Hallways are the connectors within the home. They are the passages that manage the movement of foot traffic throughout the home from one room to the next. Frequently, the space within the hallway may include pieces of furnitures that were purchased for other areas within the home.
However, there are a variety of ways to maximize the potential of the hallway. If a person treat the hallway as a space that should be used for living within the home, the hallway will stop feeling like wasted square footage within the home. Instead, it will become an extension of the individual that lives within that home.
Some of the best ideas for moddern hallways include ideas that will make the space visually interesting. These ideas will allow a person to take a breath within there home and to notice the different visual elements of the homes hallway. Regardless of the length of the hallway within the home, there are a variety of ideas that will transform even the narrowest of hallways in the home.
Take a look at eight different ideas that will make a significant impact within a modern home with minimal effort with a renovation of their hallway. One of the best ideas for modern hallways is to consider the lighting within the space. Hallway lighting is frequently not provided in the same way that the rest of the home is lit due to the narrowness of the passages.
Eight Great Ways To Decorate Modern Hallways
1. Install Wall Sconces
Instead of using a single light fixture, installing a series of sconces along the walls will alter the atmosphere within the hallway. A series of sconces that focus their light onto the walls will eliminate the shadows that are often present along the walls of the hallway. Additionally, using sconces that have shades that direct the light both upwards and downwards will reflect the light off the ceiling and the floor, making the hallway feel wider and more expensive.
Furthermore, installing sconces will free up some of the floor space within the hallway since sconces dont take up the same amount of space as a standing floor lamp.
2. Add Mirrors
Another idea is to add mirrors to the hallway. Mirrors are an excellent way to visually expand the space within the hallway.
One large mirror placed at one end of the hallway will create the visual of a mirror that reflects the area opposite the mirror, nearly doubling the amount of space that is visually represented within the hallway. Depending off the placement of the mirror, it is also possible to double the amount of visual interest in the space without adding any additional items to the space. However, it is best to avoid covering one entire wall in mirror tiles as the visual interest of mirror tiles can look dated when done for a hallway.
3. Use Bold Colors
Color is another visual element that can transform a hallway. Using colors like charcoal, navy, or forest green will make the walls of the hallway appear as if they are receding into the space. These colors will give the area a feeling of coziness, which is a desirable quality of a modern hallway.
Painting the trim and the doors of the hallway the same color as the walls will provide the same visual interest with less visual clutter. In the event that the color selected for the walls of the hallway may make the area too dark, using a lighter color for the baseboards and ceiling will prevent the visual interest of the color from becoming overpowering in the hallway. Many people find it difficult to color a hallway, but the opposite is true.
Using a bold color within the hallway will make the remaining areas of the home feel calmer than by comparison.
4. Apply Wallpaper
Another idea for a modern hallway is to add wallpaper to the walls of the hallway. Wallpaper choices include removable grasscloth wallpaper or geometric designs that add texture to the walls of the home in ways that paint cannot.
Additionally, vertical stripes in narrow hallways are visually pleasing to the eye while horizontal stripes help to visually create the sense of length to the hallway. The visual elements of the wallpaper should be chosen in such a way that they are visually noticeable from a distance as they will pass quickly by the individual walking through the hallway. Another choice is to add wallpaper to the ceiling of the hallway.
This allows for a patterned ceiling to capture and reflect the visual interest of the individual walking through the space. The patterned ceiling will also help to distract from any visual elements of the hallway that may detract from the individuals appreciation of the space.
5. Install Floating Shelves
Floating shelves are another idea that can be applied to a modern hallway. Installing two or three shelves of sufficient height will allow for visual interest to be added to the area. Using shelves within the hallway can display some of an individuals favorite artworks, sculptures, or books. However, restraint is required in the use of floating shelves within the hallway.
Adding too many visual elements to the space will make the hallway look too cluttered. Instead, leave room for the individuals eye to rest upon the area of the hallway that is not decorated. Additionally, using floating shelves allows for mail or keys to be displayed on the shelves in place of using a console table within the hallway.
6. Display Artwork with Proper Lighting
Proper lighting of the artwork in the hallway can elevate the visual interest of the space. One visual element of interest is art in the hallway that can be hung on the wall. To add visual interest to the art, place a picture light fixture above the artwork.
Alternatively, a directional lighting track can be installed in place of the overhead lights. This type of lighting will provide visual interest to the artwork in the form of light creating a sense of a gallery within the space. Additionally, to avoid visual staleness in the space, rotate the visual interest of the art within the hallway every season. This provides visual interest that ensures the hallway is always a part of the individuals home that is frequented and appreciated by the individual.
7. Use Hallway Runners
Runners are important elements to any hallway. One of the benefits of placing a runner in the hallway is that it will help to reduce teh echoing of the footsteps that echo throughout the halls.
A runner will also add warmth to the floor of the hallway and suggest to those that pass through the hallway that this area is of importance to the individual who owns that space. Runners can be made from wool, jute, or synthetics with minimal visual noise in the space. A pattern that is chosen for the runner should include visual movement to the hallway.
Additionally, the runner should leave at least six inches to ten inches of bare floor on each side of the runner. This allows for the runner to appear as if it were placed with intention to the space of the hallway. This type of design is important to visually balance the hallway and to ensure that it appears as though it has been thoughtfully designed.
8. Add Indoor Plants
Another idea that can transform a modern hallway is to add plants into the area. Plants that can be placed into the hallway could include a tall snake plant or a trailing pothos that is displayed on a shelf within the hallway. Plants help to add life to a space and can also help to increase the amount of air quality within the space.
Using plants within a hallway that does not receive alot of natural light can be done by using a variety of houseplants that can withstand little light to the plants. Additionally, supplementing the light of the plants with a grow light that is incorporated into a sconce will provide the necessary light to the plants. Using three pots of plants of different heights allows for an intentional design of a mini-garden in the hallway. The organic elements of the plants will contrast with the architecture of the hallway and provide visual interest without making it appear too severe.
9. Incorporate Negative Space
Finally, another idea for enhancing the visual interest of a hallway is to use negative space within the design of that hallway. One of the best uses of negative space for a hallway is to leave some of the walls of that space bare of any visual interest.
This will allow an individuals eyes to rest and to not become fatigued by the visual interest within the hallway. Additionally, allowing the architectural elements of the hallway to remain uncovered will allow those elements to become visually interesting for the individual that lives within the home. Using negative space to complement visual interest in one area of the hallway will make that visual interest stand out more.
A modern hallway does not have to serve as a solution to all of the storage problems of the home or to contain all of the family photos of those that live in the space. Instead, the hallway simply needs to feel as if it is a deliberate passage in the home. Using two or three of the ideas mentioned will make a significant difference in the modern hallway that each individual designs for their homes.
By taking a few moments to consider each of the ideas mentioned, each person can transform their hallway from a forgotten area of their home to one of the most satisfying areas of their residence.
