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Purple-Patterned Hallway(2 of 5)

Although hallways are often bland spaces, designers Alexandra Loew and Lauren Soloff from The Desk of Lola made this corridor a main attraction by adding plain and patterned purple — a transition between the West Hollywood, Calif., home's silvery gray living room and black bedroom.

Below the hallway's chair rail, the walls are painted ICI's # 1656 (Needlepoint) in a flat finish. Above, the designers added Osborne + Little's Dusa wallpaper from the Boheme collection in a mauve on cream (colorway #3). The effect is a little bit retro, a little bit modern — and entirely effective in tying the home's disparate elements together.

"This is a small space," say the designers. "We wanted each room to have its own personality, but we also wanted the home to feel unified." Each space in the home features the dominant purple color, but with splashes of black and silvery gray. Case in point: "The silver in the damask loops back to the living room," say the designers. "The black moments at the end of the hallway preview the bedroom, [and] the grayish purple carpet is the consistent layer throughout all three rooms."

But the purple here is more than a mere color connector, say the designers; it is truly the centerpiece of the home: "Purple, in all its glory, transformed a rather oppressive hall/storage area into the centerpiece of the home — making it one of the most exciting moments in the house."

And while purple can read childish in some settings, it's entirely grown-up and sophisticated here. "The specific shade we chose was important in creating a more mature purple atmosphere," say the designers. The damask wallpaper and artwork also lend to an overall elegant and sophisticated space.

But for all its sophistication, the hallway is not the slightest bit stuffy, thanks to the unconventional color. "Because of the purple and the patterns, there still remains a touch of playfulness and confection," say the designers.