Choosing a Hall Tree and Other Hall Furniture

Great Review Choosing a Hall Tree and Other Hall Furniture

Choosing a hall tree is not difficult, and trees and hall stands are classic forms of hall furniture. However, you also have a wide range of other hall furniture available to choose from - yet most tend to forget their halls! When people furnish their home, their thoughts first tend to focus on their living room, and then the dining room and finally the bedroom before they consider such areas as the kitchen and the hall.

It is a natural thing to do - the living room and dining room because these are the rooms their visitors, guests and relatives are most likely to see, and then the bedroom because they spend about a third of their lives there. However, there is a flaw here, particularly in connection with the hall - can you spot it?

Yes, you likely have it! Anybody entering your house, or even looking through your open front door, will see your hall before any other part of your home - so why leave it till last in the furnishing and decorating plan? It doesn't take a great deal of furniture to make your entrance hall look fabulous - here are a few tips on hall stands and other hall furniture.

Tips on Selecting a Hall Tree

There are several types of furniture suitable for halls, among them hall stands, a hall tree and telephone tables. A hall tree is another name for a coat or hat stand, and many also come with an umbrella holder. When you come home after being out in the rain with your umbrella, you will want something in your hall where you can place your umbrella to dry out.

A hall tree is the name given to the traditional hat-stands with the usual pegs, and they are no more than a stand or vertical piece of wood with pegs attached. You can use them to hang coats, raincoats or hats, although not many wear hats these days, hence the likely reason for the change of name from hat-stand to hall tree!

Although there is a great deal of terminology use with regard to hall furniture, hall stands are often distinguished from hall trees by coming with a mirror and perhaps also a seat. Why somebody should want to sit down in the hall is questionable, although it makes more sense to have a seat attached to a hall telephone table.

Many families have their landline in the hall, with extensions in other rooms. It makes sense to have a seat by it so you don't have to stand throughout the call. Hall seats, on the other hand, are generally for show, and can be in the form of loveseats or hall seats with a high back containing a mirror.

There are some beautiful mission hall seats available from furniture stores with a high back to which is affixed an oval or rectangular beveled mirror. Not only can you have a final look at yourself before leaving the house, but they also come with storage in the form of drawers or a cupboard. Many also offer a lower shelf for dirty or wet shoes or boots.

If your hall is on the larger side, then individual accent pieces might be appropriate, such as a corner cabinet to take up a corner that would otherwise be empty space. You can use that to show off your collection of figurines, your sports trophies or even your Star Wars figures! Alternatively, you could put in a small circular table, perhaps with a parquetry top or finely polished holding a chess set or a single beautiful ornament.

Many halls are too small for much hall furniture other than a small hall tree, but you can still brighten it up with a good choice of mirrors and lighting. A small, narrow hall can be made to look much longer and wider using well-placed mirrors so they reflect each other, and also your lighting. This can be in the form of small wall lights, or even a single floor-standing lamp placed strategically in a corner to reflect its light from mirrors.

It's amazing what mirrors can do to a small hall, and also amazing how paintings or prints and spotlights can be combined to create a focal point in the smallest of halls that takes your visitors' eyes away from the hall itself. Many prefer a hall stand with a mirror to a simple hall tree - they take up much the same room - but it's your choice what you prefer.

A hall stand, hall tree and other hall furniture can be used in your hall to give your visitors a good first impression: first impressions count, and your hallway is the first area of your home that visitors will see. Don't ignore it, because if you do the rest of your home will have to be extra-special to remove that first impression!