Hallway update
We started work on our hallway this past weekend! Mike has become a morning person over the last couple of years and I’ve always been a night owl. So when he woke up bright and early, ready to go on Saturday morning at 8 AM, I was not so thrilled. BUT, eager to capitalize on his momentum, I pulled myself together so we could get going. Our goal was picking out the moulding we wanted to use on the walls in our hallway.
Once we found the perfect one, I patted us on the back for the progress we had made. BUT Mike wasn’t done yet! And, both Saturday and Sunday we spent some time working in the space knocking out a couple of the walls!
We still have a LONG way to go but it felt good to get going and get some momentum going. Mike is off next week for some much needed, and much deserved, vacation time. I’m sure we’ll work on the hallway while he’s off but I don’t want to monopolize all of his time. My baby definitely needs some rest!
Today, I’m sharing how I went about determining the style and look of the moulding we’re using in the space. The moulding we ended up going with, and some progress photos so you can see how it’s looking so far!
Picking out moulding for the walls in our hallway
Looking for inspiration and figuring out the details
I kinda had an idea in mind of what I was looking for upstairs. I recently shared some of my favorite wall moulding styles and picture moulding is one of them. We installed it a few years ago in our living room and I’ve been trying to figure out another way to incorporate it into our home ever since.
Once I landed on the style I wanted, I headed to Pinterest looking for some inspiration. While I knew I wanted picture moulding, I was trying to figure out some of the specifics. Like, what profile I was most drawn to. The width of the moulding I wanted for the space, and the layouts I liked best.
When starting a new design project, it’s helpful for me to see photos similar to what I’m considering. It helps me visualize the space. It’s one of the steps I use to get clarity on the look and design of a room.
I gathered together all the photos I was drawn to and saved them to my Mouldings and Trim board on Pinterest. From there, I started to exam the ones that stood out to me. What did I like best about them? Was it the layout or the spacing of the moulding? Maybe it was the color or the profile I was drawn to?
Once I figured out the specifics, I saved images with those design features to my phone for quick and easy reference. This helps keep me on track when I’m out shopping.
Selecting the right moulding profile and width
I love the profile of the moulding we used on our living room walls. For our hallway though, I wanted something a little thinner in width and more delicate in design. The moulding we used in the living room has very straight, sharp edges and feels very traditional. When picking out the moulding for our hallway, I wanted something with some curves and softness this time around.
We started at Home Depot which is where we usually head when starting a new project. A lot of the trim we’ve used in our home we’ve been able to find there. The team is always so helpful and we’ve gotten to know a few of them with our frequent visits!
I couldn’t find anything though that was similar to what I had in mind. Everything seemed a little to wide or not the right shape.
We decided to head to Hartville Hardware. It’s where we found the trim and wall paneling for our bathroom reno. They have a HUGE selection and we found exactly what we needed last time. I felt optimistic they would have something I would love.
It didn’t take us long to land on the perfect trim. It’s actually a base cap piece. The size and profile are perfect though for the application we want to use it for. It’s made of poplar wood and has the prettiest shape to it.
When trying to envision it on the walls, I like to take a few pieces out and lay them on the ground to get an idea of what they will look like when installed. Hopefully, there are a few small pieces available making it easier to do this while at the store.
FYI – Depending on the type of trim piece you select, you may be able to install it in a couple of ways. For instance, we gravitated towards the look of having the rounded edge to the outside with the flatter smaller edge towards the inside. BUT this trim could easily be flipped around and installed so the rounded edge is on the inside. Both are pretty and it’s really a preference thing. Make sure to try it both ways to see which one you like best!
Progress so far
After picking out the perfect moulding for our hallway and grabbing a few other things we needed to get going, we began installing.
We started on the two smaller walls in the hallway, working to determine the spacing we felt would look best as well as the length needed for the longer, main boxes.
Once complete, we moved to the taller, larger wall at the top of the stairway landing. Here, I had mapped out 3 taller boxes, all different widths, with smaller boxes above and below.
We went back and forth for a little bit trying to figure out what made the most sense and looked the most pleasing to the eye. Mike convinced me that the boxes on the right and left should be the same width and the one in the middle could be smaller.
It goes against my original idea to align the boxes with the breaks in the base moulding. My thought was that it would look odd if they didn’t align. But, I realized it’s not something your eye is drawn too as I had feared and the suggestions Mike made makes sense.
On Sunday, we installed the boxes above and below and tried working out the best way to tackle the box that will follow the angle of the stairs. Mike tried a couple of tips and tricks he found on the internet but nothing really worked. It’s probably something we’ll work on next week while he is off though.
What’s next
I’ve already mapped out a layout for moulding on the long wall that runs the length of our stairs. Once we finish up installing the remaining upper boxes in the hallway, we’ll probably move on to this wall next.
We also need to figure out a plan for the two walls that make up the linen closet. This will be one of the next things we tackle and will probably take us some time to work out all the details.
If you’ve been following along, you know we want to try and “hide” our linen closet by disguising it with moulding. We’ve talked about some ideas casually but need to really hash out a plan so we can move forward.
There’s still so much to do but the little we’ve done has already made such a difference! I’m excited to continue on and see how it all comes together!
What do you think so far?
Leave a Reply