Paint for a very dark hallway

[Hotpinkparade]

We're planning to repaint our long, very dark hallway - basement flat, north facing, solid front door and no windows in hallway - so really gloomy! It's currently painted builder's white, and looking tired a few years down the line.

My boyfriend maintains that white paint makes a space look lighter/brighter - I'm not averse to white, but also considering other options. Anyone got any great advice?

Any very bright colour or as hubby says - white !
light beige , light powdery blue , or any light colour would look great
i accent my dark hallway with a mirror
I’ve painted one side brilliant white and the other Homebase cottonseed

We did a bright yellow and it really helps

No, not white. A colour with some depth. You don't spend time in a hallway, it can have some character. Good, atmospheric lighting helps too.

You need a colour that gets on with the other rooms as well. What is the lighting like? Do you have spotlights, a pendant, wall lights or table lamps or a combination? Sorting out the lighting will make the biggest difference to how gloomy the room feels whatever the colour is.

Colour wise either embrace the darkness and paint the walls, ceilings, and woodwork all your favourite dark colour (or related colours like blue and green) and have cool wall lights. Or, have a pale colour to warm it up a bit but not brilliant white.

Depending on your decor, I'd be inclined to go with the above poster's suggestion and embrace the darkness. A really rich dark blue/teal, lots of subtle, warm lighting and a faded grandeur look.

White never brightens a dark room. Your better off embracing the dark and doing for a colour with depth, or does t have to be dark, a mid done colour will do. Then problem is when you try and brighten with a light colour the shadow/dark light just makes the light paint look faded and grey and this makes it appear even darker. Your better off with a warm mid/dark colour op

Our narrow long hallway was originally done in dulux timeless but it was more like soulless!! We now have dulux spinngwheel one on side which is very dark brown/green/black depending on the little natural light and we love it!

My dark narrow hallway is Dix Blue from F&B and I really love it. My house is dark and I've concluded that depth of colour is the way forward.

A plaster pink with gold framed mirrors and an over the top chandelier

I looked into this for our hall as it's north facing and, despite a large window, for 6 months of the year you need a light on in there. What works best to add warmth is a "muddy" version of a bright colour, so a more mustard yellow, a teal rather than a bright blue, etc. Going light and bright just highlights the dinge.

White or beige paint won’t brighten up a north facing windowless room! You need really good lighting and mirrors.
paint-wise, embrace the dark! I have a narrow north facing hall and I’ve painted the doors and under the dado rail navy. I love it.

Do you have any points in the hallway where you could place a mirror and reflect light from a window in another room through an open doorway or a light fixture?

www.oka.com/uk/ideas/advice/design-tips-mirrors#:~:text=To%20increase%20the%20amount%20of,larger%20the%20space%20will%20feel.

Chose a warm shade - you can go dark or lighter but you need to inject warmth.

I have farrow and ball ammonite

Absolutely agree that depth and intensity are key. I have Little Greene Woad, a deep blue, which I love.
You could consider a bright accent colour for doorframes and skirting boards.

I think a deep warm colour too, rather than white.
Mirrors, lots of warm lighting, eyegrabbing light features.

My friend has a long dark hall, and she went with teal on the walls and clear cut glass effect lampshades - they cast interesting shadows - and a couple of pieces of big art with teal, ochre and burgundy colours with ornate gold frames along the blank bits of wall.
High Street items so not breaking the bank but lots of small bits of detail, the shadows from the lampshades, the light catching on the ornate frames, really nice doorknobs.

A hanging plant that can take low lights would be good too.

Very much going against the grain and if you don’t want to embrace the dark…we did a narrow dark hallway and made a massive difference with a pale cream under a dado with wallpaper above, in the same colour with metallic elements (Laura Ashley). The front door with glazing, a glazed panel over the furthest door and a big mirror helped, plus light carpet.

Everyone hates silk paint but it reflects more light and isn’t much different to the tough/wipeable finish paints, it is cheaper. Matt paint sucks in the light. I wouldn’t do silk in a darker colour, only light colours in darker rooms. It’s really helped brighten previously dingy rooms with low light levels. I embraced the dark in one room but have to have the lights on whatever time of day/year, but it is lovely.

I have dulux apple white in my small dark hallway. It’s basically a very pale green. Agree with using mirrors if you can. If you have any room, I’ve seen the thin tall ikea shoe racks used really well in narrow hallways!