How to Decorate a Hallway

Rev up a hallway with clever decorating. Here are some ideas to get you started.

Difficulty:

Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Bookcases
• Bookends
• Coat Racks
• Console Tables
• Light Fixtures
• Paints
• Picture Ledges
• Pictures
• Skylights
• Umbrella Stands

1. Visually widen a hallway by painting the walls on the narrow ends a deeper color than the long side walls.

2. Furnish the hallway if it's wide enough; a narrow bookcase or console table will often fit in a hallway without being an obstacle to the heavy traffic in the space.

3. Accessorize a hallway with pictures that are intended for up-close viewing. These can be photographs or detailed paintings or prints.

4. Install picture ledges (about 3 to 4 feet from the floor is a good height). Switch pictures in and out to keep the look interesting.

5. Consider painting doors and moldings the same light color as the walls to add a sense of spaciousness and reduce the chopped-up appearance that sometimes comes when you have light walls and dark doorways.

6. Use a minimal window treatment, or none at all, if you have natural light coming into the hallway.

7. Add artificial lighting for safety and to banish the dreary, closed-in feeling. Or consider a skylight.

8. Make a hallway seem cozier by painting the ceiling in a medium to dark paint.

9. Use an area rug (or rugs) only if there's no tripping hazard.

10. Maximize the hallway's function by providing a place to drop off shoes, coats and the like. This is especially important in a back hall where folks arrive home from school and work.

Tips & Warnings

• Avoid dark colors in paint or paper; hallways tend to be dark and claustrophobic as it is.