The hallway is the first room where visitors enter. This is the “face” and “calling card” of the apartment owner. Difficulty in decorating arises due to the small area of the room, lack of natural light sources or non-standard (elongated) shape.
Private houses, as a rule, do not have these disadvantages. Their layouts include a spacious hall, the dimensions of which do not limit the designer’s design means.
An important element of any hallway is the door. A properly selected door not only provides protection for you and your property, but also decorates the room.
Door materials
Only durable materials are suitable for decorating doorways. Depending on the type of workpiece, the following doors are distinguished:
Metal doors. Most often they are used as entrance doors separating the hallway from the entrance or street.
Among the advantages are a long service life (more than 20 years), high noise insulation properties and the ability to withstand significant loads.
Fiberboard doors. These are budget products with low weight. The frame consists of wood with a fiberboard (fibreboard) lining. The disadvantages of such doors are their fragility.
The door does not react well to changes in humidity, so it is not suitable for bathrooms. For all other cases of zoning an apartment (separating rooms from the hallway), such doors are successfully used.
Wooden doors. The strength of the structure is determined by the properties of the wood. The most valuable and expensive species are oak, mahogany and maple. The advantage of all wooden doors is environmental friendliness and the ability to dampen sounds.
Glass doors. A specific look for decorating a hallway. They perfectly transmit sunlight and do not absorb moisture. But they require greater care in handling - any touch leaves fingerprints and dirt.
Photos of hallway doors are presented below.
Advantages of filming
If it is not possible to fully ventilate the apartment and dry the structure, you can decorate the inside of the front door with self-adhesive film. This material is actively used in many areas due to the fact that it helps to decorate almost all types of surfaces in a short time. The key advantage of the film is the presence on one side of a sticky layer covered with special paper. By carefully removing the latter, you can easily fix the material on laminate, metal, paint, or wood.
In order to decorate the front door with high quality, you should take care of preparing the canvas in advance. You need to clean it thoroughly, eliminating any bumps and bumps in the process. If chips and cracks are observed, it is recommended to fill them with mastic. Before directly gluing, you should degrease the surface and remove dust from it.
Entrance door decor in Art Nouveau style
The cut pieces of film begin to be fixed on the canvas from the upper left corner, gradually peeling off the backing. A soft spatula or rubber roller will help to press the self-adhesive evenly and remove any bubbles that form.
New Year's decor for the front door
Opening system
The door opening system is selected based on the area and location of the doorways. It can be hinged or sliding.
Hinged doors are the most common designs. The operating principle boils down to rotating the door leaf 180 degrees around the hinges.
When buying these products for the hallway, remember that they take up enough space: there should be no foreign objects that impede access to opening and closing the door.
Door wings can swing both outward and inward. Those that open outwards have the best heat resistance.
An excellent alternative to classic hinged structures are sliding doors and their special type - a sliding door.
Opening is carried out using rollers moving along guide rails. This saves space, but... Since the doors move parallel to the walls, it will not be possible to lean furniture or other objects against them.
Based on the number of leaves, doors are divided into single-leaf and double-leaf. The choice depends on the width of the doorway. Models with 2 doors are suitable for rooms with high traffic, single doors are used to decorate small hallways.
Features of using decorative overlays
Decorative overlays are often used to cover the front door from the inside and outside - thin wooden strips that can be fixed to a canvas made of a variety of materials. A special adhesive composition is responsible for the reliability of installation; moreover, the wood requires special treatment both before and after decorating the entrance area with it.
To preserve the structure and natural aesthetics of wood, it is advisable to cover it with water-repellent agents, in particular, stain. It will protect the material from the effects of negative external factors and destruction, and will emphasize its natural shade. Glossy, semi-matte or matte varnish should be applied on top (in accordance with the style of the interior and personal preferences).
An interesting alternative could be the introduction of MDF overlays already formed in the factory. They are mounted on a frame (if they are used to decorate slopes) or simply with glue, have a wide range of colors, and have an “expensive” appearance.
Autumn front door decor Swing front door decor
Color solutions
After choosing the material and door opening system, you can move on to the appearance of the products. The design of the doors should fit organically into the overall concept of the hallway.
The color can be combined with the shade of the flooring, furniture, or can contrast with them. Although a modern interior involves many decorative elements and decorations, when decorating an entrance hall and hall, you should take into account their dimensions.
What will make a small or narrow hallway unique?
Many designers can immediately name several ways to enlarge and decorate a hallway, which will allow you to get amazing results.
Narrow hallway in loft style
Among them are:
- competent redevelopment, which is not always possible to carry out for various reasons;
- interesting design finds in the finishing of wall and ceiling surfaces;
- decorative elements;
- furnishing options that allow you to leave the maximum amount of free space;
- use of interior doors of non-standard type, color and height.
Let's take a closer look at each of these methods.
Doors in light shades
For compact hallways, plain light-colored doors are appropriate. White, beige or cream tones are universal and suit all decors.
Positive sides:
- They visually enlarge the room and make it easy to perceive. The feeling of narrow, oppressive corridors and passages disappears.
- Contrary to popular belief, dust is less noticeable on light-colored items.
- Suitable for hallway design in a classic or Mediterranean style.
The combination of white wooden canvas and fragile, weightless glass looks interesting.
Common examples of modern cladding
To decorate the entrance area, facing materials such as veneer, plastic, PVC, stone, eco-veneer, and laminate are actively used. Most of the presented types are fixed to the surface under the influence of warm air from a powerful household or construction hair dryer. To maintain the integrity of the coating, you need to act quickly and very carefully, which is why specialized specialists are usually involved in such work. When introducing decorative stone into a composition, they are armed with special adhesives.
Carved decor of the entrance door
Painting the front door
Doors in dark shades
Very often dark doors are used to decorate a hallway. You should approach their purchase with caution: such a door does not always form a single ensemble with the rest of the room.
If you prefer doors in wenge, burgundy or chocolate, then purchase light wallpaper for wall decoration: gray, sand, pistachio.
Positive sides:
- They outline the space well and draw attention to themselves.
- They are practical; dirt is practically invisible on such doors.
- Noble dark door leaves will enliven the interior in a modern style.
But it is worth remembering that dark shades “eat up” the volume of the room. Experts do not recommend using them for small entrance areas.
Doors to the hallway are installed for more than one season. Therefore, it is important to choose the right texture and palette of designs. The most unpleasant thing is when the result of the repair does not justify the time and money spent.
Possibility of using coloring compositions
This is the easiest way to transform a door with your own hands, because thanks to the extensive palette of manufacturers, you can choose a shade that will harmoniously fit into any style of the room. If the desired shade is not in stock, it is easy to mix the color and base mass in a certain proportion - this will create the desired color scheme.
Nitropaint
The specificity of the composition is such that it is better to apply it outdoors: the pungent odor, as well as the release of harmful fumes during the entire drying period, make this paint potentially dangerous during finishing work. But after the surface has completely dried, the threat will disappear, resulting in a surface that is very resistant to fading and mechanical stress. The main working tool in this case is the spray gun.
Porch decor
Metal front door decor
Acrylic water-based
The water base eliminates unpleasant odors and creates conditions for rapid drying of the composition. The acrylic filler is responsible for enhanced color fastness; the paint is absolutely safe for both people and animals.
Oily
It is rarely used, since it is inferior in performance to the categories described above, however, oil compositions are excellent for both wooden and metal doors.
Professionals recommend applying paint in several layers using a roller, wide brush, or sprayer. Each new layer is made in a direction that does not coincide with the previous strokes, and you need to wait until it dries completely. Thin brushes, acrylic paints and templates will help you create a unique design on the canvas.
Entrance door decor in a minimalist style
Photo of doors in the hallway
How to visually expand the corridor
The design of a narrow corridor in an apartment can be expanded in several ways. To realize your idea, consider the parameters of your layout. Once you have the exact numbers, you can move on to the next steps: arranging furniture, choosing lighting, finalizing colors, and filling in small gaps with nice decorative details distributed around the perimeter of the room.
Another mental illusion will be the placement of mirrors. It is necessary to turn the lack of space into an advantage so that guests even think that they are experiencing discomfort from crushed walls.
Hallway styles
In what style to decorate a small hallway is a matter of taste. However, some options are best avoided. For example, gloomy Gothic will turn a small room into a real closet, and the Baroque style will have nowhere to develop. Suitable options:
Modern
Clear lines, smooth surfaces and contrasts dominate here. A minimum of decor is used, preference is given to modern technological materials.
Geometry in the interior is an unfading trend
Modern style prefers simple lines and eco-decor
Why does modern style fit perfectly into the interior of a small hallway? It is laconic, there are no protruding elements or unnecessary objects. The main part of the space remains free.
Cozy cabinets, ottomans and stands can be purchased as a set
Minimalism
This style is close in spirit to the previous one. Here, too, preference is given to clear lines and simple forms, asceticism in decor and furniture. Colors are usually chosen light, visually expanding the space.
Minimalism gets rid of everything unnecessary in the house and saves square meters
Contrasting black details highlight the simplicity and functionality of the style
The combination of square and round shapes looks experimental
Classic
The classic style is characterized by elegance and nobility. Special attention is paid to the decor; it should favorably emphasize the luxury of the environment.
This design requires solid wood furniture
The classic style looks better in large spacious rooms, but even in a small hallway it can open up beautifully if you show moderation. And light tones of decoration and mirrors in carved frames will add light and space.
An example of how to implement classics when there is almost no space
Marble tiles and tables with curved legs are simply the entrance to the palace
Loft
Careless and brutal, loft stands out clearly among other styles. These are unplastered bricks, ceiling beams and communication systems hanging overhead, and a concrete floor. A room in this style resembles an attic.
It’s common to see a bicycle in a hallway like this.
Deliberately rough, but very cozy decoration
Brick doesn’t have to be red—coffee shades look great too
Provence
French motifs, gentle romance, vintage decor and pastel colors will make the hallway sweet and cozy. Provence loves light and airiness - what is needed for rooms of limited space. Decorating a room in the spirit of Provence is a great option for a girl.
Rustic chic can be read in special shades and pictures on the wall
Entrance to the apartment with an emphasis on village traditions
Provence has a lot of curved lines, carvings and small prints
