This Victorian terrace hallway renovation was part of a larger extension project on a ground floor maisonette in Mortlake, London. The entry hall is your welcome home, and the transition between your home and sanctuary, and the daily grind outside. The key to designing a hallway that does that well is to maximise function – in this case, with built in storage and as much space to accommodate foot traffic as possible.
Read more about the Alder Road Project here:
Side Return Extension Plans
Family/Guest Bathroom Renovation
Master En-Suite Renovation
The Befores & The Brief
As in most Victorian terraces, space in this entry hall was at a premium. Two good-sized cupboards hid the electrical panels and provided storage for shoes, coats, linens and seasonal bits, and acted as an overflow pantry when needed.
We needed to make sure all that still had a home, but there were a few additional requirements. Our plans for the rear of the property involved removing a small utility room, so the laundry facilities needed a new home, and we also needed to make room to park a push chair, because the client was expecting her first baby shortly after the project was due to complete.
Victorian Terrace Hallway Renovation Plans
The solution was to move the laundry into one of the existing cupboards, then knock the other one out to open the space up, add hooks for coats and bags, and add new bespoke cabinetry to house shoes and outdoor accessories.
A walk-in pantry in the new kitchen and a large sideboard in the new dining area would hold the remaining bits that used to live in the bigger cupboard.
We kept the design scheme light and neutral to maximise the sense of space.
Victorian Terrace Hallway Renovation Reveal
Knocking the cupboard and part of the wall out came with complications, because the wall was partially load bearing and sat underneath the neighbour’s stairs. That meant adding a steel beam, right as post-Covid steel prices were soaring and availability was limited. That said, it has made such a huge difference, and had we not done it, there would forever be a buggy blocking foot flow somewhere else in the flat.
We held off on the built-in storage bench shown in the hallway design plans, opting instead to add a bespoke cupboard at the lowest point under the neighbour’s stairs. Once buggy storage is no longer needed, the client may add the bench back in.
We replaced the existing Shaker barn door at the end of the hallway with a new one designed to look like the metal framed Crittal style doors we installed between the extension and the garden. But because it’s painted wood, it was more affordable than the real deal. It frames the view from the hallway into the new kitchen and extension.
The rest of the design updates in this Victorian terrace hallway were simple – we replaced the pendant with a pretty new one, the runner with an easy-to-clean vinyl option, and the radiator with a more modern, vertical one to coordinate with the rest of the radiators in the new extension. These little fixes helped elevate the space.
Victorian Hallway Design Scheme Sources
Barn Door – Direct Doors
Pendant Light – Pooky
Spot Light – Corston Architectural Detail
Alcove Paint – Purbeck Stone by Farrow & Ball
Hallway Paint – Wevet by Farrow & Ball
Radiator – Best Heating
Hooks & Handles – Dowsing & Reynolds
Vinyl Runner – Art Mat on Etsy
Mirror – Existing
Need Help with A Space in Your Home?
I work with clients across London and the UK, on projects ranging from room styling and home staging, to project managing full renovations from design concept through to completion. Your initial consultation is free of charge – let’s chat!
