Some hallways can be very dull and dark, especially if you don’t have glass in your front door. Obviously, lighting can make a difference to any dull corner but in these days of escalating fuel costs and worries about global warming, no one wants to leave the light on all day just to perk up the hall. Most hallways have fairly dark carpeting or flooring; a very sensible choice when dealing with wet and dirty feet traipsing through all the time from outside. The addition of a carpet runner can be the answer to a dull hallway, bringing in light and colour with not too much expense. Hall runners are also easier to keep looking bright and cheerful as they can be turned around, shampooed and generally perked up much more easily than a fitted carpet.

If you have a highly polished floor, before introducing a carpet runner to brighten up a dull hallway you should also purchase some Cybergold rug anti creep spray to prevent movement. Similarly if the runner is laid on carpet, Cybergold anti creep spray is also a good idea to stop it creeping as this can also be a trip hazard. Some runners come with a fringe – before you buy one of these make sure that your vacuum cleaner has brushes you can switch off, otherwise you will have to be very careful when cleaning or you will be forever disentangling it. If you can, buy just one runner for the whole length of the hall. Several smaller rugs tend to look a bit messy and also will be yet another trip hazard. If your hallway is very large, centre one rug rather than use several for a much more elegant and neat look.

When choosing a colour for your carpet runner it is a good idea to stick to brights, not pastels. Pastels will look lovely at first but will soon get grubby in a hallway and this will immediately counteract the brightening effect for which you are looking. Fresh is the watchword, so make sure you go for jewel greens, blues, yellows and, to a lesser extent, red. These will catch and return the light and will also look good alongside almost any other colour; matching reds can be quite difficult and a clash will irritate you every time you see it.