A fairly large number of apartments, especially in Russia, have a long narrow corridor with a cramped hallway. The owners of such housing often face the problem of how to correctly design and equip the entrance area so that it is both aesthetically pleasing and functional. In the article we will answer this question and talk about the principles and design options for hallways for a narrow corridor.
One of the main tasks is the visual expansion of the territory. This can be achieved in the following ways.
Color solution
It is desirable to design a hallway for a narrow corridor in light colors, as they visually enlarge the space and make it more voluminous, as opposed to dark ones, which, on the contrary, will narrow it even more. In addition, for small rooms of this type, a lack of light is characteristic. Therefore, the softer and closer to white the color palette is, the more warm, welcoming and cozy the atmosphere of this part of the apartment will become.
However, keep in mind that the interior should not be monophonic - it is better to play on contrasts. For example, make the floor and walls in a calm color scheme, but choose furniture a few shades richer, richer and brighter, but not too gloomy - black and dark brown colors should be abandoned. Contrasting with each other can also be vertical and horizontal planes, or elements inside each of them.
Lighting
For a narrow corridor in the hallway, furniture with built-in lights is perfect. It saves space, as it will not need to be cluttered with additional items - separate light sources. In addition, the backlight will make the entrance room much more cozy and comfortable. It is desirable that the mirrors are also separately illuminated, because when preparing to go outside, you need to clearly see your reflection.
You can also use compact LED lamps that will direct light into different areas of a narrow corridor, creating the illusion of additional volume.
Another interesting solution can be paintings, each of which is desirable to equip with a separate backlight. This will visually enlarge the space.
It is worth considering such an option as a built-in light source in the form of a long and thin pipe running around the entire perimeter of the ceiling. Looks very nice and unusual.
Switches are placed on opposite sides of the corridor: at the beginning, at the front door, and at the very end, in front ofinterior opening.
Mirrors
An integral part of almost any hallway is a mirror. It is especially necessary for a narrow corridor room, since, in addition to its main function, this piece of furniture performs another one - it creates an additional rather large spatial volume.
The mirror should be in full human growth. It can be made part of a closet, or you can simply hang it on the wall. It is best to place it on the farthest from the front door, if, of course, the layout allows. A chest of drawers with a large mirror will also look great in the hallway. However, in a very narrow and at the same time not too long room, it is more expedient to hang a couple of small reflective surfaces instead of one large one.
In general, there are many options for how to make a hallway for a narrow corridor with a mirror. Choose the one you like best.
Doors
Instead of standard interior doors, designers advise using sliding structures or even leaving the opening in the wall free, making it, for example, in the form of an arch again in order to visually expand the space.
But if you still decide to give preference to ordinary doors, then they should open not in the direction of the corridor, but towards the rooms, so as not to narrow the already small area even more. You can also hang mirrors on them - this will make the corridor more spacious. The main thing to remember is that this element of the interior should be combined both in color and in style with all the others.
Floor and wall decoration
When decorating the vertical and horizontal planes of the hallway for a narrow corridor, follow the principles that have already been written about above:
- Using a predominantly light color palette
- The contrast of different interior elements in relation to each other (for example, the walls are light, and the floor is 3 shades darker) or the polarity within each of them.
If you chose tiles for floor decoration, then its contrasting color scheme will be interesting and beneficial for a small entrance area. Alternating black and white large rhombuses or the same transverse stripes will look great in a modern hallway for a narrow corridor, and the placement of light tiles in the center and dark tiles at the edges, or vice versa, will also be a good option.
If you decide to cover the wall with wallpaper, then give preference to canvases with large prints or horizontal stripes that visually stretch the space.
As for the ceiling, designers recommend that when choosing a color, focus on its height. If it is quite low, then it is better to make it lighter than the walls, and for ceilings over 3 meters, you can use deeper tones.
Also, against the general light background of the hallway, bright catchy details will look great, for example, you can hang colored paintings on the walls, and complement the floor with small green, yellow or red rugs.
What furniture should be
Remember the main rule! When creating a hallway design for a narrow corridor, give preference to multifunctional furniture so that all the necessary things can be placed in a limited area. First you need to determine the minimum set of items that should be in this zone. This will be furniture of the following types:
- Functional. All kinds of wardrobes and other products for storing clothes, shoes and other items.
- Additional. Hooks, key tables, shelves, etc.
- Seating furniture. Chairs, stools, ottomans, etc.
- Mirror.
The choice of a specific design solution and the list of items that will be present in your hallway depends on its size. If the territory allows, then you can install a wardrobe, or give preference to corner, cabinet or modular designs, choosing the most suitable and most advantageous option for yourself. However, when buying furniture, especially a wardrobe, keep in mind that its depth should not exceed 45 centimeters. In the case of a very small corridor area or too narrow, it is more logical to use a combination of hangers, hooks, shelves and shoe cabinets.
Principles of arranging objects
One of the most important rules for placing items in the hallway for a narrow corridor is that you can not install furniture along both of its long sides - you can limit yourself to only one of them. Remember that the width of the free passage must be at least 55centimeters, so that you can comfortably move along it, as well as drag, if necessary, some things. The narrow plane can be left empty or a mirror, chest of drawers, ottoman, or a smaller part of the corner structure, if it is supposed to be placed on it.
The hallway for a narrow long corridor is best divided into 2 zones: one - the entrance - will be intended for storing clothes and contain functional furniture, and the second will become a kind of relaxation area with seating, and maybe even a small table. These areas are demarcated stylistically, which is done with the help of different floor coverings, the presence and absence of certain decorative elements of the walls, you can also separate them from each other with an arch, if the area allows.
Entrance hall compartment for a narrow corridor
A wardrobe would be a good functional option for decorating a hallway. It is spacious, roomy and can accommodate all the necessary clothes and shoes. This allows you not to clutter up the territory with additional shelves, hangers and hooks. It is advisable to purchase models with mirror doors so that you do not have to look for additional space in a small hallway to mount a mirror, as well as to expand the space. Suitable options with transparent doors or no doors at all - with partially or fully open shelves.
The wardrobe can be placed both along a long wall and occupy a completely short wall. In the latter case, this will visually make the roommore square shape.
Cabinet and modular hallways for narrow corridors
Similar designs are also suitable for small and long rooms. Cabinet furniture consists of separate parts (cases) interconnected. In order to save space and create volume, it is better to choose designs that will contain fewer nightstands and more open shelves and hangers.
The modular system is very popular today. It is formed from autonomous components or modules, for each of which you can define the place in the hallway that you want. This is especially convenient for a small area. Thus, it is possible to use corners and a narrow wall and place some blocks of a modular system there, for example, a shoe cabinet. In addition, as time passes, it is possible to rearrange the modules if you want to update. The set includes a variety of pieces of furniture: cabinets, cabinets, mirrors, hangers, chests of drawers, etc.
Corner structures
In conditions of limited space, when it is desirable to use every centimeter of the territory, the installation of corner furniture will be an excellent solution:
- Firstly, these cabinets allow you to place a large number of things in them, from hats to shoes. Therefore, there will be no need to look for a separate place for hooks and shoe shelves, as they will become part of a single multifunctional design.
- Secondly, the corner of the room, which usually remains empty, will be optimally and intelligently used. Similar optionhallway for a narrow corridor is very practical and economical.
Additional recommendations for placing things in a narrow hallway
If the corridor area is too small and this makes it problematic or impossible to install a large closet to store all the necessary items, then there are other options for their compact arrangement.
- Wall shelves - you can place not only useful things on them, but also those that will become an additional decoration of the interior, for example, all kinds of figurines, souvenirs, vases, etc.
- Hooks are very functional, as they take up very little space and serve as a convenient place to store outerwear, umbrellas, hats and other things. And today you can buy hooks made from a variety of materials and are aesthetically interesting, so they can also fit beautifully into the overall design idea.
- Benches that are best combined with baskets or drawers for storing various wardrobe items. This is a very practical solution: it is convenient to put on shoes on the bench, and in the boxes, which are better placed under the bench, there will be all the necessary things.
- An ottoman, a chair or an armchair.
Tips for arranging a hallway in Khrushchev
Apartments of this type are characterized by long corridors with very small hallways. Here are a few tips on how to best design them:
- Stylistic unity. It is better to complete the apartment in one designstyle. This will connect all the rooms together, thus creating a feeling of a large space.
- With the general unity of the design of the rooms, it is better to divide the walls into several zones, having done this with the help of various decorative elements made in different color shades, but in harmony with each other. Also try to play with decoration and lighting, make the ceiling more heterogeneous and different levels.
- When arranging a hallway for a narrow corridor in Khrushchev, try to use predominantly light shades, both in furniture and in the design of walls, floors and ceilings.
- It is advisable to use mezzanines - shelves located at the base of the ceiling.
- It is for such apartments that reduced samples of furniture developed by some manufacturers will be indispensable. For example, there are hallways 30 cm deep for a narrow corridor. They are usually made to order.
You have learned how to decorate a modern entrance hall for a narrow corridor in the most practical and beautiful way. Using the information received and based on your taste stylistic preferences, you can make the entrance area of your apartment as functional and interesting as possible!
