7 Genius Long Narrow Hallway Decorating Ideas For Beginners
Interior designing is a crafty business. Sometimes it is very easy to find your inner aesthetic and decorate your home accordingly. Sometimes finding the right decorating ideas is a little bit more challenging than you would think. You might face such challenges when looking for ideas to decorate your long narrow hallway.
Hallways are always a bit tricky to decorate, especially if the hallway in question is a long narrow one. Though on the bright side, the trickier it is, the more creative you get to be.
In this article, I am going to introduce you to 7 genius ideas for decorating your long, narrow hallway. So, don’t worry if you are just a beginner in the realm of home decoration. Let this article be your guiding light, and get inspired by these amazing ideas for decorating long, narrow hallways.
7 Ideas For Decorating Long Narrow Hallway
You might be considering leaving your hallway empty, devoid of any decoration. Especially as long narrow hallways can get quite crampy if you are not careful with your decorating ideas. However, believe it or not, there are indeed several ways you can decorate this space to suit your taste.
Let’s take a look at them, shall we?
1. The Magic Of Mirrors
When dealing with any kind of small space, there is no better decoration idea than using mirrors. Mirrors are the perfect decoration to ensure that your small narrow hallway opens up and seems larger than it is.
Consider investing in a large full-length mirror. You can either hang the mirror at the end of the hallway or on one side of the wall. This way, the mirror will help in visually expanding your narrow hallway.
If you are going with the idea of hanging it at the end of the hallway, consider pairing it with a nice little stool with a potted plant on it. This can be a perfectly simple and natural look for your narrow hallway.
2. Antique Mirror Gallery
Wait, we are not done with mirrors yet. A large full-length mirror is certainly a great choice for a simple hallway decoration. But what if you want a fancier look for your long narrow hallway?
Antique mirrors can help you get that look. For this decoration, you will have to invest in several smaller mirror pieces than one large mirror. The intricate carvings and many different metal finishes of the frames of the antique mirrors will create a unique contrasting look in the hallway.
These carvings and frames of the mirrors will work to give your hallway a dark and vintage look. At the same time, the mirrors themselves will brighten up your narrow hallway by reflecting light and making the hallway seem larger.
Complete this moody and dramatic look by installing some vintage crystal lights. They will provide your long narrow hallway with a slight romantic touch.
3. Exhibit The Art
A long narrow hallway is often an inconvenience. There is often not enough space to do any elaborate decorations here. But as people often say, sometimes less is more.
So, when your narrow hallway does not give you enough space, consider using the wall. The long wall of your hallway can be a great space for you to show off your art or paintings collections.
Besides, hanging a set of paintings in your long narrow hallway can be a great way to give the space a pop of color. This is more effective if you have your walls painted in a neutral palette.
Consider using white borders, similar types of frames, or linear grid patterns for the paintings. They will give your hallway a sense of consistency and coherence. You can add to this look by installing bright white lights above the paintings and artworks to put focus on them.
4. Hall Racks And Hooks
For the lack of space in your long narrow hallway, you might be considering this space as practically useless. But that is simply not true. Your hallway can be turned into a place that is both decorative and practically functional.
One of the easiest ways of turning your blank hallway into a practical space is by installing some hall racks and hooks along the walls. This is an especially great choice if the hallway in question is near utility spaces, such as laundry rooms or entryways.
The hooks can provide enough hanging spaces for clothes, keys, etc. They can also be used for decoration by placing hanging plants on them. The racks function in a similar manner. You can use them both as storage places and as a place to hold other decorative pieces.
5. Be Selective With Furniture
While racks and hooks are good ideas, there are other ways to make your long narrow hallway practical as well as decorative. You can do that by getting the right kind of furniture for your narrow hallway.
The best way of utilizing the space of your narrow hallway is by getting multi-functional furniture. Consider getting a bench that can be used as a space to store things. You can also get a console table with drawers.
Such furniture looks great in a long narrow hallway. They can easily increase the charm of a hallway as well as act as a storage space for both necessary and decorative items.
However, ensure that they are placed against the wall and are in proportion to your hallway. No matter how good they look, you would not want them to block up the pathway of your narrow hallway.
6. Hall Of Frames
When nothing else can be done, a long narrow hallway can prove to be a great place to store your memories. You can use the hallway by turning it into a floor-to-ceiling gallery wall. Just like that, you can beautifully display all your family photos in the hallway.
In terms of the size of the frame, be random. Try to get frames of different shapes and sizes. Combine the different sizes when putting them on the wall. This will help create an interesting composition.
If possible, you should consider getting frames of similar colors and borders. This way, the whole look will have a semblance of consistency and coherence. Complete the decoration by installing proper lights. The lights in this hallway should draw focus on the frames on the wall.
If you want to put more attention to your ceiling, you can check this guide, entryway ceiling ideas. Here I talked about 10 easy ceiling decoration tips for entryways.
7. Build A Bookcase
It may seem unlikely, but your long narrow hallway can be a great place to showcase your collection of books. You can use your hallway wall to build a built-in bookcase. If you have the space and resources, consider getting a floor-to-ceiling bookcase.
This type of bookcase will allow you the space to decorate the bookcase with other art pieces along with normal books. You can even add frames of personal photographs and paintings as well.
In case your narrow hallway does not allow you this space, you can always go for small, floating bookcases. They are practical and stylish, and most importantly, they don’t take away the much-needed pathways of a long narrow hallway.
Common Mistakes While Decorating Long Narrow Hallway
1. Choosing The Wrong Flooring
The hallway is a heavily-walked-on area. So, this should be kept in mind while shopping for the flooring of your hallway. Your hallway flooring should be able to handle the heavy foot traffic.
But at the same time, remember, the flooring will surely play a big role in the overall decoration of your long narrow hallway. Therefore, consider going with an option that is both aesthetically pleasing and long-lasting.
2. Not Coordinating With The Rest Of The House
There are no hard and fast rules that say that all the decorations of your house should match. Matching is certainly not compulsory. But coordination is. It is wise to coordinate the various decorations of your house. It helps to bring harmony to design.
Besides, you do not need to make any drastic changes in order to get coordination. Even the smallest things can be more than enough to bring coordination. For example, you can use colors as a coordinating factor.
You can do that by adding color references between the rooms and the hallway. Suppose you have a living room heavily decorated in blue. Then consider having an item in the hallway in the same color. It could be something as small as a blue art piece or blue hooks on the wall.
3. Lacking In Lighting
Good lighting is vital in hallways. It is especially so when the hallway is a long narrow one. Such hallways seem crampy and claustrophobic by nature. So, it is important to have proper lighting in hallways to counter the confined vibe of the place.
Besides, no matter how good your decorations are, they will be absolutely useless if there is no proper lighting in the place to bring out and put focus on their beauty. Therefore, while decorating your long narrow hallway, always consider what type of lighting will go well with your chosen decorating idea.
Final Words
At the beginning of your decorating journey, it may seem like there isn’t much you can do with a long narrow hallway. But you can always get creative, take inspiration from others, and try to envision what you want your hallway to look like.
In this article, I have discussed 7 long narrow hallway decorating ideas. I hope you can find your perfect style from among them or, at least, get enough inspiration from them to figure something out yourself.
