The Long and Winding...Hallway

I've never lived (as an adult) in a house that had a hallway. All the apartments I had pre-homeownership were pretty modest. In the downstairs of my bungalow, one room just flows into another, not a single hallway to speak of. The idea of decorating a hallway is a new and (no lie) thrilling prospect to me. When we finally finish our upstairs we'll have this wonderful wide long hallway that leads through most of the space. The landing from the stairs will open into it, the bathroom, guest room, and master bedroom will all have doors off of it. This hallway is going to be super duper important...so the question is, How does one successfully decorate a long hallway.
Here are some inspiration pics I've found, various styles, various looks, but all very attractive.
Do you have a hallway? How do you have it decorated??

First off, I'm such a sucker for a moravian star lamp. I really want one for my pantry. I love the color of the front door, the color of the bentwood bench, and the wonderful patina of the floors. A beautiful hallway.

There is a good chance my hallway will get decorated with antique signs. Maybe not this many, but I would love the excuse to collect more! Also, this storage piece is fantastic.

A simple color scheme keeps this art collection from being overwhelming.

My hardwood floors will be painted, and the door arrangement here is pretty similar to what my hall will look like. I love it all decorated for the holidays. Very pretty.

Arched ceilings, a round window, exposed beams, built in bookcases. This hallway is jam packed with architectural interest!

Why not go bold! This black and white color scheme is stunning, and brave.

Why not feature a large piece of art in the hallway. I also love the long orange bench.

A fabulous collection of antique group portraits adds a classic edge to this space.

Matching Maple Tall Dresser and Low Dresser, and the Complete set

Ok so, here are the last two pieces of the solid rock maple set. They are a stunning matched pair tall dresser and low dresser. Painted in a cottage style in the soft linen white, this pair would be so perfect in a farmhouse bedroom! The tops are stained the same warm tone as the rest of the set. I love how the red undertones of the top contrast with the crispness of the linen white. So universally handsome, and perfect for a variety of decor styles, and the changing seasons. These are also available, and of course, I wanted to show you pictures of the whole set together, because aren't they fabulous!!!
Oh and there's a picture of me too, cause I was feeling just a bit smug after finishing the entire set yesterday evening. And no, that is not what I typically wear to refinish furniture.

A Solid Maple Dresser

This is another piece in the rock maple set that I got a couple weeks ago. I decided to refinish all the pieces the same so there option existed to keep the set together, rather than break it up. This dresser has the most wonderful slab of rock maple on top. The grain of the wood is simply delicious. I painted the body of the dresser linen white, waxed, and buffed it, and stained the top a combination of colors to get just the right warm glow. Then I sealed the top, taking care to sand with 220 grit sand paper between coats so the top is as smooth as glass. This one is also available, so let me know if you're interested!
Before and afters below

I may have gone overboard with the flowers, but everything just looks so cheerful and bright this time of year!

A Rock Maple Desk

Maple is such a wonderful wood to work with. It's beautifully grained, always sands easily, and takes stain so nicely. I scored this wonderful solid rock maple desk two weeks ago. It probably dates to the 1950s or so. It has wonderful lines, and just needed a bit of a facelift. I painted the body a warm linen color, sanded the top and stained it with a mixture of colors until I got just the perfect tone. I waxed all the painted surfaces, then buffed them, to give the piece a soft sheen. This one's available, so let me know if you're interested!
Befores and afters below :)

A Dining Set for a Victorian Home

I picked this set up exactly a week ago. Somethings are just so good, they don't last in my inventory even a few days. This solid oak dining set was one of those cases. The base is spectacular - double pedestal with spool turnings between. The table itself had a beautiful top, just need to be sanded, stained, and re-sealed. I went with an english chestnut layered with red chestnut for the stain color. This was a custom set for a client who owns a c.1850 Victorian with a mansard roof. The house sits on picturesque farm land, and has a huge antique barn. If you've been reading this blog a while, you may recall that I want just such a house someday, in just such a setting. Someday...
The space the dining set is going into is cottage/shabby chic style, and decorated primarily in cool tones. We choose Benjamin Moore's white heron for the table base and matching solid oak chairs. It's a crisp fresh white with just the tiniest hint of a dove gray/blue undertone. The dining set was picked up last night. So there you go, in and out in less than a week!
A reminder that I'm always happy to do custom orders, just look at my 'before' section of the inventory page, or email me and let me know what you're looking for!
Before and Afters below!