Hallway Makeover

I wish I could find the picture I took of our hallway when we first moved into this house--the before picture. That memory chip seems to have disappeared though. If I find it, I'll be sure to show you because this transformation is dramatic. You'll just have to visualize the before... A plain hallway, no chair rail, nothing hung on the walls, builder grade lighting, wasted space, scuffs, and fingerprints... The after? A functional space with chalkboard wall and art area for the kids...

I started to do this project on my own several times. (The hubby isn't very handy with things like this.) I measured for the chair rail, borrowed supplies from my dad's garage, bought the chalkboard paint, and stood in the hallway ready to begin...

Over and over again...

I just couldn't do it though.

You see...

This is the sort of project I would have done with my dad by my side.  If I had the vision, he could make it happen! The window box on the front of the house, the dollhouse bookcase and restored vintage rocking chair in Lydia Grace's room, the "teacher box" I used for my small groups when I taught 4th grade, and the dozens of other projects that my dad had been there to help me with. Most of you know that he passed away in October 2012 from pancreatic cancer. Long before he was gone, I knew how much I relied on him...

How much I needed him...

And not just for things like this, but in this I certainly felt his absence...

One of the kids would start crying...

And I'd put the paintbrush down.

If it wasn't for the fantastic handyman who my mom recommended, this hallway wouldn't have happened.  He was professional, patient with the kids wanting to be his "fan club", and able to make my vision of a functional hallway come to life. We don't live in a huge house.  It's just the right size for our family of five, so it's important to make every square foot count.

The addition of chair rail sectioned off a perfect space for the chalkboard wall. It also gave the hallway a grander feel. With the exception of the chalkboard wall, a semi-gloss paint was used under the chair rail which can better stand up to future scuffs and messy little fingers. The same color in eggshell was used above the chair rail. I chose a black light fixture and black picture frames to balance nicely with the black chalkboard paint. Adding in the Ikea table and chair set made it the perfect place for the kids to get creative...

This side of the wall holds frames with some of my photos while the other side has frames for the kids' artwork.

What do you think?  How would you make your own hallway more functional?

Happy renovating and decorating!