Musing over grey hallway ideas? Well, you’ve come to the right place because below, I’ve gathered 31 ideas for gorgeous grey hallways, across all interior decorating styles. Whether you have an entryway hallway or your hallway is connecting rooms, it can seem like a boring space. It’s often a dim, small corridor that’s expected to cater for storage needs as well as manage to be an uncluttered thoroughfare. But it’s easy to make it a more attractive and functional space to pass through. And one of the best colours to transform a bland hallway is grey.
So let’s jump in and take a look at ideas for stylish grey hallways – there’s sure to be a grey hallway here that appeals to your taste.
1. Go for classic grey and white
That never-fail interior decorating colour combo of grey and white also makes for a classic and chic look in a hallway. The grey adds dimension and depth to the white and helps define a passage as a sleek thoroughfare. Paired with crisp white or pale timber floorboards or gorgeous tile, it’s a simple but timeless look that’s easy to achieve.
2. Make an impact with dark grey
Love a darker shade of grey but don’t want to make things gloomy? Consider painting a half wall in a chalkboard grey, with dark grey on the bottom half juxtaposed with soft white above. This helps keep things spacious and airy while giving you the design boost of a dramatic entry. Or, mix a grey ceiling with white walls. Accent with dark toned timber—if you don’t have a staircase, just bring in some simple wooden hallway furniture.
3. Embrace practical grey flooring
Entry hallways are the perfect place to showcase your personality and make a statement. But they’re also often highly functional areas due to their high traffic. Make life easier for yourself with a mid-grey flooring solution that will handle the comings and goings of everyday life. Another functional aspect of hallways is storage. Whether it’s a row of baskets, wall hooks or a slim console, the need for storage space is usually inevitable.
If you’re designing for entryway storage and need more inspo, check out also our mudroom ideas.
4. Mix textures
First impressions matter and entryways can be revealing. So keeping your entrance hallway uncluttered is key. Storage solutions and a simple all-grey colour scheme keep everything streamlined. But add visual interest with texture: concrete, timber, wall panelling, terrazzo. Wood in particular marries really well with greys because timber adds so much warmth.
5. Get down with grey
Try dark grey wall panelling trimmed with white at the base. Add a patterned ethnic-style rug with grey tones to unify the colour scheme. A tapestry rug or runner in your hallway is always a great idea as it visually lengthens the space.
6. Add warmth with wood
Timber adds so much warmth and softness. A vintage buffet or console is a great idea to add charm to a traditional, elegant hallway. Just look for delicate, slimline pieces that won’t clutter up the hallway. Stunning black and white checkerboard tiles are also beautiful paired with a soft grey and white colour scheme. They also underscore the nostalgic vibes.
7. Contrast greys with black
Use black accents to create focus in your hallway space. Contrast black-painted beams and downlights against pale grey tones and whitewashed floorboards. You’ll have a space full of contemporary flavour.
8. Contrast white with greys
Even though it’s usually such a small and narrow area, your hallway can still be a functional as well as aesthetic space. Apart from making smart use of the space with mudroom features like benches and coat hooks, a practical floor is essential. Grey-toned flooring can be a lovely contrast to a white hallway. Consider patterns like herringbone to add interest and texture.
9. Amp up the drama
Interior designers say to think of a hallway as another room. Due to its status as a passageway, though, a hallway can feel like nothing but a means to an end. But your hallway can actually be something dramatic and statement-making. Consider a series of indoor plants in beautiful containers. If you plan on bringing in nature, contrast the earthy colours with a blue-toned mid-grey.
10. Add mirrors to grey
If your hallway is an entry, you’ll be thinking about what to add as an anchor point. For example, a hallway console, mirror, statement plant, etc. Mirrors are a classic hallway anchor piece. They provide a practical benefit as well as creating the illusion of more space and increasing available light.
11. Go dark and arty
Thinking about going for the moodiness and modernity of a really dark shade of grey? Incorporate a few dashes of saturated colour to break up the expanse of grey. One way to do this is with a gallery wall, which helps guide the eye along the space. Whether you choose photography, graphic art, life drawings or vintage posters, keep it cohesive with all matching picture frames.
12. Keep it classic
A soothing shade of mid-grey is the perfect accompaniment to a traditional or farmhouse aesthetic. As a grey, it’s deep enough to contrast wonderfully with the black and white accents and cool enough to benefit from the warmth of natural materials. Add romance with a pretty chandelier or go for chic with downlights—you can also check out our blog on living room lighting ideas for more lighting inspo.
13. Pick an atmospheric pinkish grey
Greys with pink or lilac tones create a soothing, enveloping softness that is much easier on the eye than basic white. Painting doors a slightly darker toned grey than the walls gives a space a lot of dimension. Stylish downlights also add a gentle ambience.
14. Add a pop of colour
If you’re working with a grey palette, keep it from looking dull and flat by injecting colour with a simple piece of furniture, like a sunny yellow chair. The beauty of a grey-based hallway colour scheme is that you can easily switch up the accent colours when you feel like a change. And there’s a limitless choice of colours that complement grey.
15. Choose a pale minimalist grey
Very light, almost-white grey walls tend to ‘stretch space’. This means they make hallways appear larger and brighter by reflecting all the daylight. Compared to white though, pale grey is neutral with much more personality and depth. It creates a bright, airy and contemporary look. Especially when mixed with natural materials (timber floorboards, a soft woven rug, a paper lantern, etc).
16. Invigorate with colour pops
Going for dramatic dark grey walls? Liven up the space with small pops of bright colour, like fire engine red. Lighting is of course especially important when you are incorporating darker greys.
17. Pair it with pattern
Practical for hiding dirt and hardwearing, patterned tile flooring in grey tones adds a lot of interest to a hallway. Pair gorgeous geometric tiles with a delicate wooden stool with a shaggy throw. You’ll have a hallway that invites you to rest your weary bones for a minute at the end of a long day.
18. Add grey above
Tie together a monochromatic colour scheme with a unifying block of mid-grey paint on the ceiling. If you need someone to help tackle painting your ceiling, you can find a local painter. Or, if you want to DIY, make sure you read our guide on how to paint a ceiling.
19. Soften white with grey
Try a hallway with a Scandi-inspired colour palette of crisp white, soft pearl and dove grey. Adding whisper-pale grey tones to the mix ensures white is not too clinical or glaring. The result is a tailored, contemporary space that is still bright but gently muted.
20. Add grey tones with a photo wall
Hallway walls are the perfect real estate for showing off your artistic taste, whether you hang a gallery wall or just display a single oversized image for impact. Photography or monochrome artworks are an easy way to bring in sophisticated grey tones to your hallway.
21. Stay tonal
Stick to a simple monochrome colour scheme but use varying shades of grey for a cohesive and multi-dimensional space. For example, a very deep grey wall on one side is contrasted with a very pale grey wall on the other. Then add texture, for example with parquetry flooring.
22. Juxtapose pale grey with dark flooring
When you have stunning architectural features, you really don’t need much more than polished floorboards and a beautiful paint job. And rather than choosing a blinding white, a whisper-pale shade of grey is better at creating the depth and shadows that enhance a hallway.
23. Make a grand entrance
A grand looking entrance hallway makes a real statement with a long stretch of grey and white checkerboard tiles. Being a typically small and narrow space, hallways are perfect for embracing bold flooring choices. And tiles are such a pretty and practical flooring for high-traffic hallways.
24. Accent it with black
A classic grey and white hallway colour scheme is a calming mid-grey with a softer cloud grey and an off-white trim. Visual excitement can be added with beautiful tile and punchy black accents.
25. Add a bright door to a grey scheme
If you love dark coloured walls, adding dark wainscoting to your hallway is dramatic as well as being a forgiving choice in terms of maintenance. So it suits a boisterous household, perhaps with pets. Then add zest with a boldly painted door—yellow is always a great choice with dark grey.
25. Paint the door grey
You can also incorporate grey into your hallway by painting the inside of your front door grey. And if you have a staircase, match it with the bannisters. It’s just enough to add interest to an overwhelmingly white space. Add a gorgeous warm metallic pendant lamp to bring a good dose of warmth to your cool-toned hallway.
26. Add soft hints of grey
If you love a Boho vibe, transform your hallway into a peaceful and pleasing thoroughfare with the use of plenty of tactile, rough-hewn décor in natural materials and neutral colours, including greys. Soft textiles in wool, cotton, velvet and linen offer comfort and create that casual, pared-back flavour.
27. Make it industrial
Love a contemporary industrial-flavoured look? Consider statement poured concrete flooring and walls, broken up by expanses of soft wall panelling and accents in black. Concrete and timber always contrast beautifully.
28. Add grey to unify blacks and whites
Does your hallway or entranceway feature a starkly contrasting black-and-white colour scheme? Break it up a little by introducing greys into the mix, for example in the tiling. The statement tiles in this heritage home are original Minton, which is nice if you can get it! (British company Minton’s encaustic floor tiles have been around since the 1800s.) But if starting from scratch, there are plenty of modern tile designs which will do the trick too.
29. Paint opposite walls
Add interest to a long, narrow hallway and make it feel a little less like a tunnel. Paint one wall or bank of cabinets white and the other side a rich charcoal grey. Give it a coastal vibe with a long jute hall runner.
30. Go pale and interesting
An understated, dove-grey hallway is beautifully light and airy. Add in gentle, pared-back timber elements like a slim console or a narrow cushion-top bench. Just about all kinds of wood will work with pastel greys, but pale timbers have this characteristic Scandi softness.
31. Go for family-friendly grey
With entranceways in family homes being bustling spaces, full of comings and goings and accumulated messes, it’s important to design a high-traffic hallway with function in mind. A dark grey lower half-wall with pale grey above will help hide dirt and scuff marks as well as look chic. Add wooden benches, calming green plants, a statement pendant and a graphic runner for a cosy but stylish aesthetic.
And there you have my pick of ideas for stunning grey hallways. Did you spy on your ideal grey hallway idea above? Let me know in the comments! Or, if you think you might like a bit of help planning your grey hallway redesign, you can always find a local interior designer.
Why is grey such a classic hallway decorating colour?
First of all, no matter what the colour scheme of the rest of your home is, grey goes with everything. It’s one of those versatile neutrals that can be worked into every decorating style, bringing an instant dose of sophistication and chic to a space. It’s also very practical, hiding scuff marks and dirt well. It can be warm or cool-toned but is typically a cloaking, cocooning and comforting colour that generates feelings of cosiness. Even whisper-light greys have this effect, but it’s more intense with darker greys. Dark greys also make a wonderful accent colour for highlighting details.
How to choose your grey
Deciding on the right shade of grey will depend a lot on personal taste (or perhaps on the help of an interior decorator) but also on simple factors like the amount of natural light in your space.
Choosing between a warm or cool-toned grey really depends on whether you want to add warmth or create a clean, crisp effect. If you have little natural daylight, light porcelain greys with yellow or lilac tones add warmth, whereas natural light-filled hallways can handle cooler, blue-toned greys. Again depending on your layout and lighting, you might find it more pleasing to mix tones of the same grey on different walls.
How you use your hallway will also impact your choice of grey. If it’s an entryway space, it’s the first thing people see, so you want to make a statement or set the tone. This may lead you to choose a more dramatic grey than a softer one that might be needed in a hallway between rooms.
So, you already have a gorgeous entryway hallway but want to make sure what’s on the other side is equally appealing? Be sure to look at our collection of front porch ideas.
