I think by now, if you’ve read my home decor posts, you’ve come to a conclusion that I am greatly fond of French decor. As I was planning my hallway transformation, in the back of my mind was the thought of what inspires me…what to me is French decor. 

My Love of French Decor Inspired Hallway Transformation

The Project Domino Effect

This hallway project began with Dearest and I planning to update and paint our home’s stairwell. Which is a tricky, not so easy project. The stairwell is narrow and very high. To do this job, we would need a large ladder – Our son has a good one, but he’s currently fixing his house for his soon-to-be bride. Yes, our son is getting married! We are so excited! Side tracked! So, I decided to begin this project by updating the paint color in the upper hallway. That’s when the domino effect began.

From Gold to Greige

When we bought our house it was literally a blank slate. One of the former owners painted EVERYTHING white. Over time, we gave each room it’s own color – those I chose were more in line with an English Cottage decor. We loved this look for a long time. Recently, I began to transform the look of our home. First I transformed the kitchen, then our dining room, finally the living room. Now I’m working on our hallway. I don’t know what I was thinking. This upper hallway has one window on the East side and at the far side is the hall bath. Each of the three bedrooms are accessed from the hallway. I painted the hallway Gold Coin with a dark blue ceiling. This look was dramatic but oh so dark! I’m loving grays and greiges and I think I found the perfect greige for the stairwell and hallway.

A Lighter Blue Ceiling

I do so love blue ceilings! This time, I chose a lighter blue Sherwin William’s Trade-wind Blue (I used Valspar Reserve – the coverage is awesome! both at Lowes). This color even transformed the gold – it made the hallway look softer. 

Gracious Greige

I’m not exactly sure if I fell for the name first or the color. I LOVE both. As I was painting the walls – I started late in the day – it was a long day! I shared a few photos on Instagram – showing my progress. Immediately, I knew this color had personality. The light is difficult in this hallway. This color demonstrates a subtle shade difference during the day and into the night. If I had a background color for images – I think this would be it! (Again, Gracious Greige is a Sherwin Williams color, but I used Valspar’s Reserve – the reason – one coat covers beautifully!)

The Domino Effect

This piece of furniture moved with us. This was a dresser turned into a bathroom’s sink. Sadly, none of our bathrooms would accommodate it’s size. But, it does, however, make a lovely feature piece – with a story! I had this blue and white vintage pitcher sitting in the sink. When I placed the dresser back against the wall, I was inspired! I envisioned a pink flower arrangement in the blue pitcher. French decor uses blue and white porcelain a lot and of course flowers! Thus the beginning of the decor scheme for the upper hallway!

 

The Artwork

My parents purchased seven pieces of artwork before we left Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, when I was in first grade! Later I inherited this artwork. These pencil drawings have decorated our hallway from the beginning. But, I needed a change. I love visiting Savannah and was inspired by the artwork in the hotels and those things that make Savannah beautiful. So, I created my own artwork and replaced them in the frames.

Covering the Window

This window had a lovely lace cafe curtain just covering the lower half of the window. It was there when we moved in and I liked it. Now, I wanted something more…something more French. Searching through my collection of fabric to find something that would compliment the walls and the dresser’s decor, I considered a lovely pink fabric. This fabric was purchased at a warehouse on a biannual basis. They sell fabric by the pound. I wasn’t sure how or when I’d use this lovely striped pink and cream fabric.  I just knew I loved it! Now I have the perfect use! I decided the window also needed a soft, frothy look – Voile is the perfect addition!

Going for the Gold

One of the other elements of French Decor is the use of gold. I decided to paint two pieces of furniture giving them an aged gold patina. One of these pieces was made by my great-grandfather and another came from the estate of a dear friend. There’s a sense of history here. 

Lightening the decor

Not every thing goes back. I had a sweet little chair – that’s not going back. A Wardian Case is not going back here. I added different decor on the tabletop and moved this beautiful aged blue and white vase. Now, when I ascend our stairway, I smile. The hallway is more than just a pathway to our bedrooms – it’s a room of in it’s own right with personality.

Great Grandfather’s Shelf

Before, this corner was dark and so was this little shelf. My great-grandfather made it. Gold paint and French inspired decor along with a couple pieces of the artwork changed the whole feel of this corner.

The Long View

From one of the bedroom doorways looking into the hallway, the transformation is dramatic. This hallway was once dark, now with lighter colors and decor changes I now feel this hallway is more like another room in my home.

The Little Chairs

A while back I changed the seat covers to these chairs. I considered changing again. Not sure – I have some light floral fabric that contains all of the room’s colors. What do you think?

I believe I will completely enjoy this hallway, as if it were a room. I love the color and how it beautifully complements the blue & white, pink and gold decor. This refreshed French inspired upper hallway redecoration worked out better than I could have imagined!