Hallways are tricky. Some are a natural storage space (note I didn’t say dumping ground!), some are plain awkward; whether too narrow, tall or even dark. But with the most pass-through traffic of your home, getting this space right can make a real difference.
Starting with colour, I often find my clients wanting to embrace colour in their homes only to end up opting for a more neutral palette because of their concern over longevity of colour, style or design. We always reassure our clients that as long as they go with a style they love, it won’t really ever go ‘out of fashion’.
Stairs, one of the key components that make up a hallway (in almost every perceivable lay out), are usually left until the end when designing our homes but are an area that we at Rascal & Roses always focus on first as they play a very important role in ‘linking’ different spaces. They are also an ideal place to add colour and interest, even for our least daring clients!
Runners work brilliantly in hallways and communal areas and are our favourite way to transform these spaces. As with everything, there is a huge variety of options available, so I have chosen my favourite stair runners to show you a wide spectrum of what is available.
It’s worth mentioning that a stair runner, like most flooring, is not that straight forward or simple to install or specify. A keen and diligent DIYer can probably paint a wall with pretty good success yet this is rarely the case when installing flooring – so we always advise using a professional fitter.
Flat Weave runners are a work of art in themselves and Roger Oates is the perfect choice for clients wanting the wow factor. Each unique runner is hand made in the UK. I was lucky enough to visit their workshop in Eastnor, local to our offices, and was stunned by the work that goes into each and everyone one of their products. They have 100s of colour and design combinations – the sky really is the limit.
Photo Credit: Roger Oates
Here are a couple of my favourites in situ in client’s homes:
Stunning shot of of the new hallway in Highgate. Photo Credit: Roger Oates
A lovely combination on 2 flights in Hampstead. The blue in this runner (chosen by our client) perfectly ties together the scheme throughout the house.
Another favourite supplier of ours is The Rug Company who create truly special pieces for your home. There is a carefully curated range from the archived designs to choose from as well as the option to go fully bespoke. We love them. So, whether you want to go down the colourful, but not too vibrant route, or go full out with the design, the Rug Company will have the perfect runner for your stairs.
The following are some of their more statement options, but look how amazing they are, I absolutely love them. All credits: The Rug Company
Diane von Furstenberg for The Rug Company – I absolutely love the leopards!
I love the end of this runner, a detail that adds interest.
Paul Smith for the Rug Company – iconic and daring and I think you’d struggle not to fit this in with a colour scheme!
If you prefer a more traditional route, sisal or wool are favourite options. Depending on the shape of your staircase a fully covered step can make more sense, but if you have a straight run there is always the option to customise a sisal or wool into a runner. This is also a cost-effective way of creating a bespoke runner and also offers that perfect mix of traditional and timeless, but without being too plain or boring. There are loads of different border options that you can go for and we always try to get clients to push the boundaries with their choice as it makes for such a great detail in any home. We work very closely with our suppliers to ensure our clients get the perfect runners for their home no matter their tastes or requirements.
The stairs at Castle Combe had 2 turns and irregular steps so a fully covered step worked well here. For more photos of this project see our portfolio. This property is available to rent through Unique Home Stays.
Our Herefordshire Oast House project had a very modern staircase and needed a statement stair covering, but our clients were still keen to keep the details very natural, this diamond wool carpet worked perfectly.
The grey border on this regular, single flight of stairs was perfect for one of our bespoke runners and works perfectly with the rest of the décor in this country style family home. For more photos of this project please check out our portfolio.
Similar to the runner above, this runner uses the same cotton borders but in the colour popping orange and pink and has a real impact on these stairs. We especially love the red treads. This property is available to rent though Unique home Stays.
Both Roger Oates runners and our sisal bordered runners are designed and created in the UK and we work closely with our supplier to ensure clients can create the runners of their dream safe in the knowledge that their purchase is completely bespoke and made to order for their home. All Rug Company runners are created in Nepal through responsible trading, which is their commitment to making beautiful rugs in a responsible and sustainable way.
I think it’s really important that clients understand where their interiors come from. In a world where whole sectors of the industry are on a race to the bottom and where we are reminded every day of the impact to our world of fast fashion and non-sustainable manufacturing, we take great care to ensure we know the provenance of all the items we recommend to clients.
If you would like to help with a bespoke stair runner please do contact us.