The hallway area is very important in an apartment, because it iswhat we see first when entering a house. But what if it is too narrow? How to preserve its functionality and make it stylish, we asked interior designers If, according to the proverb, a person is met by his clothes, then everything about an apartment, perhaps, can be said by looking at the hallway. Unfortunately, in many apartments the hallways are not so spacious and wide, but they have plenty of functions. What to do to visually expand the space and make it as useful as possible, we asked professionals.
Functionality
The peculiarity of a narrow hallway is that the objectsthe furniture in it should not be wide, and ideally there should be few of them. Therefore, the primary task when arranging a narrow hallway is to understand what items you cannot do without. Let's figure out what should be in the hallway in general and what we can refuse:
- The shoe. Can be replaced by a shelf with a grate.
- A bench or ottoman for sitting. It can be a narrow bench or a folding bench.
- Coat rack. If the apartment has a dressing room, you can neglect the closet in the hallway, leaving an open hanger for a couple of jackets.
- Mirror in full growth. To save space, it can be fixed on the entrance door or one of the interior doors.
- A bedside table for small items. Think about how much you need this thing, maybe you will decide to get by with a small shelf at the entrance, where keys and various small items will lie.
- Accessories, like umbrellas. They do not take up much space, so it's up to you to leave them or not.
As you can see, sacrifice someitems that were originally planned for the hallway can be very easy. In addition, the main task is to keep it clean and tidy. Don't be afraid to throw out old things or, if they are dear to you, put them away far away on the mezzanine!
Pay special attention to the finishing of the walls and floors.Choose durable and wear-resistant materials: linoleum, ceramic tiles, vinyl wallpaper. Also, be sure to install all interior doors leading from the hallway in the same style. To visually unite the space, the doors can be painted the same color as the walls in the hallway and hidden doors without trims can be installed. Elena Krylova, interior designer: - It is necessary to remember that according to the rules of ergonomics, the minimum width of the passage in the hallway should be 80 cm. Therefore, in a narrow hallway, a wardrobe will take up too much space. It should be decorated with separate shallow pieces of furniture: a hanger, a bedside table, a shelf, a mirror. If it is difficult to refuse a wardrobe, make it with sliding doors, but not with hinged ones! Think about your routes. When installing interior items in the hallway, do not put them on the path of movement between rooms. The best option is to arrange everything along one wall. helendesign.ru
Visual expansion
To make a narrow hallway visually wider,Designers recommend adding reflective surfaces or mirrors. Light is no less important — it can not only expand the space, but also adjust its layout and shape. The best option for hallway lighting is built-in spotlights. If your hallway is long and narrow, switches should be installed not only on the side of the entrance door, but also on the side of the room, so that you don’t have to go through the corridor. Designers also recommend using patterns and prints: vertical stripes make the room visually a little higher, and horizontal ones — wider. Olga Valle, interior designer: — Any narrow space is perfectly visually expanded by mirrors. Therefore, a simple and effective solution is to make one of the walls mirrored. Another solution for a narrow hallway is a full-depth closet. I recommend placing hangers in the closet parallel to the wall, then the depth of the closet can be made 30-35 cm. I also advise you to take a closer look at open designer hangers, which will not only be functional, but will also become an additional decoration of the interior. In our projects, we often use solutions that allow us to do away with unnecessary cabinets and shelves.
Decor
When all the work is finished, don't forget to thinkabout the decor of your hallway. Firstly, if you have a long corridor, place an interesting object at the end: a painting, a large armchair, a decorative panel. Secondly, the walls of the hallway should not be empty. They can be decorated with both bright colors and drawings using various stencils. An interesting solution would be to use chalkboard paint or create a magnetic board on one of the walls. Also, a long and narrow hallway is a great place for your family gallery. This can be either large canvases or a composition of small photo frames. If you add a little creativity to the design of the hallway, taking into account all its functionality, it will acquire a completely new look!
citydesign.pro, carlaaston.com, remodelaholic.com
