Great Hallway Colors

Narrow Halls

• Create an illusion of a wider space in your hallway through the use of light, airy colors with a slightly reflective finish. Choose a cool shade to make your walls appear to recede. A subtle shade of grayed blue or a soft green will mimic the outdoors and its open space. Pearl gray will provide a sophisticated look to your walls, while painting your walls white will result in a clean, traditional look. Paint with a light sheen to its finish will optimize limited lighting and add to the feeling of its being a larger space.

Dark Halls

• Hallways often don't feature windows or an effective source of light. Walls or closet doors may appear at the end of the hall, leaving the space feeling dark, cold and uninviting. Brighten this particular style of hallway with a warm color. A soft shade of buttery yellow will provide an accent of sunshine to the space. Paint the walls a pale shade of warm taupe to add contemporary style to your decor. A blush of peach or champagne is a good choice to complement a more formal, traditional decor.

Short Hall

• Your hallway should reflect the proportions of the rest of your home. A short hall appearing in a large home with spacious rooms might look more balanced by pairing two shades of the same color on your hallway walls. Paint the lower third of the walls with a medium neutral earth tone. Khaki or taupe provide good options. Adhere painter's tape along the top edge of the newly painted dry surface. Apply a lighter shade of your original hall color to paint the space above the tape. Immediately remove the tape to expose a clean edge where your two colors meet. This contrasting wall treatment will create the illusion of a longer hallway.

Halls With Windows

• Natural sunlight streaming through windows into a hallway provides a bright, warm and inviting space. Complement the warmth of the sun with a cool shade of paint on your walls. A pale sage green or soft blue would offer a pleasing contrast. Gray or taupe offer stylish options that will also provide an attractive background to showcase framed art.