Many townspeople, along with the apartment of the old layout, got a narrow hallway. Often it is absent, and instead there are two corridors diverging from the front door at a right angle.
The main design task is to maximize the space in all possible ways and free up passages. Only after this a few square meters are transformed into a very cozy apartment.
Brief overview of the article
Five rules
You can correctly design your hallway by following these rules:
- Place the closet together with the mezzanine. Place large shelves and drawers at the top and fill them with seasonal items that are rarely worn.
- Lower the entire closet to the floor, leaving an open space at the bottom for shoes.
- Use the remaining space on the wall between the cabinets for open hangers.
- Place the mirror on the wall opposite the cabinet. It can be narrow, but it must be high.
- To fulfill the first four rules, you will have to make custom-made furniture. This will cost more, but it will save the centimeters necessary for placing things.
The width of the hallway does not matter; all of the listed things should be placed in it, if there is at least a minimum opportunity for this.
Mistakes that are most often made when decorating a small narrow hallway
A complete rejection of any furniture will lead to the fact that outerwear and accessories will have to be placed in other rooms, which is very inconvenient. In the hallway there must be at least a simple, small-sized hanger for things that the family uses this season. The remaining clothes can be temporarily moved to the dressing room.
It is also unacceptable to refuse a mirror, since when leaving home and upon returning, household members must evaluate their appearance and adjust their accessories.
Another design tip: buy a hollow ottoman with a folding surface. Inside, in the recess of the pouf, you can store scarves, knitted hats, gloves, and belts.
Wardrobe-mezzanine
Whatever the hallway in the apartment is, it has an entrance door. Consequently, there is also a place to place a mezzanine.
It was in “Khrushchev” buildings and small-sized apartments that mezzanines began to be used. This is not a decoration, but an opportunity to make the most of free space and create basic comfort.
Today, the most common color scheme for the hallway is light colors, and the mezzanine color should be in harmony with the ceiling and open walls.
Occupying the entire wall area from floor to ceiling, a narrow closet in a miniature corridor is better than any small sets that fill only part of the free space.
Small hallway lighting
Low-hanging lampshades “lower” the ceiling and steal the passage space - it is better to remove them. It is better to place the main emphasis of lighting on the walls or at the level of the ceiling cornice. In a narrow but long hallway, you can get by with combined lighting with economical lamps and spot diodes.
A good place for lamps is above the entrance and interior doors. This part of the walls is usually empty, it is proposed to install:
- sconce with a large flat shade;
- innovation spot;
- rotating lamp with play of colors;
- low-power spotlight with a beam of directional light (shoot the beam along the ceiling of a narrow corridor).
Note!
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It is advisable to design the perimeter of the upper plane as a “floating ceiling”. As an option, use a regular tension fabric, stretching a diode strip around the perimeter. It is not necessary to place spotlights on top of the stretched fabric; side lighting for small areas will be quite sufficient.
One of the unusual ways to illuminate a hallway remains the “moon path”. Illuminated glass slabs are installed into the tiled flooring; they turn on under the weight of a person when they step on them.
Space for shoes
If you managed to place a narrow closet in the hallway, then closer to the front door a nightstand will fit into which you can hide your shoes.
A low cabinet will also serve as a bench, since it is much more convenient to put on and take off shoes while sitting, rather than grabbing the walls with your hands and getting them dirty.
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Hangers
In a small corridor, in order to save space, hooks should be installed in the open space. In addition to gaining space, there are two more advantages of this arrangement of hangers:
- a closet with just hooks in the middle visually expands the space;
- You can hang wet clothes on hooks that are not hidden by doors.
It is not necessary to leave a large space between the cabinet doors. It is enough to place 2-3 hooks at a distance of up to half a meter from each other.
Lighting a narrow corridor space
It is important to illuminate the hallway well. The fact is that there is very little light in it due to the lack of windows. Therefore, it is advisable to select very bright lamps and separately illuminate the mirror area.
It is worth hanging a couple of compact sconces on the walls and mounting LED lamps on the ceiling. Lamps can emit cold or warm light. The main thing is that it is enough for comfort.
Mirror
In order for a person to fully see himself in the mirror, its height must be at least a meter. 30 cm is enough in width. In the narrowest corridor there will always be such a small space.
Looking at a photo of a narrow hallway, you can see how much a mirror attached to one of the walls visually expands the space.
A mirror is a necessary element in the hallway. In the worst case scenario, it can be placed on one of the interior doors of the cabinet.
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What should the floor be like in a small room?
It is advisable to lay the floor homogeneous, without hills or joints. A small area paved with ceramic tiles, elevated above other areas, is a terrible mistake. This is very inconvenient and gives the impression of a bad entrance to a public toilet. In addition, the junction of tiles with laminate or linoleum looks tasteless and deliberate.
Closet
The largest piece of furniture in the hallway is the wardrobe. Opening doors further conceal the space. The solution may be to place a wardrobe in a narrow hallway.
One circumstance must be taken into account - sliding doors should not extend beyond the perimeter of the furniture. Otherwise, there will be no space savings.
Design advantages
Finding the right furniture for a small space is quite difficult. A sliding wardrobe has a number of advantages over traditional hallway furniture:
- diversity of species;
- sliding doors;
- possibility of installing mezzanines.
If there is a niche in your hallway, you can place a built-in wardrobe in it.
How to plan everything correctly
At the entrance, you should put a closet on one side or mount a convenient hanger. Underneath is a bench or pouf. It is better to hang a mirror opposite the door. However, they can be equipped with wardrobe doors.
Instead of a closet, you should buy a small chest of drawers, specifically designed for hallways. It has sections for storing shoes and accessories.
Built-in wardrobe
Made from natural wood and equipped with properly positioned lighting, such a piece of furniture visually increases the size of the hallway space.
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Corner cupboard
The L-shaped design is convenient to use for a room of any size, including in a narrow corridor.
In accordance with the size of the hallway, the closet can have one long side and the other short side.
Design of a small hallway with zoning
Today it is customary to destroy walls and partitions in order to expand the area of the hallway. Thoughtful zoning will help to use the available space more efficiently without transforming the walls.
Note! It is worth abandoning swing interior doors, which occupy part of the passages, in favor of sliding structures. If no one uses the living room for sleeping or as a study, it is better to remove the doors that swing open into the hallway.
If the hallway is not planned at all, but there are two corridors, the narrow hallway in the apartment can be separated using zoning. Corridors are generally not used functionally like hallways. But it’s easy to cut off part of the passage using an arched structure made of decorative plywood or laminated chipboard. This will split the narrow corridor in two.
Then the part of the room near the front door will be easier to transform into a more spacious room. Here you can apply all the methods of visually expanding the hallway, and closets for seasonal clothes will remain outside it. Along a narrow corridor, designers recommend decorating a dressing room in the form of built-in wardrobes behind sliding doors. Some clothes can be left on a hanger behind the front door, and shoes can also be placed there on a multi-level shelf, if there is such space.
For more interesting ideas for decorating narrow hallways, look at the photo of the designer’s selection.
Which style to choose
No matter how ardent a fan of the classic style you are, it will not be suitable for a long, narrow hallway. Classic design requires the presence of massive, bulky things in the design that simply cannot fit in a small area.
But the minimalist style is perfect for a narrow corridor.
Pay special attention to the handles. They tend to cling to clothing. The so-called handle doors “recessed” into the body are very convenient. In a narrow hallway you won't get caught on them.
Decorating a narrow corridor
If your apartment has a long, small hallway, when decorating it you should pay careful attention to the finishing materials in order to make the room functional and create a cozy atmosphere. What to give preference to?
Interior design of a long and narrow hallway
Wall colors
If you are faced with the task of visually expanding the corridor, pay attention to light colors - they cope with this problem perfectly. It doesn’t matter what you choose - paint or wallpaper - the effect of increasing space is guaranteed in any case. What colors should you pay attention to first?
Color combination in a narrow corridor
1. Shades of white. Cream, milky, champagne or snow-white - this range will add light and comfort to a cramped room. Warm soft beige tones will also cope with this task.
Long narrow hallway in white colors
White-beige elongated hallway
Since a light finish is not the most practical solution for a “dirty” hallway area, give preference to easy-to-clean materials, such as washable wallpaper or paint.
Small long hallway in light colors
2. Gray. Light gray shades are ideal for the corridors of apartments in the Scandinavian style or minimalism: this solution looks restrained and calm, and if desired, it can be easily complemented with color accents - textiles and decor - in any range.
Narrow hallway in gray tones
Gray long hallway with bright accents
3. Powdery. A soft pastel pink shade is an excellent choice for a small and cramped hallway: this delicate color will create a warm, homely atmosphere in the apartment right from the doorstep.
Long narrow corridor in powdery tones
Long narrow hallway in pink
4. Fresh tones. Cool pale blue and mint are perfect for a long, narrow and dark corridor: these shades seem to emit light on their own. This design is appropriate for the Provence and Romantic styles, as well as for minimalism and environmentally friendly Scandinavian design.
Long narrow hallway in light blue tones
Mint color in the design of a long narrow hallway
5. Warm pastel. Peach or vanilla yellow - in a narrow hallway devoid of natural light, these colors will create a feeling of warm sunshine. This range is ideal for the boho style: it harmoniously combines with ethnic decor and prints.
Pastel yellow elongated hallway
Long narrow corridor in peach shades
6. Bright accents. Decorating in rich colors for narrow and long corridors is also suitable, but only if you use it in doses. Highlight only one wall with a bright color or colorful print, and leave the rest with light neutrals.
Accent wall in an elongated hallway
Choosing a floor covering
The corridor is a passage area into which we enter directly from the street, so the design of the floor here should be as practical and easy to maintain as possible. An excellent option is tile, but it can be quite cold: stepping on it without shoes is not always comfortable. As an option, use linoleum: it is easy to clean, but also easy to damage due to carelessness.
Large tiles on the floor in a narrow hallway, photo by Alexander Volodin
Floor tiles in the design of a long narrow hallway
Linoleum with imitation parquet on the floor of a narrow long corridor
The ideal combination of practicality, comfort and aesthetics is laminate: it is quite wear-resistant and suitable for rooms in any style. Choose a material of class 32 or 33 - the most durable and durable, as well as moisture-proof, so that water from your shoes after rain or snow does not harm the coating. And if you add a warm floor to the hallway, then the shoes, like the laminate, will dry faster.
Laminate flooring in a long narrow hallway
When laying flooring in a narrow hallway, avoid the appearance of longitudinal lines: let the pattern be monochromatic or form transverse stripes and diagonals. Also, do not forget that the material should be non-slip - if in doubt, it is better to lay a rug in the most vulnerable places (for example, right at the threshold).
Herringbone floor in a long narrow hallway
Doormat in a long narrow hallway
Ceiling decoration
Long and narrow corridors are, as a rule, an attribute of Khrushchev apartments: in addition to such a layout, they usually have low ceilings. In order not to make them even lower, it is better to abandon bulky structures made of plasterboard, voluminous stucco molding and too dark finishes. A good alternative would be a matte stretch ceiling or a suspended ceiling with transverse panels (or beams).
Matte plain ceiling in a long narrow corridor
Cross panels in the ceiling design of a long hallway
The best color for low ceilings in an elongated hallway is white: tension structures, paint or regular plaster in this shade are suitable.
Minimalistic white ceiling in a long narrow hallway
Lighting in a long corridor
The main thing to remember: in a long corridor, one chandelier in the center is not enough. To ensure that the space is fully illuminated, it is necessary to place several lamps along the entire room. Massive options with a large number of decorative elements (pendants, chains, forged decorations) will clutter up an already cramped hallway, so give preference to spotlights or other compact models.
Spotlights in the design of a narrow long hallway
Laconic ceiling lamps in a long narrow corridor
In addition to the main light, pay attention to functional lighting: as a rule, the area near the mirror needs it. Hang a couple of sconces around it or add lighting in a circle. Lighting will also be useful in the storage area (for example, directly in the closet) and in dark niches.
Sconces around the mirror in the design of a narrow hallway
Illumination in niches in a small hallway
Background
It is recommended to paint the walls with discreet, plain paint. Their color should serve as a background for the furniture set.
Size
For normal passage along the corridor, a width of 80 cm is sufficient. The rest of the space can be filled with the necessary furniture.
Naturally, the more space you can allocate for furnishings, the better. However, if you have even a quarter of a meter left, then this territory must be used effectively.
Modular furniture
If the corridor is very narrow and it is impossible to place even a small closet in it, you will have to use open forms for storing clothes and shoes.
It makes no sense to make furniture to order - it will be expensive and there is no guarantee that it will be possible to arrange it effectively.
When purchasing modular furniture, choose models without legs that sit flush to the floor. This will make cleaning the room easier.
In specialized stores there is a wide range of narrow bedside tables for shoes, open hangers with shelves and small key holders.
Large families accumulate hefty bunches of keys. At the most inopportune moment they get lost and it takes a lot of time to find them. They need to be kept in one place, and key holders are best for this.
Very important details
Even a fairly compact hallway, where there is nothing superfluous, should be equipped with the necessary details. This includes a key holder, various stands, baskets, and storage boxes in closets. You should take care of purchasing them in advance, even at the stage of ordering or purchasing ready-made furniture.
Sections for storing small items and essentials should be selected according to the size of the shelves. Without such functionality it is impossible to imagine an ergonomic hallway.
Photo of a narrow hallway
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