Ideas by Room
Best Wallpaper for Hallway Walls: 7 Designs for Halls and Entryways
A hall is the first room every guest sees and the one you walk through most, so its wallpaper has to welcome, cope with daily traffic and suit a long, narrow wall. Here are seven murals we would hang in one, and two other routes.
The short version
- Our pick overall: Seaham, Midnight, painterly vertical stripes in ivory, powder blue and soft gold on deep navy.
- Stripes and views suit a narrow hall. Vertical lines draw the eye up; a panorama gives depth to a wall you pass close to.
- A hall gets touched. All our papers wipe clean with a damp cloth and carry an ASTM E84 Class A fire rating.
- Long walls, one print. Each mural is printed to your wall's width and height, so a non-repeating scene runs the full length.
- Try it in the hall's light. A 30 x 20 in sample on the real paper costs $34 in Non-Pasted, credited back on your mural within 90 days.
The best wallpaper for a hall is a design that welcomes from the front door, stands up to daily wear and suits a long, narrow wall seen up close. Our pick is Seaham, Midnight, a calm navy stripe in gouache-style brushwork, printed to the exact size of your wall.
The other six cover the usual hallway briefs: a light stripe, a city view, a chinoiserie, a landscape, a world map and a stone wall. All seven are suggested for hallways and entryways.
The best hallway wallpapers at a glance
| Design | Best for | What sets it apart |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Seaham, Midnight | Narrow halls and stairways | Gouache stripes on deep navy |
| 2. Henley, Oat | Dark halls with little daylight | Bone and oatmeal stripes, classic |
| 3. Soho, Etching | Long entrance walls | Black and white city, non-repeating |
| 4. Kowloon, Clay | Period homes | Warm clay chinoiserie on off-white |
| 5. Glenalmond, Ochre | Long, north-facing halls | Golden lake panorama, deep perspective |
| 6. Meridian, Delft | Family entrances | Vintage world map in blue and white |
| 7. Slateford, Ink | Modern entryways | Charcoal dressed stone, no visible repeat |
The ranking: 7 wallpapers for halls and entryways
All seven are made to measure, printed as straight-match panels 76 cm (30 in) wide with pre-trimmed edges, and shipped free to 107 countries with import duties included. Prices start at $7.95 per square foot on Non-Pasted paper.
1. Seaham, Midnight: best wallpaper for a hallway overall
Best for: a narrow hall, a stairway or a landing.
Seaham, Midnight is a series of crisp vertical stripes in varied widths of ivory, powder blue and soft gold, brushed onto a deep navy ground in a painterly gouache style. The brushwork is visible and assured, which gives depth to a plain wall.
It ranks first because stripes are the classic hall wallpaper: vertical lines lead the eye upward, and the navy hides the scuffs a light wall shows. The varied widths and brushwork stop it feeling rigid.
- Calm, dark and moody
- A light version on warm off-white exists: Marinière, Slate
- Polished brass, natural oak and cream linen
2. Henley, Oat: best light stripe
Best for: a hall with little natural light, or a classic or Victorian home.
Henley, Oat has straight vertical stripes of varied widths in warm bone and oatmeal, with subtle deeper taupe details on a soft, warm ground. Up close it has a refined, painterly quality.
It does what Seaham does in a pale palette, which keeps a windowless corridor bright. Its classic, Victorian character suits period hallways.
- Suggested for entryways, hallways, laundry rooms and offices
- A cooler version exists: Salcombe, Pearl, in white and pale grey
- Textured linen, natural oak and aged brass
3. Soho, Etching: best view for a long wall
Best for: a long entrance wall that you see from the front door.
Soho, Etching is a finely illustrated city in crisp black and white, like a vintage print, with grand buildings and quiet streets. It is a continuous, non-repeating panorama with a deep perspective and a calm horizon.
A hallway wall is often seen at an angle from a few feet away. A panorama with perspective makes it feel deeper than it is.
- Generous quiet areas so it never feels busy
- A painterly grey version exists: Quayside, Stone
- Charcoal or navy textiles, dark wood and brass
4. Kowloon, Clay: best chinoiserie
Best for: a hallway in a period home, or an entry that leads to a dining room.
Kowloon, Clay is a chinoiserie landscape of birds, branches and flowers in warm clay and muted brown on a soft off-white ground. A dozen varied motifs form a medium repeat, a continuous tapestry with no empty spaces.
Chinoiserie has been a classic wallpaper style for centuries. This warm, light version keeps a corridor welcoming instead of dark.
- Painterly brushwork with subtly faded colours
- A dark navy chinoiserie exists: Kinmont, Midnight
- Natural wood, linen and brass
5. Glenalmond, Ochre: best for a cold, north-facing hall
Best for: a long corridor that gets no sun and needs warmth.
Glenalmond, Ochre is a serene panoramic lake, in the spirit of an eighteenth-century oil painting: muted sepia and faded greens define a hazy sky and distant shores, with ochre and gold tones lighting the water. The wide composition leaves generous quiet areas.
The golden palette adds the warmth a sunless hall lacks, and the deep perspective gives length to a corridor.
- Bold yet calm, with muted classic colours
- A pale wintry version exists: Buttermere, Pearl
- Dark wood, antique brass and natural linen
6. Meridian, Delft: best for a family entrance
Best for: a busy family hallway, or the wall by the stairs.
Meridian, Delft is a vintage world map in soft blue and white, with a timeless mood. It is suggested for entryways, hallways, kids' rooms and offices.
A map gives everyone something to look at while shoes go on, and blue and white works with almost any floor.
- Grows with a family, from small children to adults
- A watercolour version exists: Cartographer, Slate
- White woodwork, natural wood and brass
7. Slateford, Ink: best modern entryway
Best for: a contemporary entryway with a grounded, architectural feel.
Slateford, Ink is a natural dressed stone wall in deep charcoal blended with subtle warm taupe, shown with photographic realism and fine texture. The stones vary across the wall with no visible repeat.
Stone suits an entrance because it reads as part of the building. It closes the list as the most modern pick, best in contemporary homes.
- Calm, dark and moody
- A pale version exists: Pietra Serena, Linen
- Matte black metal, natural oak, cream or muted green textiles
8. Alternative: paint with a dado rail or wainscoting
A painted wall below a dado rail or wainscoting protects the part of a hall that gets knocked. It can also be combined with wallpaper above the rail.
9. Alternative: standard wallpaper rolls
Rolls from home stores suit a small repeating pattern in a short hall. On a tall stairwell wall you match the pattern from roll to roll and buy extra for waste.
Shop hallway wallpaper
Stripes, city views, chinoiserie, maps and stone, each printed to the exact size of your hall.
How we chose
Every design here is suggested for hallways and entryways. We picked one for each common hall situation: narrow, dark, long, period, sunless, family and modern. We favoured vertical stripes, non-repeating panoramas and even medium repeats, which hang cleanly on long walls and staircases.
We did not rank on price: every design costs the same per square foot on the same paper.
Buying guide: wallpaper for a hall
A hall asks more of wallpaper than a bedroom does: people brush past it with bags and coats, and the light is often poor. These are the points to check.
| What to check | Why it matters in a hall | Casavono |
|---|---|---|
| Cleaning | Hands and bags mark walls at hip height | All papers wipe clean with a damp cloth |
| Fire rating | A hall is an escape route | ASTM E84 Class A on all three papers |
| Fit | Stairwells and long walls waste rolls | Printed to your wall's width and height |
| Light-fastness | Doors and fanlights let in strong light | Blue Wool 8/8 |
| Wall surface | Old halls often have rough plaster | Smooth or lightly textured walls only |
For paper, Non-Pasted ($7.95 per sq ft) suits most dry halls. Pre-Pasted ($8.95 per sq ft) is heavier at 300 gsm with a fine-grained textured matte finish. Peel and Stick ($10.95 per sq ft) is the choice for a rented hall.
Stairwells. On a staircase the wall is much taller at the bottom than at the top. Measure the tallest point and the full width, and add a couple of inches. Order every hall wall at once, since colours can vary slightly between print runs.
For help, see how to measure a wall, whether you can wallpaper over paint, and our installation guide. More room ideas are on ideas by room. To carry the look into the next room, see our ranking of the best wallpaper for living rooms.
More hallway designs
Pietra Serena, LinenPrinted to your wall size
Portolan, SagePrinted to your wall size
Quayside, StonePrinted to your wall size
Common questions
Should a hallway have dark or light wallpaper?
Both work. A dark hall feels cosy and makes the rooms beyond seem brighter; it also hides marks. A light hall suits a corridor with no window. If unsure, pick a pale ground with a strong motif, such as Kowloon, Clay or Henley, Oat.
Do vertical stripes make a hallway look taller?
They draw the eye upward, which is why stripes are a classic hall choice, especially under a low ceiling. Wide or varied stripes look calmer than thin ones in a narrow space.
Is wallpaper a good idea in a busy family hallway?
Yes, if it can be cleaned. All our papers wipe clean with a damp cloth. Some families paper above a dado rail and paint below it for extra protection where bags and buggies knock the wall.
Should I wallpaper the whole hallway or one wall?
In a short entry, one feature wall facing the door makes the first impression. In a long corridor, papering both sides gives a more finished look. Order all walls together so the colour matches.
Can you wallpaper a stairwell yourself?
Yes, with a safe platform and a helper. Our straight-match panels have pre-trimmed edges and are hung side by side in order. On a tall stairwell many people hire a decorator; professionals get 20% off through our trade programme.
How much does it cost to wallpaper a hallway?
From $7.95 per square foot on Non-Pasted paper. A hall wall 15 ft long and 8 ft high is 120 sq ft, so about $954, with free shipping and import duties included. Use the wallpaper calculator for several walls.
Made to your measure
Hallway Wallpaper
Before you order