Can I suggest you don't paint the ceiling white but two tones later than your chosen wall colour. white is quite an abrupt colour and defines an edge, whereas a blended colour extends upwards. I have a narrow hallway quite similar to yours and I used three colours of blue - a medium blue on the walls, a lighter version of the blue about 1/8th down from the ceiling (your moulding in this case) and then the lightest version on the ceiling.

Oak is very easy to match. If you ask an interior designer the secrets to making a small hallway look bigger, they might suggest light colors, mirrors, etc... Best of luck!

the oakfloor is like a neutral,

Thanks for the comments so far. And thank you Carole for the pictures. I think we may go with a beige for the walls and take the suggestion to go 2 shades lighter for the ceiling. Any suggestions on specific beiges that you like or have had good results with?

I agree with you that a white ceiling would be best. You may also want to do a chair rail and paint white beneath it. If there's anywhere you can fit a slim table with a lamp, I would do that too. Here is ours...it's unfinished but you get the idea. It's very dark when the front door is closed, so I have the same problem as you!

Valspar "Hopsack" at Lowes is very pretty

All great ideas, no one mentioned adding more ceiling lighting. Maybe replace that flush mount with a new one and add a second, something outside the box and not ordinary (Circa lighting Star Flushmount is very cool and you could use more then one). Sixteen fourteen wall color is great as it bounces more light, it looks more grey then beige. Good luck!

Great suggestion about more ceiling light. We got some semi-flushmount fixtures from Rejuvenations...similar to what you see in Restoration Hardware but less expensive.

like the beige,how about the greige that is all the rage now?sorry cannot help you with paintnames or colors,wont be the same i think for europe/usa,and i think the idea of putting in more light and using white a lot will also help to open up this hallway

I agree with more lighting in the ceiling. With easy attic access, consider converting the existing light to recessed and adding another one along the hall.

I just painted our small hallway side entrance...I love our new lighting fixture by hudson valley lighting co. We chose a vintage style...maybe not the style you want ....but it really brightened up the hallway.

City Loft by Sherwin Williams is a pretty, soft neutral grey with beige undertones.
I personally think a very, very light robin's egg blue could lighten it up and take down some of the yellow tone.
I also agree a skylight would be amazing, but not sure what your budget is. :)

I like the ceiling tube to allow in natural light. I'd paint the ceiling white the walls a soft grey, trim white and paint the doors black.

I think grey is a very sophisticated neutral. I outlined everything with quarter round molding painted black. Nice detail without overpowering the space.