If like lots of people you have to go through your hallway to get to the back garden, you will probably find that the hall gets rather dirty, especially if you have a dog that you have to bring through after a muddy walk. Although you can try and get people to take their shoes off and put a mat down, you will often find that this is Juliet not enough and that you cannot stop it looking messy.
It may be that carpet is not the best choice when it comes to choosing the flooring. Although carpet can add a touch of cosiness to the room, it is also not very practical. Even if you clean the carpet, overtime it will mark and will not come up as clean as you may of hoped. Lino or laminate is a good choice for a hallway as it can be easily cleaned every day if needed. It only takes a quick mop around to bring it back up to standard. The good thing about Lino is that it is very cheap so you could even replace it every year or so if needed without breaking the bank.