargain from B&Q, the Holt Brass and Opal Pendant Light, and is currently my new favourite thing – it looks equally good turned off or on.
The other thing that made a big difference is hanging lots of pictures, which oddly makes the hall feel wider. Not sure about the science behind it, presumably it has something to do with perspective. The pictures might not be in their final locations, so we used the Command Hanging Strips which are impossibly clever (but not without their flaws – a post for another time perhaps). Pink hall, done.
Til next time,
Hayley
x
