My Hall Way Room Tour

Let me tell you what sense of achievement I'm feeling right now to be able to write about my Hallway Tour.

It's been one of those rooms that's been quite an after thought.  The main reason though, is that any improvements we make will sadly have to be altered at the later date.  And it's all because these bloody stairs are in the wrong room.

That's how we got this house at the right price in the first place.  But I got fed up of not bothering to make comfort in our home a priority.

Now, we do still in fact, live in a building site.  So every design and decorative choice we made had to be practical for our lifestyle.

The first thing we do in a morning is take our pooch, Hans for his walkies.  And over a shared coffee in a flask, we head over for a lap round our local park, sling a tennis ball and get our boots (and paws) muddy.

And one thing I really regret in my paint choice when I first painted our new home in 2014 was not going for a washable one because the mud (and coffee) splashes wouldn't shift.

And something I really appreciated after my mum persuaded me to have fitted in a house I lived in on an incomplete building site was coconut matting.

I know the idea sounds very commercial, but it really saves your carpet.  Just walk in, wipe your feet.  It's not that cheap though - about £30-ish a metre and got it put down at the same time as the rest.  I also picked a basic but hard-wearing carpet from Carpetright.  Note:  I have fitted carpets before, but this room was far too awkward for me.

This one's not glued down, so it can be taken out to shake if needed (and fine to hoover of course).  My last one however, was fixed in and from memory, lasted about 5 years.

What spurred me on to update the entire hall was how impressed I was with these ManoMano 3d wall panels.  I had my suspicions about how they'd look, but deep down, I thought how bad can they look?

There was also this little child inside me, wanting the showroom home look I'd always wanted.  I'm not actually tidy enough for one, but it's nice to have some little touches here and there.

Now I just need to put a few pictures here and there for things to pop.

For a few little thrifty saves, I made quite a few savings in the living area.  Who am I kidding?  It's really just a dog hotel room!

• The luxury Dorma curtains were £15 in the sale from Dunelm.
• The grey round rug is pristine and picked it up for £2 at a jumble sale.
• Green cushions, also jumble for £1.
• Sofa bed was £100 from the charity, 2nd Chance Furniture (and the best quality we've ever had).
• 2 matching light pendants from our local skip shop - £1
• Curtain rail (Dunelm) wasn't so cheap at £35 but I loved the quality.
• Tartan blanket, £30 and all the way from the John O'groats shop.  (That was a great holiday!)

So here's a glimpse of how far we've come.  It really is amazing how much a new carpet and some colour can make a place feel so cosy.  And it wasn't difficult at all.

I had to do some rough plastering before I applied the tiles which you can watch here.  Please don't let it intimidate you.  Just give it a go, it's actually quite fun.  Also, here's how I installed the 3d wall panels.

And instead of going for boring old magnolia, I was brave to pick my first colour, Dulux's Colour of the Year, Denim Drift.  I really don't regret it and used Dulux Easycare Pure Brilliant White and Dulux Goose Down, (also washable).

You Might Also Like

• Kelly Hoppen's tips on renovating on a budget
• 3d wall panels installation
• Painting and decorating for beginners
• Fitting laminate flooring in a conservatory

*Disclaimer:  This is not a sponsored post.  I did however, receive the 3d Wall Panels from ManoMano to review and loved them so much, I could not wait to finish the rest of the hall.  As always, my opinions are truthful.