First impressions count–and nowhere is this more true than in the entrance of your house. Your hallway needs to be a reflection of the people who live there. After all, it's the only snippet most people will get inside your home. With that said, your hallway also needs to be a deeply practical space, with hooks for coats, shoe storage and a handy place to put keys, wallets, headphones and more.
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An attractive console table often hits the sweet spot between these worlds, creating a stylish vignette without taking up too much space. How to style one? We looked to the experts, from a colourful hallway filled with antiques, to a smart and sleek space, we've found three excellent examples to draw inspiration from.
Matthew Rice's striped hall
Matthew Rice's Oxfordshire house is a medieval marvel, where contemporary pieces sit happily alongside the old architecture. In his entrance hall, Matthew has placed colourful bowls from Emma Bridgewater and Henry Holland to brighten up the darker space. The striped walls were hand painted by his daughter.
Martha Ward's space-saver
In Martha Ward's Notting Hill house, the downstairs is one open plan space, broken into a study, sitting room, dining area and kitchen. It also has to function as a hallway, and Martha has made the most of the space available by adding a console table over the top of her radiator. She has used the table's surface to display a selection of her sunglasses and trinkets such as candleholders.
Kate Guinness's calm entrance hall
This Kensington house by Kate Guinness is a lesson in elegance and balance. The fluted console table is from Robin Myerscough, which adds a sleek, sculptural element to the hallway. To keep things from feeling too serious, Kate has paired the console table with a cheerful runner and an amber glass vase.
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