The Kvartblog will tell you how to properly design a corridor in an apartment, even if it is narrow and long or, conversely, square. In this article we will look at hallway design options depending on the style, look through photo ideas and decide what an ideal corridor should look like.
One of the important rooms in any apartment is the hallway. This is a place where people undress when they come after a hard day at work, where your beloved pet greets you at the door every evening and sees you off. As you know, the atmosphere around us significantly affects our mood, therefore, in order to create a cozy and comfortable environment in the house, it is important to think through and develop a modern hallway design.
Features of the design of the corridor in the apartment
Before choosing the design of the corridor, you need to decide on a style that will be close to you personally. Based on your preferences, you can choose what your hallway will be like.
The appearance of your home, and especially the hallway, can tell a lot about its owner. Therefore, it is worth carefully considering how you see your hall in the future. But after you decide on the image of your home, you can resort to the advice of designers, thanks to which you will be able to create a truly stylish home with properly distributed space.
It is also worth considering the width of the corridor. Very often it turns out that the hallway is narrow and long or, conversely, square. This needs to be given special attention, which we will do below in the article.
The influence of color on the proportions of space
Colors are known for creating the climate of an interior. Some of them effectively warm up sterile landscapes, while others increase the feeling of cold. There is another potential in their power - the right colors can change the proportions of a room.
Designers and architects are capitalizing on these possibilities, transforming cramped and narrow rooms into spaces that appear much larger than they actually are.
Tips for decorating a corridor
Now the market is replete with a large selection of finishing materials for your home. On the one hand, this is good, but on the other hand, you can simply get lost among such abundance. Since we are talking about a walk-through room, it is worth focusing on moisture-resistant and durable materials that are easy to clean and generally convenient to use. One of the most popular modern materials for decorating corridors in our time has become photo wallpaper. Moreover, it is better to order them on a vinyl basis for the corridor, as they are more durable and can be washed. In any case, it is absolutely obvious that the selected materials must definitely withstand temperature changes , and the floor coverings must also be able to withstand heavy loads and even sharp heels .
Now let's move on to a more detailed review of the finishing of various surfaces in the corridor.
Beautiful hallway renovation: which floor to choose
What should be the floor in the hallway? Durable and easy to clean should be a priority. Regardless of the type of material, pay attention to the thickness of the final result. After assembly, the floor, together with the undercoat, should be in line with the adjacent surface, for example, in the living room.
Floor tiles in the hallway
Among the tiles, it is advisable to choose those that have an abrasion class of 4-5 and a non-slip coating of R9. Under the markings AC4 and AC5 you can recognize abrasion-resistant laminated panels. Ideally, match the waterproof materials you want for your entryway.
Wooden floor in the hallway
Do you prefer wooden floors? Look for hard types according to the Brinell scale. Sucupira, merbau, bamboo, wenge, walnut, and oak are good choices. If you do not want the top layer of wood to be scratched quickly, buy boards that have been hardened with up to 7 layers of varnish. Place a safety mat at the entrance. Pay attention to the connection between the floor and the wall. Don't forget about the baseboards. Experts also recommend industrial parquet in the corridor, long narrow planks laid strictly side by side.
Flooring
As mentioned above, the material from which the floor is made must be strong and durable. But at the same time, the appearance of the flooring should in no case yield to modern trends.
Now there are several suitable finishing materials that will simultaneously withstand large items, will not receive any damage during use, and are easy to clean. The most suitable material with all such functions is rightfully ceramic tiles and porcelain stoneware .
Laminate, parquet or even linoleum will look good , but you should still be careful with the latter, because linoleum is softer and more flexible in its properties, unlike the others, in this regard, if you decide to save on such material, you can significantly worsen the interior of your entrance room, since it certainly does not fulfill any of the functions intended for the floor coverings of the corridor.
An original solution would be a combination of several materials. For example, you can tile the entrance area , and then lay carpet.
Color combinations in the interior
When decorating a corridor, they are guided by the rule of 3 shades, when one color is used as the main color, and the other two as additional ones.
The optimal solution is a combination of similar shades. Beige-milky, gray-brown or turquoise-blue colors have soft transitions and at the same time create a very expressive interior. With such a combination, designers advise diluting the atmosphere with small accents from a different spectrum.
The photo shows a white-beige-brown color combination in the hallway interior.
A bold and interesting option is the use of a contrasting combination. A muted and neutral background can be complemented with bright patterns, rich decor and other small elements, creating a contrast between flooring and walls, furniture and wall decoration, or between flooring, wall cladding and interior doors.
Wall covering
When choosing materials for walls, it is absolutely necessary to exclude the use of almost any paper or fabric wallpaper , since they are susceptible to moisture. Therefore, it is recommended to use brick, wood or stone panels.
Wall coverings can be either plain or with a pattern. If you want to save on wall coverings, then as an option you can cover the walls with plaster and paint them .
For example, one of the hits for several seasons has been Venetian plaster. This type is chosen mainly because it is more economical than panels, but at the same time creates an imitation of marble and other stone species.
A budget option
To decorate a small hallway, you can independently develop a design project, as well as carry out all the work yourself. Such an interior update will cost very little. Initially, on a sheet of paper, you need to draw a sketch of the hallway to scale and transfer all the ideas for updating it to it. The design of the hallway should be developed taking into account the available space and the functional load on this room.
The idea of a budget renovation of a hallway in an apartment is to use affordable materials and do all stages of the work yourself.
Materials
Most people leave renovations in the hallway for later, when the entire budget has already been spent and there is practically no money left to purchase expensive and high-quality finishing materials. But this is not entirely the right decision, since you can judge both the house and its owners by the appearance of the hallway.
Budget renovation of the hallway
To carry out renovation work in the hallway, it is recommended to use the following finishing materials:
- Decorative plaster is applied to the walls, wallpaper is glued or stone is laid, you can also decorate the surfaces with MDF or plastic panels. First, you need to completely remove the remnants of old oil paint, wallpaper or plaster, and then level the walls and prime them well.
- Ceramic tiles, laminate or linoleum are laid on the floor.
- The ceiling is hemmed with plasterboard, whitewashed, painted or wallpapered.
- All finishing and decorative elements in the hallway must be resistant to damage, dirt and easy to clean.
Ceiling covering
It’s no secret that in design now everything strives for minimalism and simplicity, so for the ceiling it would be better to use a practical and simple structure. An excellent solution for ceiling covering in the corridor would be a suspended or self-leveling ceiling, as well as flat plasterboard.
It is worth choosing a ceiling covering based on the size of the room. For a small hallway, self-leveling ceilings with a glossy reflection are , which will visually increase the space. The use of multi-stage ceilings is not prohibited, if the space allows it - it should be free and open.
Color combination
A good idea for decorating a narrow corridor is a combination of shades with the same temperature, with varying degrees of saturation, as well as a composition of shades adjacent to each other on the color wheel.
This gradation will be especially beneficial in a small hallway. On the opposite side, you can use the darkest option: coffee brown or granite tones. In turn, the ceiling, floor and furniture should be light, this balances the contrast.
More: How to comfortably arrange a small hallway
In color combinations - in addition to choosing the right shades - proportion is also important. If we choose three shades, it is recommended to distribute them at 70% (neutral), 20% (complementary) and 10% (contrast).
In the case of two, the dominant main tone (70%) is complemented by an accent color (30%). Thanks to this, chaos can be avoided, and the decor will be in perfect harmony.
Lighting
You should not neglect the lighting of the room, because correctly placed lamps can increase or decrease the space based on your desires. First of all, the light source should be chosen following the style of the room. There are many options for lighting corridors: chandeliers, spot lighting systems, lamps and pendant structures.
It is also important to pay attention to additional light sources. They can be night lights, sconce lamps, LED lamps, floor lamps, etc. In modern design, various types of decorative lighting are often used to visually lengthen the walls.
Accessories for the hallway
Inside the hallway of a room, furniture is considered to be accessories. Indeed, the leather ottoman and the modular set with mirrors on the doors deserve admiration.
However, classic and modern hallways require completion and emphasis with different focal points:
- Glass vessels - placed inside niches;
- Door mat (mat) - has not so much a decorative as a practical value;
- Mirror – comes with or without frame;
- Artificial flowers - placed on a shoe cabinet or inside a niche;
- The picture - the frame should look like a mirror;
- A tall shade-loving palm tree in a floor pot - it is better to install it if the hallway has windows or open interior openings from which daylight leaks in;
- A floor hanger is a kind of festive “Christmas tree”, the design of which depends on the headdress, clothes, and umbrellas used.
Sometimes for decoration it is enough to decorate 1/3 of the wall with brickwork panels. The attractive effect is enhanced if this masonry is framed by sconces.
The chandelier also claims to be an “Accessory”, especially since it has a practical meaning. Therefore, it is more profitable to arrange dual-use products inside a themed room than analogues that only load up the interior.
Furniture
Despite the fact that the corridor room is a walk-through room, it is still worth putting furniture there. Recently, built-in and multifunctional designs have become very popular, which allow you to save space in the room; such furniture will look most harmonious in small rooms.
If there is a storage room in the hallway, then it can be turned into a convenient dressing room, successfully saving space in the hallway.
For a long corridor, dividing the room into zones is ideal. At the entrance you can place a small ottoman and several hangers. An interesting option would be to install a multifunctional unit, where there will be a place to sit, a place for shoes, etc.
Large corridors have the exact opposite problem. If, when arranging a small space, you need to make sure that this very space is used practically, then in a spacious corridor you need to distribute the furniture so that there are no empty blocks left. This is where wardrobe remodeling comes to the rescue.
How to make a stylish renovation in the hallway
“If you are planning to make renovations in the hallway with your own hands, then first select a design from a photo, then draw a sketch of the room and select the basic materials for finishing and decor.”
Apartment renovation is not just about hanging new wallpaper and rearranging furniture. This is especially true for the hallway; it is from here that the living area of the apartment begins, in which the owners greet their guests. From the interior of the hallway, a person gets the first impression of the house and its owner, so everything here should be thought out to the smallest detail in terms of aesthetic beauty, as well as convenience.
If you want the design of your hallway to look like in the photo in the article after renovation with your own hands, we recommend using the following tips:
- use decor with unusual inserts;
- attach original shaped structures to the ceiling
- install shelves or niches with lighting, you can also attach mirrors to their back wall, they will visually expand the space;
Mirrors will help expand the space of the hallway
- use decorative stone, colored plaster or wood parts to decorate the walls;
- decorate the walls with photographs or paintings, you can also use decorative panels;
- Use fashionable lamps as light sources.
Fashionable lamps as light sources
If you are planning to make renovations in the hallway with your own hands, then first select a design from a photo, then draw a sketch of the room and select the basic materials for finishing and decor. It is better to decorate small hallways in light pastel colors, and narrow rooms can be visually expanded along the walls; in such corridors you should not install too much furniture so that the space does not become even more cramped and gloomy. A square-shaped hallway can be divided into zones that will smoothly transition into living rooms.
It is recommended to decorate a small hallway in light colors
Some apartments have large hallways, which provide an excellent opportunity to implement many design ideas. In a one-room apartment, the hallway area can be separated with curtains made of threads or beads, and in an apartment of a larger area, you can create an original transition and install an arch.
Corridor design depending on style
As a decor, the main role in the hallway belongs to decoration and furniture.
The decoration of the room, of course, largely depends on the style in which the hallway will be designed. For example, in a classic design, your corridor can be successfully complemented by paintings. For the Asian style, for example, a vase with ikebana would be ideal; in the Moroccan style, a carved cabinet and carpet would look harmonious. Common to all styles can be mirrors, original clothes hangers, unusual lighting and lighting.
Choosing a color for a narrow hallway
The main task of designing a narrow hallway is the correct placement of furniture and visual expansion of the space. Light color of the walls and ceiling will help to visually raise the ceiling. Enlarged doorways will add solemnity to a narrow hallway.
By using zoning for the entrance and lobby areas, you can create the correct proportions in the room. Different stylistic directions, light, color, floor and ceiling finishing will allow you to highlight functional areas.
Interior styles
The most popular style is minimalism, in which everything should be comfortable and practical and does not at all imply any flashiness or luxury.
Recently, no less popular styles have become such as hi-tech, cozy eco-style, rough loft, but baroque and romantic motifs in the interior are noticeably inferior in comparison with new modern trends.
Classic hallway design
It is important to immediately note that the classic style will look best in a spacious room, but not in a small and unoccupied one. The decoration should use soft light shades and stucco elements.
Furniture should only be wooden. In a room with free space you can put a wardrobe, an elegant sofa, and hooks for clothes. You can lay a soft carpet on the floor, and hang a beautiful chandelier on the ceiling. For decoration, it would be nice to use various paintings, for example, copies of works of art.
A mirror should be a mandatory accessory for a hallway. In shape it is better to give preference to oval or square with an antique frame.
Minimalism in the hallway
In this style, everything is absolutely opposite to the classic one. It is worth adhering to the idea of practicality and convenience in everything around. But this does not mean at all that the room should only have a cabinet and a hanger. You can place a wardrobe, a chest of drawers, and a shoe cabinet in your hallway. The only condition is no bulky pieces of furniture, no unnecessary decorations .
In small apartments, you can try to visually expand the space using self-leveling ceilings or furniture with a glossy finish.
Another important detail in a minimalist style is lighting. It should not be bright, using any decorated chandeliers, etc. Basically, spot light is used to illuminate the hallway of the room.
A painting in the style of Suprematism, Cubism or some contemporary art artist is perfect for decorating a room.
Another interesting element could be an original ottoman.
Hallway in loft style
The loft style is somewhat similar to minimalism, since its main feature is also practicality and simplicity in the interior. The word “loft” itself means an attic or upper floor, so space is important for an interior in this style.
Often apartment owners combine the hallway with some room or kitchen , and this creates a huge free space. Lofts are characterized by minimal wall decoration with brick or concrete cladding. And if you own an apartment in a new building, then you can save on decoration altogether by not finishing it.
Despite the fact that a loft implies a large space, nothing prevents you from arranging a small room in the same style.
Bulky mirrors, factory posters, and cables hanging from everywhere will look great in the interior design. And for lighting, pendant lamps, chandeliers, LED lighting and chrome lamps are suitable, which will also serve as an excellent decorative element.
Hallway in high-tech style
The high-tech style differs from all of the above in that it will require more investment from you. This direction in design appeared relatively recently, when high technologies began to develop. The entire space of the room should be imbued with technological progress and be functional. The style has its own strict features that must be adhered to.
All walls must be made in the same color . The main colors in which the entire room is decorated are black, white, you can even line the walls with stone in a cold tone or with imitation metal. You definitely can’t use wooden parts or they should be masked with plastic.
A high-tech style hallway must have metal and glass surfaces. A clear geometric line reigns throughout the room.
The ceiling covering can be suspended or suspended, and LED lighting on the ceiling and panel lamps are suitable for lighting.
Hallway in eco-style
Eco-style can be called the opposite of high-tech, because it should use only natural and environmentally friendly materials. The interior should be decorated in warm natural colors, for example, light tones of yellow or green.
To decorate the floor or walls, you can use wooden coverings or create an imitation of stone.
The use of natural greenery or moss in wall decoration is now very popular. This finishing method is called vertical gardening . Honestly, this is not the cheapest pleasure, but if you still decide to decorate your hallway this way, then carefully consider the selection of greenery and the contractor. As an alternative, for landscaping the room you can use ordinary plants placed around the room, but the main thing here is not to overdo it and not turn the hallway into an apothecary town.
Original bouquets of flowers or ikebana are suitable for decorating the room.
You can also decorate the room with various paintings depicting nature. The furniture in the room can be massive, carved from a single piece, or it can be soft and thin, as if wicker.
But for lighting you should not use any massive or carved chandeliers. It would be better to add built-in lights or install unusual lamps.
Color selection criteria
Choosing the right color is especially important since the hallway is typically the first space people encounter when entering a home. Therefore, it should be a fresh and inviting space.
- To visually enlarge a room, it is best to use shiny materials.
- For visual convenience, you should not use more than three colors in the hallway.
- There should be only one neutral tone, other shades can be contrasting.
These rules will help create intrigue and an atmosphere of comfort and homely warmth.
What color to choose for decorating a small hallway
The corridor is by nature a dark room to which sunlight does not have direct access. This is why wall color is so important. He can change the space parameters - visually expand or narrow the room.
Warm shades are optimal for dark hallways - they lighten and visually expand a narrow corridor: yellow, peach, orange, cream and vanilla.
You can also choose cool colors: beige, blue, light green, white and gray shades.
If the corridor is small and rectangular, you can use optically increasing colors on the walls, that is: shades of yellow, bright orange, bright blue, green and aquamarine tone.
White doors and ceilings will add lightness to the interior and increase the impression of spaciousness.
Bright colors
They look great in a square hallway. To expand it, it is recommended to cover the walls perpendicular to the entrance: purple, green, beige, and the opposite walls with a dark shade.
More: Decorating a hallway in avant-garde style
If you need to optically lower a high ceiling, you can paint it the same tone or slightly darker than the walls, for example, it can be bright blue with light blue walls. It is also recommended to use white on the fronts of the doors and a light floor - this will further expand the room.
Combination of shades of the same color
Designers recommend painting the walls and doors in a small hallway alternately with two shades. This will divide and interestingly diversify a small space.
Color harmony
The color of the walls in the hallway should match the color of other interiors. This is especially true when the corridor is not a separate room, but is completely or partially open to the living room.
You shouldn't paint everything in the same tone - it's boring. It’s worth breaking it up with bright colors or decorative elements:
- paintings;
- mirror frames;
- wall decorations;
- flowers.
These details are great for adding variety to your hallway interior. Playing with colored, light, hanging shelves and arranging hangers can bring extremely interesting effects. It all depends on color preferences and lifestyle.
Black and white
This set of colors fits perfectly into a small corridor, even a very narrow one. And if you choose a hallway in shades of wood, you need to take care of the lighting so that the hallway is warm, so that it does not become gloomy and overloaded with wooden accessories. They can be diluted with aluminum elements.
Colorful ideas
The combination of intense shades is guaranteed to bring a luxurious character to the corridor. Don't be afraid of bold hues - it's all about ensuring they harmonize by choosing tones that can compete equally.
You can use a dark color on the lower half of the wall to keep the hallway feeling spacious.
Peach
If you're not up for a bold clash, you can still experiment with contrasting shades and color blocking, keeping the look neutral with an off-white scheme and nearly matching tones.
Peach tones look stunning when paired with white paint and rich-grained mid-tone wood.
Tip: When shopping for hallway paint, look for brands that offer the same range of wood and wall colors to find the perfect match.
Accent with line
You can add even more interest to a two-tone hallway by painting a sleek black horizontal line. Paired with gray and pink paint, black creates a casual, elegant finish, neatly tying the color scheme together.
Green
The most relaxing of colors, making it ideal for a busy family hallway. Lighter shades also work wonders for visually expanding small spaces, especially when paired with a bright white hue.
In this hallway, the subtle sage color against the white walls creates depth and the impression of space, plus it neatly ties into the color scheme of the room beyond.
More: Protective roller shutters
Red
This is a bold paint color choice for a small entryway, but it can look really good if you choose a subtle shade and pair it with more muted colors for the doors, floors, and woodwork.
Design of a small corridor in an apartment
Step-by-step design of the corridor
A harmonious choice of color in the corridor should contain not only a selection of shades for wall coverings, but also a combination of the color of the walls with the palette of the ceiling and floor. If a pleasant combination is achieved that does not irritate the eye, then it is possible to create a relaxed atmosphere that matches your character.
In addition, it is necessary to take into account the general combination of colors used. It should not only be harmonious, but also be conducive to further movement around the apartment. If you use repulsive shades, then you simply won’t want to be in the hallway.
Design of a long corridor in an apartment
Unusual ideas for corridor design
Each of the above styles has its own characteristics and, of course, it’s up to you to decide what your corridor will look like. But there are still a few working tips left from modern interior designers, which would not hurt to take into account for a successful and harmonious arrangement of space:
- Firstly, do not be afraid to use decorative stone in decorating a room. They can be used to decorate the front door or corners. The main advantage of using this material is that it goes well with other types of finishes. You can do anything with stone, taking into account, of course, the style in which the rest of the room is decorated. Depending on the stylistic direction in which your room is designed, you can play with stone, choose certain colors and materials.
- Secondly, use photo paintings and 3D images in the design of the room. They will help distract attention from uneven walls, increase space and even add coziness. They can be either small or large in size. Keep in mind that 3D images are only suitable for free spaces.
- Thirdly, try to expand the space with mirrors. One of the interesting trends in corridor decor is decorating the walls with floor-length mirrors. On the one hand, this is an original and unusual way to arrange a room, but on the other hand, it is very risky, because not every person will feel comfortable in such a room.
How to visually expand the corridor
The design of a narrow corridor in an apartment can be expanded in several ways. To realize your idea, consider the parameters of your layout. When you have the exact numbers, you can proceed to the next steps - arranging furniture, selecting lighting, complimenting colors and filling small voids by distributing pleasant little decorative details around the perimeter of the place.
Another mental illusion will be the arrangement of mirrors. It is necessary to turn the lack of space into an advantage so that guests even think about experiencing discomfort from the compressive walls.
