What is the best paint colour to make a narrow hallway in a Bathurst NB home feel wider and more welcoming?

Light, cool neutrals and soft whites are your best allies for making a narrow hallway feel wider — specifically shades with a slightly cool or greyed undertone that reflect light back into the space rather than absorbing it.

A narrow hallway in a Bathurst home faces a particular challenge: northern NB light is cooler and lower-angle than what you'd get further south, and many older homes in the area have hallways with limited natural light, lower ceilings, and dark wood trim that can make the space feel like a tunnel. The right colour choice can genuinely transform how the space feels.

The most effective colours for narrow hallways fall into a few families. Soft whites with warm or greyed undertones — think Benjamin Moore's White Dove (OC-17), Chantilly Lace (OC-65), or Dulux's Antique White — reflect the maximum amount of light and visually push the walls outward. If pure white feels too stark or clinical, move into the light greige (grey-beige) range: Benjamin Moore's Pale Oak (OC-20) or Edgecomb Gray (HC-173) are extremely popular in NB homes for exactly this reason. They read as warm and welcoming without closing the space in.

Avoid deep, saturated colours on the long side walls of a narrow hallway — navy, forest green, and dark charcoal will make the walls feel like they're pressing in, regardless of how trendy they are elsewhere in the home. That said, a dark colour on the end wall of a hallway (the wall you walk toward) can actually create a sense of depth and destination, making the hallway feel intentional rather than just a corridor.

The ceiling and trim matter as much as the walls. Painting the ceiling the same colour as the walls — or just one shade lighter — removes the visual "lid" effect and makes the space feel taller and more open. Keep trim and baseboards crisp white or bright off-white to frame the space cleanly. In Bathurst's older housing stock, where hallways often have original wood trim, a fresh coat of semi-gloss white on the trim makes a dramatic difference.

Sheen is also important in a hallway. Use an eggshell or satin finish on the walls — flat paint in a high-traffic hallway will scuff and mark within months, and you want the slight reflectivity of eggshell to bounce light around. Semi-gloss on the trim and doors is standard.

A few practical tips for a Bathurst hallway specifically: if the hallway gets little natural light, test your paint sample at different times of day, including under artificial light in the evening. Bathurst winters are long and dark, and a colour that looks fresh and airy in July can feel cold and grey by February under incandescent or LED lighting. Warm-toned whites and greiges tend to hold up better under artificial light than cool, bluish whites.

This is a very manageable DIY project — a narrow hallway is actually one of the best places for a homeowner to practice their cutting-in technique, and the small square footage keeps the job approachable. You'll likely need no more than 1-2 gallons for walls and a quart for trim touch-ups. Use a quality brush (Purdy or Wooster) for cutting in along the trim, and a 10mm roller for the walls.

If you'd like a professional opinion on colour selection and finish, or want the job done quickly and cleanly, New Brunswick Painting can match you with a local Bathurst-area painter for a free estimate — find painting contractors through the New Brunswick Construction Network directory at newbrunswickconstructionnetwork.com/directory?trade=painting.