Hallway Makeover: Our Mood Board and Plans!

It’s been a long time coming, but this little upstairs hallway is finally getting its moment to shine!

Our hallway makeover has been a gradual project over the past couple of years—one of those “work on it as we go” kinds of spaces. You know the ones. It’s not a room you really hang out in, but it still deserves a little love because it sets the tone for the rooms around it.

Eight years ago, this hallway was… well, rough. Beige walls. Not much character. And a huge attic fan smack dab in the ceiling that made me cringe every time I walked under it. That old thing was noisy, clunky, and definitely not cute.

Plus, it leaked heat into our house in the summer and cold air into our house in the winter. I won’t even mention how many times I caught spiders hanging down from it. Ew.

Some say we’re crazy for removing it because so many people love their attic fans, but I say good riddance.

Last year, we finally said goodbye to the attic fan (hallelujah!), but it left behind a giant scar of drywall patchwork on the ceiling. We’ve been staring at that eyesore ever since, just waiting for the right idea to hit us.

We went back and forth trying to figure out what kind of ceiling treatment would give this hallway some much-needed character without overwhelming the narrow space. Beadboard? Maybe. Pressed tin? Beautiful, but a little too ornate for what we had in mind.

In the end, tongue and groove won the debate.

It’s subtle, timeless, and adds just enough texture to make the ceiling feel intentional. Plus, if all goes well, I’m hoping we can run it right over the attic access door to help it blend in a little more. Fingers crossed.

So I placed some images on top of a photo of our hallway to see how it would look. I cannot wait! It’s even better than what I envisioned in my head.

(By the way, you can learn all of my mood boarding tricks here. I highly recommend it to “try on” ideas before you buy them so you don’t waste time and money making mistakes.)

visualizing a hallway makeover with mood boarding

The Color Plan: Willowleaf Love Continues

Ever since we painted our foyer and staircase wainscoting in Sherwin Williams Willowleaf, I’ve been itching to carry that color into the upstairs hallway. It’s the most perfect soft olive green—moody but fresh—and it adds just enough drama without feeling dark or heavy.

To test it out, I asked ChatGPT to help me visualize it in our hallway. (Technology is wild, y’all.) And when I saw it… I gasped. It was exactly the cozy, elevated look I had in my head.

So we’re continuing Willowleaf on the hallway wainscoting and even painting the doors to match. The rest of the walls and ceiling will stay crisp white to keep things feeling light and airy.

(Get my ChatGPT Room Visualizer prompt here.)

how to use ChatGPT to plan a room makeover

Found Treasures and Design Surprises

You know I love a good Facebook Marketplace score, and I struck gold with a pair of vintage-style sconces I found for a steal! We installed them recently, and they add such a pretty glow to the space at night.

We’re also keeping the large antique mirror we found years ago—it’s one of my favorite finds ever. It bounces light around beautifully and adds a sense of history that works so well with the other elements in the space.

And for a little surprise pop? I’m jumping on the Unexpected Red Theory train again. I put a red rug in our foyer to pop against the Willowleaf walls, and it is absolute perfection.

I found the most gorgeous red vintage style runner rug that will run the length of the hallway and add that chef’s kiss layer of interest to keep the space from feeling too polished.

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The Hallway Mood Board

To pull everything together visually, I made a quick mood board to give you a peek at the hallway makeover plan:

Our Hallway Makeover Elements:

Paint Color: Sherwin Williams Willowleaf (wainscoting + doors)
Ceiling Treatment: Tongue and groove planks
Lighting: Secondhand vintage-style brass sconces
Mirror: Antique Facebook Marketplace find
Runner Rug: Red vintage-style, for a pop of color
Walls + Ceiling: Clean white for balance
Indoor Tree and planter
Flush Mount Light Fixtures
Vase

I plan to add some art from the Bless’er House Art Collection to create a small gallery wall too.

It’s a simple formula but feels classic and layered. And best of all, we’ve been taking our time to make thoughtful updates that feel right for this home.

I’ll be sharing more soon as we tackle the tongue and groove ceiling install (wish us luck), but I’m already so excited to see how it’s all coming together.

If you’re working on your own hallway makeover, I rounded up some of my favorite hallway decorating ideas in this post to help you get started with small changes that make a big impact.

More soon!