Jennifer Sheahan: Your hallway should make you smile every time you come home

Hallways give a first impression, tie your living space together, and are fun to design, says the Home of the Year winner

Inside the hall door of Jennifer Sheahan's home in Rathmines. Pictures: Moya Nolan

For a space that’s so important for first impressions, the hallway is usually the last consideration when designing a home — at least it certainly was for me. I do remember thinking at the time that I had saved the best for last because hallways are so much fun to design.

In many ways, it’s a good idea to leave them till last. Hallways can be used to tie spaces together, so if you’re someone who likes to differentiate each room you can use your hallway to bring continuity to your home.