OK one more...hallway colour...

[thecatisdecorating]

I have a dark hallway, and getting rid of all the badly varnished wood (not me, already there when we bought the place). I am lightening it right now by painting all the doors and woodwork white. There is a lot of wall in the hallway. It is the first floor of a victorian house (converted apartment) and the wall drops from a huge ceiling all the way down the stairs.

Now I have a dilemma. I have a dado rail throughout the hallway, including down the stairs, which is also painted white, and textured wall paper below the dado rail. I am going to paint all the walls an off-white of some-kind, yet to be decided, but possibly yellow (as in the merest smidge of yellow). Given the height of the ceilings, the majority of wall is above the dado rail.

So, for all you colour/trendy people. What is in...

1. to do all the walls the same colour, above and below the dado rail, and use the textured paper to give the different effect
2. Do above the dado rail lighter than the bottom (same colour, lighter shade). This has the biggest expanse of wall as it includes the enormous drop.
3. Do below the dado rail a slightly darker shade of the same colour? I believe this is usual? This what we have now and I am not sure (darker colours).

I do not want it to look to I dont know, 1980's or something. The difference in colours will be minimal, not talking dark one, light the other, rather - very light almost white one, and white (or just off) the other.

Help, DH and I cannot agree.

All one colour or it will look very 1980s...

agree

Thank you! I am glad I am not the only one. I was wondering if my eye was all wrong!

I want this, but DH says two different colours.

There is the textural difference which I think is enough. Also, it is a dark hallway (not much natural light) and I think as plain and light as possible.

I think 2 colours.

It doesn't necessarily mean an '80's look.

For instance, a 'sand' shade below the dado, then something 'linen' above.

All one colour sounds dull to me. Two shades makes more of a statement and brings out the features of the hallway.

oh jalopy, see now, you have unmade my mind!

We have quite bright coloured paintings in the hallway, which is why I thought white would be a good bright light colour to use. Although it might be boring it the hallway had no character, would it not look so boring if we had a red carpet (which we have) and bright paintings?

Oh dear. Maybe I will do it all off-white, and then go back over the bottom with another colour when I decide I don't like it

Good idea