A good first impression is key in all things and your hall is no exception, promising a taste of the Christmas cheer to come
Welcome the magic of Christmas into your entrance hall with these Christmas hallway decorating ideas. With guests popping in and out during the festive season, ensure you bring decorative flair to your hallway for a proper yuletide welcome.
These decorative hallway solutions will make you feel festive the moment you step through the front door.
Visit our Christmas ideas channel for more festive inspiration
1. Dress the bannisters
Image credit: Richard Hookaway
Lace a stair garland with touches of foliage, lights and paper lanterns – in gold if you want to bring opulence to proceedings. Opt for a eucalyptus garland as a modern spin on traditional holly and ivy.
Alternatively, mix things up by hanging your stair garland at the bottom of the spindles rather than along the handrail – and if you regularly mist the foliage with water it will keep it vibrant and fresh throughout the festivities.
Get the look
Buy now: Similar Ideal Home Lily mirror, £119.99, Very
2. Style up a cosy nook
Image credit: David Brittain
Take inspiration from wintry woodlands and country copses this season. Cosy up a window seat with twinkling lights, colourful cushions and snug throws with forest elements to emulate the views beyond. With a nod to a more refined Nordic style, this look blends neat furnishings with painted and light-toned woods, wicker and woven textures.
Get the look
Buy now: Blind in Purity Voiles, £49m, Harlequin at Style Library
Buy now: Hanging star, £8.50, Nordic House
3. Go for gold
Image credit: Joanna Henderson
Don’t be afraid of a little bling! From soft, aged tones to brassy and rich bronze shades, gold adds warmth and elegance. It’s a no-brainer at Christmas, but gold can be used as an accent colour all year round to lift and finish a simple room scheme
Get the look
Buy now: Similar Ideal Home Ombre Glass Table Top Jar Lamp, £39.99, Very
Buy now: Umberto media cabinet, £550; Romance pumpkin vase, from £3.50, both Graham and Green
4. Decorate with wreathes and garlands
Image credit: Tim Young
Greet guests with a sparkly scene. Put on a wonderful wintery welcome in a hallway with snow-frosted wreaths, garlands and mini trees. Go for a cool, contemporary look.
Choose decorations in icy shades of grey and steel, with a hint of Scandi style. Arrange frosted sprigs all along a console table, keep the look fresh and green, and spruce up decorations made from natural materials.
Get the look
Buy now: Similar Ideal Home Stag head ornament, £19.99, Very
Buy now: Similar Fladis basket, £10, Ikea
5. Work with a winter palette
Image credit: Simon Bevan
Take a palette of icy whites, forest greens and woodland browns, add cosy Nordic accents and a sprinkling of Narnia for a bewitching festive scene to greet your guests come Christmas Day.
Create a pretty display by bunching a set of fairy lights into an elegant glass cloche. Add colour with a lush stair garland to provide a warm welcome and fill the space with a gorgeous woody scent.
6. Enter in style
Image credit: Mark Scott
Keep colourful throws in a simple metal unit under a display of coats, scarves and bags. Beat winter chills with a woven blanket used as a door curtain and add texture with rustic baskets. Bring in a few Christmas touches, such as baubles hung from a peg rail, tealights and candles, mistletoe and sprigs of spruce for festive fragrance.
7. Light it up
Image credit: Tim Young
Make a Christmas display on a hallway console table to add some festive cheer to your entrance. Twinkling lights and Christmas go hand-in-hand, so try to add a bit of sparkling illumination to your hall. Create a warm and opulent atmosphere with scented orange and cinnamon candles set alight inside burnished and bronzed lanterns. If you don’t fancy a whole string of fairy lights, place a few battery-operated tealights in glass jars and pop them on a hallway shelf.
Get the look
Buy now: Golden Glow Regular Bell Jar Bundle,£14.99, Lights4Fun
8. Adorn a doorway with foliage
Image credit: Jan Baldwin
Line your hallway door with aromatic evergreens, such as eucalyptus, which make wonderful garlands as they release their scent when brushed past. Use delicate herb wreaths, hung as window decorations to add further delicate fragrance. And why not throw some fairy lights into the mix to add an extra bit of Christmas sparkle?
9. Create advent bunting
Image credit: David Brittain
Craft a pocket Advent calendar and hang it from peg rails. The joy of Christmas is as much about the anticipation as the celebration itself. This is an original twist on the traditional Advent calendar. A deep green panelled wall is the perfect backdrop for a bijou buttoned chair, where you can grab a little peace and quiet.
Give a country hall a very modern twist with charcoal paint and gather the season’s deep winter palette of pine green, holly red and winter white to set the scene.
Will you be decking your halls this Christmas?
