Hi,

I'm renovating my basement, and have just put down a very light-coloured natural maple laminate. The floor looks great, and exceeds all expectations. However, I no longer like the colour I chose for the basement hallway. My original intent was to make the basement look as bright as possible, so I went with a soft yellow (not lemon-like, but soft and closer to beige-y yellow).

Now, it's way too bright, and it seems like the yellow doesn't go with the floor (I think I recall reading somewhere that it's not good to use yellow in a room with a lot of wood).

Any suggestions on a good general-purpose colour for a hallway? I don't have any photos to post, but I'll try to describe the hallway:

A darker-stained pine staircase descends into a long 14-foot hallway, alongside a brick wall that has been painted in a flat brick colour. The hallway is about six feet wide at the foot of the stairs, and widens into an L-shape at the back (as you come down the stairs), forming a 5x8 alcove at the base of the L. Five doors open off this hallway - two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a laundry and furnace room that are normally kept closed. The doors and trim are semi-gloss white. There are no windows or natural light. Three halogen pots provide a lot of bright artificial light.

Any thoughts? I'm not really very good at these design questions, and am looking for ideas.

Cheers,

Dave.