8 Great Hallway Lighting Ideas

For most houses, the entry hallway sets the stage for the rest of your home. You want to create a great impression, but lighting – for any space, needs to serve both a practical function while adding ambience at the same time. Almost nowhere in a home is it more important to balance both the style and substance of light, more than your hallway.

Mixing up hallway lighting ideas is key to getting this space just right.
To help you create a hallway that is both gorgeous and practical, consider how your intended choice of hallway lighting can brighten up your entrance room, both literally and figuratively – given the hallway is often the tiniest space in your home.

1. How to Use a Statement Light as A Focal Point

This a growing trend – for good reason. A beautiful light fitting will not only lighten up your hallway space, it can also serve as a visual focus that emphasises your own style and sets the stage for what lies beyond the hallway.



2. What Type of Lighting Is Best for Your Hallway?

The type of lighting in your hallway should be determined by the size of the space and the functionality of the room. A smaller space with some natural light will require less artificial light, while a hallway space with no other light source will require greater light for both day and night.

3. Height and Brightness Levels for Your Hallway

Pendants are hugely popular, but to add a beautiful pendant light, or even a chandelier, you would require a reasonably high ceiling to avoid making your space look smaller. Though most pendants can be adjusted to suit the length of drop, for a smaller space, other lighting options such as wall sconces work well.

4. Balancing Natural Light with Artificial Lighting

The impact of natural light will only be relevant during the daylight hours, so you need to consider how much light is required at night, both for ambience and safety. However, your hallway may also benefit from light in adjoining rooms, such as a connected living room – where you could place a standard lamp placed between the two spaces.

5. Adding Lighting to Enhance Artwork

Many people choose to use their hallway as a space to exhibit their art and framed photos. This ‘clustering’ of art can be a wonderful addition of interest to what can otherwise be a plain space – but there’s no point hanging great art if you can’t see it. In many cases people choose directed lighting, or track lighting for this purpose, but you may feel more comfortable handing this option over to the experts.

6. How to Light Up A Stairway

Okay, this is as obvious as it is serious. Like many dashing around the home in socks, I have literally, almost killed myself slipping down dark, wooden hallway steps. These suckers, I mean hallway stairs, need to be well lit both day and, especially at night - to be safe. There are now ranges of new lighting options for stairs that can be built in – and are well worth researching.

7. Shaded Lighting Versus Shade-Free Hallway Lighting

A shaded pendant, or an exposed, vintage inspired bulb? These are a matter of personal taste. However, you decide, base your decision on practicality (the shaded option for instance may not throw enough light). But you also want to keep your choice in simpatico with the rest of your interiors.

8. Wall Sconces – a Great Solution for Smaller Hallways and Stairs

Often overlooked, wall sconces are having a real moment now. Ideal for smaller spaces, and for placing along staircases, or for rooms with low or slanted ceilings, wall sconces now come in a huge range of attractive styles to suit almost any function or size of space.