Red hallway ideas – 10 designs full of warmth and vibrancy

Our red hallway ideas can create a cozy and inviting entrance into the home. Known for its vibrant and energetic qualities, decorating with red can establish an impactful, confident design that imminently captures your attention.

Often perceived as a brave color choice, red hallway ideas can be both dramatic and calming, with a range of versatile options for using red for hallway color ideas.

Symbolizing passion, strength and warmth, incorporating red into your hallway ideas can create an entrance rich with color and character, making a beautiful statement as you and your guests arrive into your home.

Red hallway ideas

Whether you want to add a subtle red element through furniture pieces and decorative accessories, or paint a striking feature wall, we have gathered a collection of inspiring designs for your red hallway ideas.

1. Use an elegant wallpaper design

Using hallway wallpaper ideas can make a beautiful first impression. Adding color, pattern and depth to your space, there are so many wallpaper designs to choose from, both big and bold and soft and subtle. 

In this hallway, the detailed, Karun Thakar – Arabesque Wallpaper in Musk, by Soane Britain, takes inspiration from an 18th century block printed textile, defined by an intricate, floral arabesque design of vine scrolls, leaves and palmettes. 

Striking but not overpowering, the red wallpaper design integrates effortlessly into this more traditional hallway space. Complemented by the red painted skirting to elevate the design and add a colorful, modern touch, the historical print brings the beauty of the outdoors into a hallway.

2. Paint a striking feature wall

A painted feature wall can make a colorful statement in a room, as well as cleverly zoning a space. Often used in living room or dining rooms, this paint trick is also a great choice for hallway paint ideas. 

Tobie Lewis, Senior Brand Manager at Valspar Paint says, 'the hallway is the first space you see when you and your guests enter your home.  Refreshing this welcoming space with color can help create an impact that will diffuse throughout the whole house.'

The vivid, red-orange feature wall in this hallway creates an uplifting and warming environment. Being greeted by such a striking color creates an inviting and cheerful entrance into the home. Complemented by the colorful, patterned rug and natural wood flooring, the overall look is impactful yet sophisticated.

3. Make a statement with your stairs

For many of us, one of the biggest elements in our hallway is a set of stairs, and embracing stair runner ideas can create both a practical and decorative design feature.

The bright red carpet used on the stairs in this hallway creates a colorful focal point, as well as adding warmth and inviting texture to the all-white space. 

If you want to incorporate a bold color such as red into your hallway design, but do not want to use paint or wallpaper, making a statement out of your staircase and looking to hallway carpet ideas is a great way to add personality, vibrancy and color to your space.

4. Use a rich red

'A rich shade of red, such as crimson or burgundy, can create a cozy and intimate environment in the home, ideal for a hallway where you want to feel at ease and instantly relaxed as your walk through the door,' says Homes & Gardens' Editor in Chief Lucy Searle.

This hallway has been decorated in a unique, Elgin Tortoiseshell wallpaper by Madeaux, paired with a deep shade of red painted on the lower half of the wall. The red works wonderfully with the mottled tortoiseshell pattern, complementing the brown and subtle shades of yellow. This color palette is extended to the flooring with the traditional Victorian floor tile design, creating a cohesive yet diverse look that celebrates color, pattern and texture.

5. Add color through furniture and accessories

Whether you want to enhance an existing bold design with other bright colors, or bring in an element of red in a more subtle way, adding color through your furniture and accessories can create a vibrant design rich with personality.

From painted furniture ideas to decorating with art, these features can transform the look of a space, adding a final, colorful flourish to elevate the overall design. 

Defined by a statement, primary color palette, red is brought into this hallway through the unique cabinet, gloss stool and artwork. This stand-out hallway embodies an adventurous, abstract design that combines bright colors, graphic shapes and contrasting materials to create a truly immersive, artistic environment. 

No matter your style, being confident with color in your hallway can make your space feel more personal and unique.

6. Create a relaxed red design

Pairing red with neutral shades can keep your red hallway ideas balanced and establish a more relaxed, fresh look.

'Light and dark colors are a match made in heaven, they can work harmoniously together to establish a design that feels light and spacious as well as grounding and cozy - ideal for small hallway ideas,' says Jennifer Ebert, Homes & Gardens' Digital Editor.

In this hallway, the Gitane Nongo wallpaper in Warm Fuchsia by Arte, creates a beautiful feature wall. Inspired by traditional woven baskets, the simple, textured wallpaper design adds color and character to the space but in an understated, relaxed way. The use of neutrals such as the bright white ceiling and warming beige-gray flooring enhance the overall laid-back design, with the unique wooden side table adding a calming and rustic touch.

7. Uplift your floor with color 

Decorating with rugs not only adds comforting texture and softness to a room, it can be a great way to inject color and pattern into a space. Whether you are centering your red hallway ideas around a rug or hallway runner ideas, or decide to add a red rug into your hallway for a unique element of difference, there are options to suit all styles and spaces. 

The bright red rug used in this hallway creates a colorful contrast with the rest of the scheme, adding visual interest and character to the flooring. A beautiful balance of the bold and the calm, the red rug adds an elegant vibrancy to this sophisticated, refined hallway design.

8. Create a vibrant, eclectic design

Known for its striking and powerful qualities, the color red is great for use in an eclectic, maximalist scheme.

The hallway is often viewed as purely a passing place, but getting creative with color, pattern and texture can create a characterful, inviting area in the home that embodies much more than purely practical and functional design. As Tobie Lewis states, 'adding color to your hallway can give a strong character to a transitional space often forgotten.'

As shown in this vibrant, lively hallway by Mind The Gap, the bright color palette, contrasting prints and use of soft furnishings create a bohemian inspired look that feels utterly unique and free-spirited.

9. Embrace contrasting colors

When looking at the color wheel and color theory in interior design, using contrasting and complementary color combinations can help you to create a bold scheme that is beautifully appealing on the eye. 

The warming, red patterned curtains and cool blue painted walls create an elegant, colorful design in this hallway space. A great look, ideal for traditional hallway ideas, this stylish color contrast does not feel too overpowering, rather, the muted shades create a relaxing scheme that beautifully invites you into the home.

10. Use red as an accent color

Accent colors are used to add depth and colorful, contrasting interest into a scheme. They can be brought into a design through many different forms, whether that's through finishing touches such as artwork and ornaments, or through paint effects and furniture designs.

As shown in this hallway by Vanrenen GW Designs, the stand out console table and complementary lamps and patterned seat cushions are united by a deep red shade, creating a stunning accent against the blue and white wallpaper. A unique mix of the classical and the contemporary, this hallway shows how red can still make a bold impact when used in small quantities.

Is red a good color for a hallway?

Yes, red is a brave color choice to use in the home, however, you can be both big and bold and elegant and relaxed with red hallway ideas. 

A great color to use to make a dramatic statement and vibrant impact in your hallway space, there are also many red shades out there that can be calming and cozy, making it a versatile option for the hallway. 

Helen Shaw, Benjamin Moore UK Director states, 'red paint can be confident and charismatic, or rich and sensuous. From the deepest garnet to a soft rose, red is very often used as a statement color to liven up a hallway.'

As we have explored, you can incorporate red hallway ideas in many different ways, from paint to wallpaper and accessories, with this compelling color able to integrate into spaces both traditional and modern.