The banister (which is beautiful) and furniture don't read as "modern" to me. You can modernize the hall by painting the walls a warm white, with white trim and black doors. However, that doesn't seem to fit with the furniture, light fixture or entry door/side lites. I would remove the wallpaper regardless. Also, do you have plans of replacing the white tile floor? That seems to be one of the biggest offenders here.

Do you have photos of the other spaces that have been transformed yet...or inspiration photos? This will give more direction on how to advice.

That shirred curtain on the door is not 2020 and too bad you did not come here before doing those white tiles for flooring very not 2020.I am really not sure what you want wallpaper for and what you really mean by 2020. Once the whole projet is finished you then can decide if you really want wall paper.

I would suggest replacing the front door with a solid slab, since the small lights look dated and don’t relate well to the glass bricks. The back door’s curtain is also expendable. Do you need the privacy? Best option is no covering, next best is to perhaps replace the glass to obscure the view and possibly mimic the glass block look. Remove the wallpaper, paint the walls. Since your view is straight into the tub, a more modern enclosure would be nice such as frameless glass. A quick fix is a new shower curtain, either a solid, or stripe , no more than two colors, no prints.

And keep that bathroom door shut .

Remove curtain on door and add blind or privacy film.

Replace doorbell chimes with a modern box, remove wallpaper and paint a soft creamy shade, maybe paint inside of doors black. Replace round rug with a modern rectangle.

I would change the console table and art - Maybe use a mirror instead. Look for inspiration and save your favourites so you have a plan on coordination. The examples I provided may not be your choice, but note how everything flows.

Once you complete your hall you will more easily be able to decide on bathroom choices. Think light and airy and maybe replace flooring if needed and/or paint vanity.

Hi all,

Sorry I did not explain myself fully......I am stuck with the 1950's stuff such as the tiles........the furniture is just there to fill the space until I can modernize the overall look. Look at it as a hallway leading upstairs with white tiles that I am stuck with.....now how do I bring the look up to date. Thanks for all of your comments so far!

Not an expert but I doubt those white tiles are original to the house. The only things that say "50s" to me in your pics are the glass blocks flanking the front door and the doorbell chimes. Can you share pics of what you consider "modern"?

Everything you see in the pics is what came with the house. I am trying to modernize it the best I can for not a lot of money.

Here are several modern wallpapers in hallways and similar situations. Do any of these styles appeal to you? Geometric styles are popular.

Pick your wallpaper first, then your paint colors from the colors in the wallpaper. It looks like the white wood trim was painted recently, so you can leave that alone while you choose wall paint colors. https://www.houzz.com/magazine/roll-call-how-to-measure-for-wallpaper-stsetivw-vs~80854181

First, there's a difference between modern and modernizing. In addition, it's never good to take a home from say traditional on the outside and make it modern on the inside. IMO it just bastardizes a home, and takes an insane of money to do it right. That being said, we can not see the outside of your home, but from some of the interior elements we can see it seems to have a more traditional feel. If that's the case, I suggest you approach in a more transitional way. You have a gorgeous traditional stairway with a beautiful banister. I would embrace that. The floor is a major culprit here. It is totally out of character from the look I can see in your home (arched doorways, etc.). If it's not in the budget to change that out to hardwood at this time, then I would do your best to cover the tile with rugs. Perhaps a rectangular one in front of the front door, and a runner heading towards the back. You could even use sisal or basketweave for the more up to date feeling you're after and they are cheap and can be thrown out if they get ruined. The Safavieh Natural Fiber collection on Amazon has great choices at VERY reasonable prices. The front door itself is in keeping with what I'm seeing on the inside. It's the sidelights that are the problem. I'd build up the bottom half with wood and then only have the top glass (see photo below). Your back door could remain or be switched out for a dutch door. Remove the curtains and let the light in. I don't think you need anything there unless privacy is a major concern. Strip the wallpaper and paint. The colors you like will determine what color the paint is. The whole area can be modernized, without becoming modern. Post a picture of the outside of your home, in addition to some adjoining rooms for more specific help.

What's your budget? What colors are you using on the walls in the rest of the house?

enough in budget for paint and or wallpaper and runners to cover as much of white tile as possible. Just want it clean looking no clutter or distractions.

The stairs are gorgeous as they are.

Totally agree with @Design Girl above -- don't try to change the house into something it's not.

• If you mean true modern design: It's typically bold and stark, which will look jarring with the arched doorways and curved bannisters in your traditional home.
• If you just mean up-to-date/current (hence "2020"), remember that what's on trend now will also look "dated" in a few years. Since your home wasn't built in 2020, it'll never really look 2020. I suggest learning more about 50s traditional style and finding what you like/dislike about it. For example, both the curtain on the back door and the doorbell chime are very 50s. I would lose the curtain straight away but think the chime is a neat feature. This will save you money by allowing you to make informed decisions re: what to keep vs replace.

I love @Maureen's suggestions for the direction you should go with. Think timeless, classic, neutral.

I would say, first, don't worry about what is "2020" or "not 2020," and second, embrace the fact that you have a 1950s (possibly a earlier?) house built in traditional style with some traditional architectural features. Don't try to eliminate or disguise them--play with them.

Especially the door chime! I would actually try to make it stand out more, with a background that it doesn't blend into.

I would certainly not remove the white tile. Treat it as a background for runners that will contribute drama.

An advantage in an entrance hall is that you can use accent furniture that genuinely accents, even pieces that would be impossible to use harmoniously in your living room. Here's a console table (not currently available, AFAIK) that I love and which everyone else will probably hate.

If you change the swing of the door to hinge on the right side, a half-open door will not provide a view of the toilet.

Thanks for all of the great ideas! If I take down wallpaper, paint the walls...a warm white; what carpet runners would enhance the space? Should the wood side table stay..... to keep with character of the home or should I paint it black and the door black. Or bring in new pieces?

The glass block is not original to the house. Once you rid yourself of the glass block, you will feel much better. Make a new front door and side lights your next budget goal.

You can’t go wrong with sisal or jute and Ikea has good choices and prices.

A herringbone pattern could be a nice choice.

I think a black door will be impactful with creamy white walls. I would leave hall table as is for now if you would rather not spend the money and just accessorize in an up to date way think about adding a lamp. Also down the road you could paint.

It sounds like you are torn in the direction to take. Look at a ton of pictures on Pintrest and Houzz and you‘ll notice that you are gravitating towards the same ideas. Save everything you like and then start eliminating.

Patricia Caldwell thought this was a “before and after” thread.

I love all of you ! Great to have so many people assisting!

I worked from the back of my house to the front. That way I did not have any workers or traffic going through an area I just finished working on. Nice house.

An off white with a black interior door would be very pretty. I would leave the wood table as it matches your railing. An indoor/outdoor area rug and a pretty runner would be great. I would also look into re-framing the artwork you have over the table to something a bit more modern. Can you post a closer pic of the artwork? It should probably be lowered a bit as well and maybe you can add a taller vase or lamp to connect the table to the artwork. I would look for a runner and rugs on rugsusa.com. They have great sales and free shipping. Look for something in that's easily cleaned.

Agree with runner/rugs to cover the tiles. Strip wallpaper and paint walls slightly warmer than trim white (but complimentary). Removed curtain from back door. If you can afford to re-do front door (or paint black) I think that would be a nice first step. After that, see how your budget looks. Maybe new lighting in the hallway will give you an updated feel.

The hallway should relate, style-wise, to the rooms that it opens up to. First decide on your direction for the living room furniture and kitchen style. Your wallpaper will be changed out eventually but I wouldn't do it first thing. It's dated but not hideous.

Not what you want to hear, but do kitchen first....it might involve removing walls that you just installed, and you might go over budget on hall and not be able to do kitchen...the kitchen will define you design aesthetic for the whole house and you can then have things radiate out from your gorgeous kitchen......it is hard to wait when you want it all done, but kitchens are expensive, so do it first.

If you really want to do something in the foyer, remove the wall paper and paint it a color you hope to incorporate into your new design scheme.....it will give you a goal and a met goal in your house....which make everyone feel better....

I would change the wood color on the stairs and bannister to much lighter. it’s very dark with the white tile. I do think a sisal or textured rug on tiles will update it. I Would paint the door a pretty color and take down the wall paper

Lightening the wood color would require sanding down to bare wood then re-staining. A very very big job. IMO I like the dark wood.

Partim, I agree. I would like to see more of the sharp dark brown from the wood elsewhere in the hall.