Our hallway...

Before we started looking at houses, we made a list of things that were important to us.  At the top of my list was the floorplan, especially the location of the bedrooms.  I know that "split floorplans" are really popular (and have been for a while), but I am not a fan.  I may change my tune once my kids are older, but for now I am much more comfortable knowing that I can see and hear them from my bedroom. 

We ruled out a lot of potential houses on floorplan alone.  Having all three bedrooms off of one central hallway was a huge positive for this house...the fact that the hallway looked like it did was a major negative.

Getting rid of the funky, textured wallpaper was our first challenge.  It was tougher (and messier) than  I expected, and so I had to call in some reinforcements.

Maddie and Bella help out with the wallpaper while Noah is napping!

We decided to remove the door that separated the hallway from the living room. The hall instantly seemed twice as wide, and much brighter. A new light fixture added even more light. Then the old wood paneling and all the moulding became a clean, fresh white ("Snowbound" from Sherwin Williams) and the upper walls got a couple coats of silvery gray (SW's "Repose Gray").  Replacing the tile floor is on my "someday" list, but tiling the entry way myself convinced me to leave this job until I can afford to hire a professional! 

I've always wanted a designated place to put up family photos and the long, bare walls in this hallway gave me the perfect spot.  Now I have a showcase for our favorite portraits, snapshots, and even a few of my favorite drawings from the kids.

Our hallway is not just a way to get from "point A" to "point B" anymore, it's also a sweet little trip down "Memory Lane".