Dark hall - picture attached

[DrowningInPaint]

Following all the helpful advice on my thread about curtains I am seeking help again!

In the attached photo the hall does not look as dark as it actually is..... trick of the camera. How can I brighten it up?

My thoughts are to paint the cabinet but is that a no no? It is a very dark piece of furniture but incredibly useful for shoes. Might be better in a cream colour or would that be just awful??

I know the curtain could go but it makes it cosy in the winter. Will probably get it down once house is up for sale.

I would like to paint the front door lighter, but then it wouldn't match the outside. Do people have front doors different colours on either side, or is that just weird?

Please let me have your thoughts on any of the above points!

i'd put the coat stand next to the curtain/ behind the door OR do away with it and get a lovely old coat board with big hooks on it on the wall that is behind the curtain
Swag up the curtain properly, if you have to keep it....it's nice puddling on the floor in the winter, but not so much in the summer, and get it fitted to the door with a proper rise/fall cantilever door pole.

Swap out the giant, ugly but fantastic cabinet for a much longer slimmer affair....maybe a bench? or console table thing but with doors so you don't have to look at all the shoes. That cabinet looks like those in Harry Potter that allow folks to mysteriously transport from one place to another!

more pictures, and a beautiful vibrant runner on the floor.

and I will confess I LOVE a chandelier, so I'd say yes to that idea! You can get plainer wrought iron types if the idea of all the crystals is too much

I love the cabinet, definitely don't paint it. However. It is for a much larger, grander square ish hallway, in my opinion. It overwhelms your narrow hallway completely. It just doesn't fit in or with the space, so yes, you need to put it in another room.

My parents have some inherited solid old chests of drawers etc and their house is a modern 60s detached and the bedrooms they're kept in are small and they just look odd. I don't know what we'll do when we come to inherit those pieces as they are lovely but we are in a small 30s semi and the rooms just don't take them really. You'd need a much larger, possibly older, detached house.

Antique "Brown furniture" as it's known is fairly cheap for the quality of the build but I think the reason is that modern room proportions just can't take them.

Hi again OP, sounds like a good plan of attack is in place 😊

looking from the door into the hall, I'd say the oak cabinet can stay - it's very nice and not as dark as the other - but put a large mirror centrally above, instead of the picture.

Also is it me, or is there another curtain between hat stand and bottom of hall? If so, it has to go!

Hi again OP, sounds like a good plan of attack is in place 😊

looking from the door into the hall, I'd say the oak cabinet can stay - it's very nice and not as dark as the other - but put a large mirror centrally above, instead of the picture.

Also is it me, or is there another curtain between hat stand and bottom of hall? If so, it has to go!

That big cupboard is just too big for the space, it's rather imposing. Beautiful but it needs to move elsewhere. I think you'll find that you may not need to take the curtains down or at least put them back up in November, ready for winter.

I would put a shallow shoe bench where the cupboard is (so you can sit down while you take your shoes/off) and maybe a shelf high up with coat hooks underneath. Gloves etc could go into a basket(s)

Change your light fittings to semi flush ceiling lights.

Could anyone please link to a semi flush ceiling light? I can only see "flush" online and I'm not very good with lighting.

Could anyone please link to a semi flush ceiling light? I can only see "flush" online and I'm not very good with lighting.

Here you are:

www.wayfair.co.uk/lighting/sb1/semi-flush-mount-ceiling-flush-lights-c235068-a72836~268043.html

I quite like these in antique brass and they would maybe go with your style, OP but there are lots of styles to choose from.

Maisy lights

I love things with history too OP. It can still work. I would try to find out the time period of that large unit and then go all out matching the hall to the time period...but I've designed many a room around a piece of statement furniture Id keep the curtains too. I would probably change the floor and the walls but overall I would embrace the history of that beautiful piece!

I love the cabinet too and wouldn’t paint it. I think it might be Ercol as I had a friend with a Dutch dresser that had a similar carved pattern on it. Errol is a good quality oak furniture. I agree a lighter fabric curtain maybe a floral Laura Ashley plenty second hand on ebay or leave it off while selling. I love the curtains and I bet they look gorgeous in winter. We have just had a rod put in. Our hall is dark too. I wanted W.Morris Willow in blue but DH says it is too expensive. I have never liked anything we have put on the hall so I am interested to see the end result. Ours goes past the sitting room door and straight upstairs. Only thing of interest is straight wood spindles on the left side of the stairs on second floor.

The Harry Potter chest (nice one LaurieSchaffer) is certainly getting some love/hate reactions on here! A bit like me, I love and hate it at the same time. CurlyHairedAssassin : Although the entrance hall looks small, it is actually a large detached house. So there will be somewhere for the chest to go to. SheWhoMustNotBeHeard thank you for the links - VERY USEFUL.

Here is a closer view of said chest, for those who may be interested. I don't think it is Ercol - isn't that more 1950s style?

PushyMeez - no it isn't you, there's another curtain
I've attached a picture of it from the other side. Yes, agree they both need to go but I do love them, they feel gorgeous!

@PushyMeez

Hi again OP, sounds like a good plan of attack is in place 😊

looking from the door into the hall, I'd say the oak cabinet can stay - it's very nice and not as dark as the other - but put a large mirror centrally above, instead of the picture.

Also is it me, or is there another curtain between hat stand and bottom of hall? If so, it has to go!

@PushyMeez looking from the door into the hall, yes a large mirror centrally above the oak cabinet would be nice. However because of the radiator to the right of the oak cabinet, would that make it look unbalanced?

I was considering removing the oak cabinet, and getting a radiator cover which would be twice as wide as the radiator(which is manky looking anyway) so that it would stretch across that wall, including where the oak cabinet was/is, in order to lend some symmetry. But that might be totally naff.

For clarification here is a closer picture of the view of the hall from the front door. The hall carries around to the left. I hope this makes sense- it must be hard for people to visualise. Thank you all and sorry for the multiple posting!

I can't change the flooring as PP suggested - it is oak and was quite expensive. Unfortunately it is a warmer colour than I wanted. The people who supplied it assured me it would lighten up but it didn't

I would move the cabinet as its too big for your hall.
Add a large mirror, maybe something with some character and some coat hooks below eye level so they arent too obvious.

I think a rad cover across the back wall (move the bureau) would look good.
I would paint the door but I like the curtain and think you should keep it, just get it hung properly and add a decent tie back.
A larger painting or another mirror over the rad would look good.

Hi op, I don't think a radiator cover would look naff at all - I just don't think it's necessary as a large mirror centrally above the cabinet would probably look very balanced, and the cabinet being there defines the area as useable space

If you can find a chunky wood-framed mirror to tie in with your flooring and furniture, it would look very 'on purpose' .

I wonder if you could try a tall green plant in right corner, in front of radiator, to put that more in the background? Would add a nice splash of colour too.

I'd paint the inside of the front door the same colour as the walls so you have an expanse of a light colour there. I'd remove the curtain in the summer months. Would a coat rack on the wall be less obtrusive than a free standing coat rack?

Cabinet is lovely, I think painting would spoil it.
I would paint the door and change the curtain ( or lose it completely). Maybe try light reflective paint on the walls?

The cabinet is probably early 20th century. Found a similar one without drawers on selling antiques website. Can’t do link but search using “linenfold hall cupboard”. The one I found had very similar hinges to yours.
Btw no help on decorating but thought you’d be interested to know.

Hall cupboard is too big for the space i think, it dominates. Paint it a light colour or get something less chunky. You could paint your front door also using Frenchchic paint

That cabinet doesn’t go well in that space. Would move it or get rid of it and put something much smaller / lower in for shoes.

Sorry, missed your update!

The cabinet is nice but it's far too big for the room. I would move itcelsewhete for now and put a small IKEA style shoe cupboard there in white with a large picture above in bright light colours (mainly light) minimalist in a light or metallic frame or a mirror. I'd paint the inside ir the front door. You open it and paint the edges you can see open from each side the colour you can see from where you stand so the out side and hinge side are the same colour,inside and opening edge the same usually (although you font need to do that edge if its stained wood). Maybe a curtain in a light coloured tartan wool (along the lines of image attached), pale grey walls and white woodwork. I think grey works better eoth north facing light. Something like a dulux steel 3 might work.

Why not paint both sides of the door. Keep the cabinet, but change or ditch the curtain