I am many things, but one thing I’m not is a DIYer. This is why after 17 years my home is more ‘student flat’ than ‘House and Garden’. That’s about to change – it’s time for action. Only problem is, I have no idea what I’m doing. I have more experience painting the town red than painting something like a wall or a door.

Which is why I’ve decided to start with the hallway. It’s the smallest room so figure it’ll give me the most reward for the least effort. The changes are mostly cosmetic and as it’s the first room people see when they visit, it’ll have the most positive impact.

What I want it to look like is this (you can click here for a 3D Panorama view)

Don’t worry – there won’t be shelves! Check out my Pinterest boards to see ideas for my Mud Wall.

Here’s a list of the projects I’ll be undertaking:

A photo wall has the added benefit of helping declutter a book case.

1. Create a photo wall: not only will it look great and really set the whole tone for a family home, it will also mean I can declutter my lounge bookcase which currently looks like this:

2. Get rid of 1960s style telephone table and replace with a slimline hall table – I’m thinking something white, simple and slimline with a couple of small drawers for keys.
3. Strip back and paint the front door white, and replace the yellow glass with clear so that it brings more light into the hallway.
4. Probably the biggest project is to create a mudwall to tidy up the school bags, jackets and shoes that get dropped there every day. I could just get the kids to take them through to their rooms, but something tells me creating a mud wall is the easier option. It needs to be carefully thought out to ensure the hall doesn’t feel too cluttered with the hall table on the opposite side. Here are some ideas I’ve pinned.
5. Finally get the floors polished.

So there you go – a perfectly sized project to get me started. Would love to hear any thoughts, ideas or improvements you might have in the comments below.