The Best Light and Bright Paint Colours for a Dark Hallway or Staircase
(and some other great tips…)
If there’s one space in a home that is usually dark and shadowed, it’s the hallway. The majority of hallways are narrow, gloomy and leave little room for visual interest and excitement.
And we WILL get to visual interest and excitement…another day. TODAY we’re talking about paint colours because if your walls aren’t the right colour, there’s nothing that will save you.
So before I introduce the actual colours, let’s talk about some meat n’ potatoes stuff (you know, the basics).
LRV and Dark Hallways/Staircases
LRV matters a lot in a dark hallway. Why? Well, with very little natural light to throw around you want to make sure that your paint colour is working hard for you, throwing whatever light it can grab around the room. What is LRV? It basically refers to how much light a paint colour reflects or absorbs. Trust me, you need to read more about this, so check out this blog post… Paint Colours and LRV – The Ultimate Guide You Need to Read.
Now there are light-er and bright-er colours than the ones listed below, but I didn’t want to bore you to death with various versions of off-white (I’ll let this post do that). And I’m not going to lie and say that these colours will BLOW YOUR MIND with personality…they probably won’t. However, they might just be a happy medium between a colour with a high LRV (that might ultimately bore the heckadoody out of you) and colours that are just too intense and heavy to toss down a stairwell or hallway.
Light Fixtures and Hallways
Unless you have a row of pot lights, there shouldn’t be any fixtures in your hallway that hold only one bulb. ONE STINKIN’ BULB, what do you expect it to do – work miracles? Seriously, if you have only 1 fixture it should hold 3 – 60w bulbs. If you have 2 fixtures, they should each hold at least 2 – 60w bulbs (but the more the merrier as you can always reduce the wattage if you find it to be too much).
If you don’t have enough lighting, there is NO paint colour that will save you – don’t expect your paint to be a miracle worker.
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One of the best ways to get adequate lighting is with a flush mount or semi-flush mount light fixture. Sure, there are more exciting lights (shown in the photo below) but for the sake of cost and availability, sometimes a flush-mount does the trick!
To see some great flush and semi-flush mount options, check out this blog post: Budget Friendly Light Update: Contains Graphic Content
You also shouldn’t have bulbs that take like 5 minutes to get to their full power (a fave of husbands worldwide). By the time the light actually starts working at full force, you’ll probably be on your 2nd glass of wine and on the other side of the house.
Are there exceptions to the ‘more than 1 bulb’ rule? Sure.
- If you have more than 2 fixtures down a long hallway
- If it’s a very very small hallway
- If the glass is clear and the bulb is full wattage (even then, it’s borderline)
- If you have the right paint colour and decor to off-set a room that maybe doesn’t have as much light as it could have
Contrast – Trim and Paint Colour
This is a trickier one. Some of you have white (or off-white trim), whereas others have wood trim – so this changes things slightly.
Why? Damn you for making me think beyond the reach of my wine glass…
If you have white trim
White trim with a light paint colour is low contrast. This keeps things not only bright, but also bigger looking (wider). White trim with a medium or dark paint colour is high contrast, which can make a space look more busier and smaller (but more interesting).
BM Stonington Gray in a moderately lit hallway
If you have dark or wood trim
Medium or dark trim (wood or painted) with a light paint colour is HIGH contrast. Now your space WILL look brighter via the wall colour, however, the contrast between the trim and the walls can actually make it look more cluttered and small. So it’s not that your space will look darker, you just wont get the full-bodied effect of white trim/light walls.
Could you paint your walls a light/medium tone to blend in a bit more with your dark trim? You could, as this would lower the contrast level, making things look more simple and seamless. However, it won’t make your hallway feel any ‘brighter’. BUT (J-lo sized), if you can supplement with MORE than adequate lighting and decor (mirror) you can make up for a less than bright paint colour and perhaps find a happy medium.
If you want to know more about paint colours with wood trim, you may want to check out this blog post The Best Paint Colours for Dark Wood Trim
But for the rest of you, let’s move along!
Neutral: Benjamin Moore Edgecomb Gray
Edgecomb Gray just might be my new fave neutral. It’s like the perfect blend of berries, earth and tannins. Oh wait, was I talking about wine again? Edgecomb Gray is like the perfect blend of gray, beige and cream – giving it a warm greige feeling without committing to ANY one of those 3 colours.
We used Edgecomb Gray throughout all of the main living areas in my clients home (shown above) and I LOVED how it shifted between gray, beige and cream on a room-to-room basis!
The LRV of Edgecomb is 63, so slightly under my starting point. I might be inclined to lighten it by 25% just to tip it back into my happy place. You can also check out BM Natural Cream for a colour that is similar and just a shift lighter.
Want to add a bit more depth? Be careful as greige’s can get MIGHT dingy looking if you don’t have the right lighting,
Creamy/Warm: Sherwin Williams Creamy SW 7012
It’s no secret that gray and greige are the most popular paint colours these days, however, when you are the mood for something warmer, Creamy hits the spot!
Let me tell you, this is one dark hallway (my own home) and I had to get an independent lamp to light the end of my hallway. For everyday living the normal lights are fine, but when it comes to photos, DAMMIT I need more light!
And even though my hallway is naturally not the brightest, I chose Benjamin Moore Gray 2121-10 for a wicked accent wall along the back, this adds visual interest to what could otherwise be, a kind of ho-hum space.
This here is a pretty darned realistic shot of daytime living in our home. You can see how Creamy is significantly lighter and brighter in the well-lit areas, but doesn’t fall too flat down the hallway which had no lights on when this photo was taken.
Want to add a bit more depth? Check out…
- BM Navajo White for a more creamy/yellow look
Gray: Benjamin Moore Gray Owl
Definitely one of my faves (do I say that a lot?). Gray Owl is a beautiful light gray paint colour with passive blue/green undertones. These undertones seem to pop up a bit more with northern exposure, but even then, they are pretty subtle.
Gray Owl has an LRV of 65, coming in right on the starting line.
With my client Jen, we used Gray Owl throughout her main floor (open layout) as well as the darker hallway area and it turned out PERFECT. With a beautiful gallery wall to add some visual interest, the hallway looks much better than when it started!
Before: This home was too beautiful to have a hallway so dark and uninviting!
After: With a fresh coat of paint and a gallery wall, it’s now family friendly and inviting!
Want to add a bit more depth or colour? Be careful, but check out…
- BM Stonington Gray which is a light gray with a stormy blue undertone
- I also love the subtle, slightly more colourful appeal of BM Gray Cashmere, a gray/blue/green blend that leans a touch more blue.
You can also check out BM Moonshine, which an Edesign client just sent me a photo of – similar idea to Gray Owl.
Want to know the best paint colour for YOUR hallway?
Check out my affordable E-Decor Services and Online Color Consulting!
Kylie M Interiors Based in Nanaimo, Vancouver Island BC E-Decor, Design and Online Color Consulting Services
Love this post, Kylie. We moved here nearly a year ago and I was never a fan of our hall leading down to the bedrooms. It had dull 80’s fixtures and an 18 inch dark green embossed border going down the middle of the hall. Plus all the baseboards were brown! It looked like a dungeon. I pulled off the border, scraped the popcorn ceiling and repainted it and then painted the hall Manhatan Tan. We also replaced the light fixture and repainted the baseboards white. Just replacing the light fixtures made a huge difference. At least now I am happier with my hallway and it doesn’t feel like I’m walking down a tunnel anymore…lol. I love the Gray Owl and I think once I get going on the bedrooms I will consider that colour for my hall. Thanks for a great post…it made my day .
Bert
Hi Kylie,
Did you get a chance to post about how to accessorize a hallway. I couldn’t seem to find it on your blog. I was curious as to the size of the frames and the spacing between frames in the benjamin owl painted hallway. Thank you!
Hi Melanie, thank you for asking! I did do a blog post re: decorating a hallway here: http://www.kylieminteriors.ca/ideas-decorate-end-long-hall-hallway/
As for that photo, the frames were Ikea Ribba frames (20×20) and the spacing was approx 3″.
Hope that helps!
~Kylie
So I’m not convinced that these colors are a shade away from deathly boring but (Nicki Minaj size ) you made me laugh so much that I” going to collect these darn paint chips tomorrow and take a look 🙂
Can you compare SW sea salt to BM cashmere gray. I am looking for a gray/green/blue paint color for bathroom with gray tile and white cabinets. Don’t want it to pulll too blue or too green but want it to be spa-like.
OH! You’ll find a pretty big difference between the 2 and from the sounds of it Sea Salt might be a bit too much for you. Gray Cashmere is a nice spa inspired bet, but it CAN go either way…(I find it usually goes blue if anything) but it STILL is a soft and subtle colour, whereas Sea Salt can be a bit more powerful in comparison.
~Kylie
My question is, I have granite counter tops in my master bath Kind of looks like emerald pearl, but the green isn’t real prominent, *you kind of have to look for the green* It is dark with specks of green. I don’t want to pull too much green, but I don’t want to clash. Do you think the Gray Cashmere would work? I also have stained cabinets, but considering painting them white. I was also considering Sea Salt as this is what I have in my current bathroom. But I have white cabinets and white quartz counter tops.
We are buying a (new to us) house.
Hi Kymber, without seeing the room it ‘sounds’ like you’re on the right track – no red flags jumping up at me. Both colours CAN lean a bit blue, so just make sure you sample them to see that they hold their green for you 🙂
Would love to know the trim color used in the gray owl hallway. Just did my house in it and can’t decide what trim color to pair it with.
Hi Montella, I’m pretty sure that’s just white – like BM ‘PM 2 White’. 🙂
Which gray owl is the one you used? Oc-52 or 2137-60 ?
I tried the OC-52 in my house just as test area. It doesn’t look anything like this pic . The pic looks brighter
Hi Aleyfiyah! They are actually the same Gray Owl, they are just numbered differently as they are in 2 different fan decks – just to make our lives interesting! And yes, what you see online vs how it looks in your home can be quite different depending on your lighting/exposure/etc… so that’s not surprising!
~Kylie
Hiya
Just wondered what you thought of farrow and ball elephant breath for a dark hallway…I like the idea of a gray with a hint of the purple, but does that work?
Hi Zee, I would LOVE to help but I don’t have that Farrow and Ball fan deck (insert sad face here…)
~Kylie
I love the grey owl in the stairwell and hallway and I think this would look great with wood molding and trim.
Just moved a month ago. Having the hardest time deciding on a living room colour. The colour I pick will continue down our hall. I am loving this Grey Owl. My question is will it be ok with Sea Salt? That is what our high foyer is painted- a great lighted area, that the living room is next to. Thx so much!
Hi Mandi, yes, Gray Owl and Sea Salt are lovely together – no problem there!
I just started reading your blog posts. Wonderful and so informative!!!,
Catching up on past blogs also. Can you do a blog on east and west facing paint colors? I have read several on north and south facing,
That said, I just painted a master bath BM Brittany Blue with white dove trim, ceiling, and cabinets with a cream/white tile floor. Now the room comes off as modern, no personality and very bright overall(need sunglasses), whereas traditional off white with pops of medium LRV color is my style. What did I do wrong and how to correct it? You Walk through an east facingMaster BR ( needs new color also) to go into this bath.
Thank you for teaching us with your gingerly humor and knowledge.
Hi Robin! I’ve actually written blog posts on BOTH of those things – hooray!
Here’s the West facing one… https://www.kylieminteriors.ca/the-best-paint-colours-for-west-facing-rooms/
And here’s the East facing one… https://www.kylieminteriors.ca/the-best-paint-colours-for-east-facing-rooms/
As for your bathroom, seems silly, but can you lower the wattage of your light bulbs? This can actually help A LOT to soften a space. You can also play around with the temperature of them. A lot of times bathroom bulbs are cool or daylight – maybe ‘warm’ bulbs will help?
I came here from Pinterest for the lovely carpeted stair treads and then was delighted to find the wall color was Edgecomb Gray, which we’ve used as the color in our main living spaces as well. Could you tell me what the carpet is? And was the carpet applied before or after installing the treads? It looks like the perfect compromise in the carpet vs runner debate for a contemporary space.
Hi Carla! Unfortunately it was a couple of years ago and I don’t have the info on file anymore! The carpet was installed after the treads were screwed down…
Kylie, I am so grateful for your posts! I have learned so much from LVR, colour undertones, to effects of lighting in north vs. south facing rooms. After reading this post earlier this year, we chose Grey Owl (at 50%) for our upstairs hallway which has limited natural light. It looks great! Now the issue is connecting Grey Owl hallway upstairs with the hallway downstairs which is Edgecoomb Grey. The two colours together aren’t working for me and so its time for a change. Should I continue with Grey Owl, either at full strength or less, for the foyer and hall downstairs (need it to pair up with Museum Piece and Overcoat in other rooms)?
Hi Teresa, thank you for your note! When it comes to personal questions, I do need to refer to my E-design so that I can look at photos and your questionnaire, otherwise I’m just guessing! It’s affordable and fun if you’d like to check it out! I do try to give as much good info as I can on my blog and if that doesn’t work, it might be time for a closer look! https://www.kylieminteriors.ca/online-decorating-design-services/
~Kylie
Hi Kylie. We have a short, narrow hallway with 6 doors (3 closet, 2 bedroom & 1 bath). The hallway is painted Colonnade Gray. I was wondering if the doors to the bedrooms & bathroom should be painted to match the wall color of the rooms, or the hallway. Thank you!
Hi Stacy! I would paint the doors the same colour as the trims for sure!
Thanks for all the helpful posts on paint colours! Do you think an edgecomb gray stairwell (lightened 25%) would match with a dove wing living room?
It can all depend on the interior/exterior lighting, but it sounds like it could be quite lovely!
Kylie, I love this blog! Actually managed to get my husband to read it with me (does that count as quality time?!). Don’t worry…I’m not going to ask about colours for a house you can’t see or feel…my husband is asking though if it is acceptable ever to paint both portions of a wall (above and below a dado rail) the same colour leaving the dado white… We are talking light shades like Gray Owl…and just hypothetical!
Thanks Kylie
Abi
Hi Abi, bless your heart – you even got the hubs to read it – hooray! And yes, absolutely. In fact, that is the more modern approach, painting both colours above and below the chair rail. It’s a bit more of a traditional or sometimes a country look to do 2 different colours. So loooong story short (as usual) YES!
~Kylie
I have a quick question. In he past I have used Magnetic Gray on a flip house. It was large and looked lovely. We recently bought a rental home that is smaller and I am afraid the magnetic gray might but too dark. I love the color but I am looking for a lighter tone of it, I think sea salt is too green. gray owl is nice but looks very crisp. think the magnetic gray is a muddier color. Doe that make sense. can you guide me to a lighter color.
thanks for your input.
Oh Jennifer, you HAVE to look at SW Silver Strand, it literally IS like the lighter version of Magnetic Gray and might just hit it right on the money! And your instincts are right, Magnetic would likely have been a bit much!
~Kylie
Thanks for your post! We are painting our great room because right now it feels dark and lifeless. We have medium wood floors and cabinets and I love all things gray. Should I pick a griege? I’m worried the brown wood will turn the griege more brown and I will hate it. That room doesn’t have a lot of natural light, so would mindful gray be too dark? I want to lighten it up but also have a color that doesn’t show up as white during daylight.
Hi Rachael! Well depending on the greige you pick you might just find that your brown wood makes the greige look more gray IN COMPARISON – which is possibly a good thing for you! Off the top of my head i DO like Mindful Gray, it depends on so many things as to whether it could work for you. If it’s darker, I lean toward saying it might be a bit TOO dark. If you want me to take a look at your home, I do have a fun E-design service and it’s affordable! This way I’m not just guessing at things 😉 https://www.kylieminteriors.ca/online-decorating-design-services/
~Kylie
HI Kylie,
In my current home I have Revere Pewter. I am moving into a new build home and want to go with a gray color for Great Room, Nook, Kitchen Foyer and dining..all open. I feel like the Revere Pewter tends to look brown at times. I don’t like that. Do you have the perfect gray color you can suggest that is not too dark, But a lovely romantic gray? We start painting this Friday! Help. Cheers, Krista
Hi Krista, I wonder if you might like SW Repose Gray? I find that lightening it by 25% tends to hit a pretty good happy place 🙂
Hi Kylie,
I am so thankful for your website and the reams of education you provide those of us that have no idea about colours! Adding some science in your LRV analysis of colour also makes way more sense to those of us who are more on the “science-right brain” side 😉
Would you suggest a comparable BM version of the SW Creamy you mentioned in your “Dark Hallway” blog? And would you give a thumbs up or down to replicating the Creamy hallway with a Gray accent wall if the room the hallway leads into (and you can see into) is BM Van Deusen Blue? I like the idea of a hallway accent wall but am not really interested in a patchwork look as you walk down the hallway.
Leslie
PS loved the post about the glass beach in Sidney. I was there “hunting” with my daughter just a few weeks back. My parents have a home there. I am sooooo recommending they check you out as they are wanting to update their house.
Ive used Farrow & Ball in a “Dark & Narrow ” Hallway with no natural lighting and it was lovely with halogen lighting. This color changes hues dramatically depending on the light. Love the F&B line. Pigments are so much richer than most paint. Benjamin Moore has come out with a new line called Century which has a soft touch mat finish and rich velvety colors. Just used it for a powder room and it is stunning!
KYLIE, REALLY ENJOY YOUR SITE HERE!
Thank you, Michele! I haven’t had much experience with F&B unfortunately, but I have chatted with BM about their century paint – expensive but WHAT a magical finish!
~Kylie
I want to transition my main floor from tans/browns to greys. I think Owl Grey might be the color to start and put everywhere, but I’m worried how it will work with my Natural Red Oak floors, we have white trim with it. Will this color work? We are also a North facing house that tends towards dark.
Thanks, Kristie.
Hi Kristie, thank you for your note! When it comes to personal questions for such a large area, it’s better to go through my E-design, so that i can take a look at photos, furniture, countertops, fireplace, etc…as when you’d dealing with a main floor, there is a lot to consider. It also depends on how much northern light you have/how big the windows are/foliage. If that interests you, it’s afforable and fun! https://www.kylieminteriors.ca/product-category/interior-paint-palettes/
~Kylie
Hi Kylie,
What wonderful advice and suggestions for brightening dark spaces! This is very timely for me, because we have several areas of our home undergoing restoration due to flooding from frozen and burst pipes! I’m frequently perplexed when choosing the correct white for trim. What white would you suggest for using with BM Revere Pewter, SW Creamy and SW Kilim Beige? Those are currently on my walls and my trim is in desperate need of refreshing. These could possibly be my go-to colors for the rooms needing restoration, so I’d love to have some guidance on trim paint. Thank you so much!!
Carolyn
Hi Carolyn, I’m glad you found it helpful! Check out SW White Dove – this could be a white that could hit on the needs of each colour, without alienating them -it’s one of my fave whites!
Hi Kylie,
Just finished a bathroom with small window , north facing, little natural light but lots of new fixtures. We have dark grey charcoal wood look tiles and marble look tiles in shower and vanity. The BM Grey Owl is perfect when there is a brief period of natural light but the rest of the time looking way too green. Had a bunch of colors on the walland Gray Owl seemed right but it’s not. Love it all but the color. Your tips are the best and I have learned a lot! Maybe a grey that pulls more blue then green?