The hallway is usually a small room, in which it is often difficult to comfortably place all the necessary furniture and receive guests. To increase the functionality of the space, it is recommended to use built-in hallway elements.
Built-in furniture easily fits into any awkward space, which is often found in small hallways and corridors
Advantages of built-in cabinets
There are several reasons to order a straight or corner built-in wardrobe in the hallway:
Capacity. Since the cabinet is built between the walls, it can be very spacious inside. The closet in the hallway can store outerwear, shoes, and bags.
Space saving. First of all, this function is provided by a sliding sliding door. It does not require space to open, like the hinged doors of classic cabinets.
Versatility. Due to the fact that the internal arrangement can be ordered to your taste, in a large closet you can store not only traditional hallway items, but also bed linen, towels and even small household appliances.
Allows you to hide uneven walls and wires.
Pros and cons of a built-in hallway
Externally, built-in furniture is not very different from cabinet furniture, but their designs are completely different. In the first case, the frame elements are attached to the floor, ceiling and walls.
Built-in furniture has certain advantages that explain its high popularity.
The following advantages can be identified for such models:
- Fit. The housing parts fit perfectly to the surfaces of the room, so dust does not accumulate in hard-to-reach places. Also, the absence of cracks and gaps makes the appearance more aesthetically pleasing.
- Relatively low cost. Its reduction is achieved due to the absence of dimensional panels of the external frame.
- Sustainability. Due to the installation of parts directly into the wall, it is impossible for the structure to tip over.
- Versatility. Furniture can be built into a niche of any complex shape.
- Space saving. By using all the free space between the floor, ceiling and walls, the capacity of built-in furniture is significantly increased. At the same time, the external dimensions do not exceed the dimensions of the cabinet analogues.
- Visual smoothing of wall defects. The parts are not installed at a strictly right angle, but at an arbitrary one, which allows you to hide the curvature of the walls.
Further savings are possible and can be achieved by choosing the appropriate model. So, a corner built-in hallway turns out to be one of the most budget options.
However, a number of disadvantages can be identified:
- inability to move;
- violation of the integrity of the walls;
- difficulty of assembly.
Cabinet design
Now designers are offering many ideas for built-in wardrobes in the hallway. They can have different shapes; they are chosen based on the architecture of the hallway.
- Straight. The straight cabinet is the simplest and most classic model. Usually equipped with two movable doors.
- L-shaped. The built-in corner wardrobe in the hallway is essentially two wardrobes connected by a partition. Each of the cabinets has its own opening system.
- Triangular. This type of cabinet has a triangular shape and a straight front. Such a cabinet takes up a lot of space, but such models accommodate a lot of things.
- Radial. For large hallways, it is permissible to use a radial design. Such a cabinet looks like a triangular one, only its facade is not straight, but rounded.
Doors
The built-in wardrobe is equipped mainly with two types of doors, each of which has its own advantages and disadvantages. Opening systems differ in the appearance of the facades, but they must fit well into the decor of the hallway and be in harmony with the entire interior.
Traditional
Hinged doors open using hinges located on the side panels of the cabinet. Modern fittings are designed for thousands of openings; they have closers that displace the blades so that they do not touch neighboring ones, helping them move smoothly.
Traditional doors are made with restrictions on width (no more than 65 cm) and height - the maximum height of the material used. They are sensitive to imperfections in the floors and side panels on which they are mounted. Unlike compartment doors, these doors open in full width at once.
Sliding doors
Sliding doors do not have hinges; they open using a roller mechanism, lower and upper, installed in the frame. This system is no less reliable than the traditional one; it has stoppers that fix the doors in the “closed” position.
The quality of sliding doors often depends on the design of the frame along which the doors move. They are made from the following materials:
- Aluminum: considered more reliable and silent, do not deform over time, mechanisms are built into the profile;
- Steel: belong to a cheaper class of materials. Can last 5-10 years. Not used that often.
Compartment canvases are much wider than traditional ones (up to 120 cm or more) and higher. They can be made of the same material, or they can contain different combinations of chipboard, mirrors, and plastic. Everything is connected in one frame and separated from each other by transverse profiles. Such a system opens only partially or half due to one of the panels rolling away.
In a narrow corridor, it would be more convenient to have a closet with a compartment door system, which, when rolled back, does not create obstacles in the passage. But the compartment mechanism takes up to 10 cm from the depth of the cabinet, it turns out that the shelves themselves will be less wide. This must be remembered when solving the dilemma of which doors to install in the closet.
A built-in wardrobe will become more expensive due to a more modern opening system, which requires constant maintenance. To prevent dust and dirt from accumulating in the chassis, they must be constantly vacuumed and cleaned.
Materials
Tree. Although wood is considered a classic material for furniture, it is not particularly suitable for built-in cabinets in the hallway. First of all, because wood gives greater wall thickness, and secondly, near the front door the humidity level is always higher, which has a detrimental effect on wood.
Drywall. This material is also used in the manufacture of built-in cabinets. It is lightweight and takes up little space, but is not durable. Therefore, it is first necessary to install a metal frame for it, and this is unreasonably expensive.
MDF and chipboard. These materials are most often used to create cabinets. Lightweight, durable and cheap material performs well in work. Lamination over slabs can imitate natural wood and even plastic.
Facade
The front of a built-in wardrobe is a decisive factor when choosing a built-in wardrobe, because it is the only visible part of such furniture.
The design of the facade of built-in cabinets in the hallway can be almost anything. Facades made of vinyl or frosted glass look beautiful and original.
However, most often a cabinet with mirrored doors is chosen for the hallway. This once again saves hallway space, because such doors replace a mirror. Also, a large reflective surface visually expands the space of even the most cramped hallway.
In the photo of the built-in wardrobe in the hallway from furniture catalogs you can find beautiful options for facades that combine closed elements made of laminated chipboard, mirrored and frosted glass elements with engraving or photo printing.
The price of a built-in wardrobe largely depends on the material of the facade. If you want to save money, order only one glass door, let the second one be solid.
The color of the door frame is chosen based on the color scheme of the hallway.
Photos of examples of the interior of a built-in hallway
In order to decide on the choice of built-in furniture in the hallway, you can familiarize yourself with photographs of various ideas.
Cabinet filling
Even the most spacious closet can turn out to be completely inconvenient if its contents are not suitable for you. Manufacturers now offer to assemble the contents of a built-in closet, like a construction set. You need to proceed from what things you are going to store in it. Any closet must contain several essential elements:
Shelves. Typically, the closet is divided vertically into 3-4 compartments, each of which must have shelves of different sizes.
Barbell. The rod is suitable for wide cabinets, the width of which is more than 55 cm. The rod for hangers in corner cabinets is especially relevant. The rods are convenient for storing outerwear. The height of the rod should be sufficient to hang both a jacket and a long coat.
Drawers are suitable for storing small items. For example, you can store gloves, umbrellas or cosmetics in them so that the housewife can clean herself up before leaving the house.
Shoe net. The built-in closet has mesh shelves for storing shoes. They are usually placed on top of each other and can be pulled out. Such stands are very convenient, but are not always suitable for storing women's shoes with thin heels or high boots.
Deep mezzanines for storing suitcases or folded blankets.
Some cabinet models are equipped with a folding ironing board and internal lighting. Additional lighting makes it very easy to find clothes in the closet, because the central lighting in the hallway creates shadows and the contents of the closet are difficult to see.
Sliding system type
If you choose sliding doors, it is very important to choose a reliable sliding mechanism.
The design consists of two rails along which rollers move. There are always two guides, top and bottom. The roller slides along one of the guides. The guides are made of plastic (they are cheaper) and aluminum. For obvious reasons, metal lasts longer.
Rollers can be metal, plastic or rubberized. Plastic rollers chip quickly. Metal rollers last a long time, but make a lot of noise. The optimal solution would be to order rubberized rollers; they move smoothly and do not make noise.
Since the cabinet in the hallway will often open and close, it is better not to skimp on fittings and order a more reliable upper monorail mechanism.
Where to put a closet in the hallway
A built-in wardrobe is most often placed in an existing niche. If there is no niche in the hallway, it would be wiser to place a corresponding cabinet in the corner. You can also attach a straight cabinet to one of the partitions right next to the front door.
The built-in wardrobe allows you to conveniently place outerwear, shoes, bags and even small household appliances in one place. Behind a beautiful facade you can easily hide the shortcomings of the renovation and decorate even the cramped hallway.
Small hallways in a modern style
We’ve sorted out the layout of the hallway into a small corridor, but how to achieve a stylish and modern appearance?
- Obviously, choose a modern style. Classic is much worse because requires a bunch of extra textures, accessories and decors that are not needed in a small area.
- Properly finish the hallway floor and ceiling.
- Read up already then about the design of the corridor, there are many nuances of renovation.
- And now 3 more points about furniture, because... Usually it is she who takes up the most space in a small hallway, both actually and visually.
Here's a classic, don't do it like that:
But minimalism is ideal:
But pay attention to the handles - modern style must also be maintained. Either without handles at all, or modern straight models
Built-in furniture to order
I will persuade you.
In 2022, there are a lot of furniture cutting and design companies. Due to competition, prices for this service are already close to regular ready-made cabinets. The advantages are enormous:
- Making a hallway to the size of your corridor, accurate to the millimeter. It doesn't just take advantage of the entire area, it looks cool and neat. No gaps or unclear joints, no differences in width. Ideal monolithic design.
- The interior layout of the closet is tailored exactly to the needs of your family.
- Any materials and colors of facades, any fittings and mechanisms. Closers have long been inexpensive, but they are rarely installed on ready-made cheap furniture, and this is not where you should save.
Color and size
The standard texture for furniture is imitation wood. But this is just a template; in fact, the texture can be any and it has almost no effect on the cost. A narrow corridor requires a reduction in the number of colors and materials so that the space is not overloaded.
For modern styles and small corridors, furniture should be made in light colors with a uniform texture. Glossy facades are possible if they are light - both practical and visually the space will expand.
There are a couple of good wood-look chipboard options. For example, Egger Nebraska Oak Natural, but for a small corridor even this light wood is a bit dark.
Most of the other wood textures refer us back to the 2000s, i.e. it's very bad. Therefore, our choice is a plain hallway in white, beige, light gray.
The walls are the background. Only a single-color, discreet finish - we are thinking about combining it with furniture.
In terms of size, everything depends on the original width. 80 cm is enough for a passage; everything else can be taken up in a closet. 40, 35, 30, or even 25 cm - the more the better, don’t be afraid to overload if you leave a passage and follow the rules from the previous paragraphs.
According to the wardrobe.
Many people think that sliding doors take up less space than hinged doors and are therefore better suited for small spaces. But in practice this is not always the case and there are many nuances. Check with the furniture manufacturers for details.
Here is a version of a modern fashionable wardrobe design:
Modular furniture for the hallway
If the hallway is so narrow that even a small closet will not fit in it and there is no point in making it to order, use any open forms of storage and ready-made modular solutions.
On sale there is a very narrow shoe rack with folding shelves and a similar cabinet format. But choose models without legs that are either hung on the wall or lie completely on the floor
Ease of cleaning is still important
There are also modules of open hangers with shelves and small key holders. They almost don’t eat up the width, but that’s better than nothing. You can add baskets and boxes.
The bench can be replaced by a regular ottoman or stool.
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