How to Design Weird Hallways

Hallway leading to closed double wooden doors.

One of the most common dilemmas homeowners encounter when designing spaces is awkward hallways. You know them, the long and narrow or the dark and dingy-looking passages. These areas in the house may look like a design nightmare, but they could be turned into a beautiful, dreamy space. Miskas Wood Products cites some effective ways to do that:

For busy hallways

Some homes have foyers that lead directly to another room or feature stairways just a few meters from the entrance door. For these hallways, you don’t want design elements that are too bold because the space, which already looks busy, will look overcrowded.

The best way to design this is to have furnishings on the walls, instead of decorations that obstruct walking area. Those decorative touches may be wainscoting or a baseboard trim. Home improvement stores have different designs and colors for these furnishings and you can match them with the style and color palette of your home.

For long, narrow hallways

These areas create that uneasy feeling of being restricted and confined, which is the kind of vibe you don’t want in your house. The best way to address this is to redirect people’s view to the end of the hall rather than the sides.
You can do this by having finishes that run the entire length of the walls, such as horizontal stripes or bold patterns. These will effectively guide the eyes to the end of the hall. Another way to pull this off is to have a long runner on the floor; its length will draw the eyes to the end.

For dark hallways

Hallways are sometimes notorious for looking so gloomy because they often don’t get that much natural light. While installing mood lighting is a good idea, there are other ways to brighten up this space without artificial light.

For example, you can paint the walls and have the tiles in white. This color scheme will instantly make the space look brighter. Another way is to install mirrors. This will reflect whatever light is available and make your space look bigger.

Awkward halls don’t need to be a design dilemma. Take the challenge of turning them into beautiful spaces and use all the information and help you can get.

About Sarah Bennett 400 Articles
Sarah is a highly experienced legal advisor and freelance writer. She specializes in assisting tech companies with the complexities of the law and providing useful information to the public through her writing.