The walls in a hallway take a great deal of wear and tear. Areas such as the corners between well-used rooms and the wall going up the stairs take the greatest wear, so choose your wall finish particularly carefully in these locations. If your hallway is narrow, with minimal light, you will need to think about using pale colors, but choose a product that can be cleaned.

Dado rails

It may be wise to fit a dado rail in your hallway, so that when the walls show signs of wear and tear, you only have to redecorate from the dado to the floor rather than the whole wall. Fit the rail slightly higher than usual to ensure that children s fingermarks remain below the moulding. Dado rails look particularly good in a traditional setting.

Avoid dado mouldings if your hallway is long and narrow, however, since by drawing attention to the split in height, you will exaggerate the appearance of length. If you use different colors above and below the rail, this will make the hall appear even longer and. therefore, narrower. If you do fit a dado rail in such a hallway, use the same colors below and above the rail.

Wallpaper

If you wish to wallpaper your hallway, choose a solid vinyl product that is scrubbable and will withstand the rigours of family life. Choose the pattern carefully

- heavily patterned and multi-colored papers will not show the odd scuff mark as readily as a single-colored stripe, for example, but they may make your hallway appear smaller than it really is. Broad vertical stripes should also be avoided in a narrow hallway, as they will make the walls look taller and. again, the area will appear even narrower.

Hallway safety

Hallways experience a lot of through traffic, so it is important to follow a few simple guidelines:

- Never leave toys on a staircase in case someone trips over them and falls
- Always fit a safety gate at the top and, when possible, at the bottom of the staircase when you have young children, and make sure it is closed at night once a young child can get out of bed unaided
- Attach a firm handrail to your staircase, particularly if you have a baby or young child to carry up and down the stairs, or if you have an elderly relative
- Make sure the hallway, and particularly the stairs, are well lit
- Make sure that all stair carpeting is well secured
- Avoid flooring that can become slippery when wet, and never use polishes on timber and ceramic floors in the hallway