Need design ideas for a narrow, poky hallway
As with most purchases on a budget my home came with some less desirable parts. One of those is my poky hallway between dining room/living/kitchen (which is a much more open space)... to the bedrooms, office and bathroom/toilet. The first step to helping it feel more open is to paint vivd white ceiling and Antique white walls. As the people painted it all (ceilings walls etc) one yuck peach sort of colour. Painting will help a lot. But I was wondering if anyone had any more ideas. Big or small. The first photo is standing from my bedroom. Living room sliding door on the left and then storage cupboard after that, before the hallway turns to the right and the bedrooms, office and toilet / bathroom come off there.
I would seriously welcome any tips to make it less dark and dingy and one way only.
Thanks
Comments (55)
Leigh James
3 years ago
julie herbert
3 years agoDefinitely paint it white to instantly lighten the area, pendant lights would look amazing, a mirror or a piece of art that goes on forever
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Shared bathroom, doubles as ensuite, long narrow space! Help!
Comments (13)Thanks houssaon and rinqreation! Funny - hubby has the same 2 door hate! It sounds like I'm being outvoted on the shared ensuite idea. :) We've actually been set on both the configurations you suggested, we moved away from yours houssaon because we really wanted to keep a closed off office space (and hubby built the front deck and landing already for the door at the end of the hallway!). And I don't know why we shifted the door on the bedroom back to the same area, I think it was about having easy access to all the kids bedrooms. But maybe we should shift it back as you suggest rinqreation. Joice, the door at the end of the hallway is the front door, the entrance closest to the street, that you would come to first if you were a visitor. Not totally necessary, but we reinstated it before we decided we wanted the entrance up the stairs (middle bottom) which would be under a carport. Thanks for all your input!! It's really helpful to have some unattached opinions. I'm keen to hear from anyone else on the shared ensuite or 2 door hate question! :)...See MoreFirst house, need ideas, 1960's..
Comments (5)Juliefrontera is right - this floor plan needs a lot of work to bring it up to modern standards and you really should seek the help of a professional. I agree that there is a lot of space being wasted with hallways, and there is only one bathroom in the house. Also, you have a back bedroom that can only be accessed from the "lounge", which I assume is the living room? Usually, the living room is at the front of the house and the kitchen flows from that space, so my first change would be to knock out the walls between the front bedroom, lounge and back bedroom and re-create that whole space. Of course, then you are asking about moving o,imbuing, must consider whether there are load-bearing walls, etc. so, definitely hire someone who can help you with this. And good luck!...See MoreDesigning around a mid-century dining suite
Comments (18)squeakerd - it is really hard to get a perspective on the whole area but if this is part of a much larger area then I feel you need to first decide just what you want as the end result. Do you just want your entire area to be one open plan or do you want to break it down into visually defined areas within the open plan. As you have the area now, I don't feel any cohesiveness between your table and the sideboard, I think I would move the sideboard to the end wall, it looks more like it would belong there, even just by the shape of the room. Definitely a larger rug will define the space better - just be careful of any trip hazard with the door nearby - but before you decide on the rug, consider window dressings and whether you want things plain or introduce some bold patterns and what colours look best in the area. Artwork can go where your sideboard is now, but again think colours and impact of design on the whole area. It is all very well to build a room around one piece, but you need to look at the impact that piece will have on other items and what limitations it could cause. I would suggest you set aside some serious time to look through photos on Houzz, especially if you can find areas similar to yours, till you find what appeals to you, put the photos into your ideas book and use that to build your room. I have found this invaluable in the past and it has saved me many an expensive mistake....See MoreMy Empty Entryway - Ideas please
Comments (13)You might paint the walls a bold color you really love, but I would recommend staying away from wallpaper as it is costly and too difficult to change. I agree with another poster that wider trim around the doors would help, and I would suggest that you paint all the trim white and add crown molding and a mop-board along the floor-wall junctures. I love the wood-tone door and would keep it as an accent piece and for contrast. You might add large, framed mirrors to the walls to reflect light and perhaps add a console table with a fairly large lamp. An interesting print area rug also can add pizzazz to this space. If you can use the bold wall color as an accent throughout the house, it will help to tie the entire color scheme together and give your home a unified look. In the offset hallway shown in Photos Two, Three, and Four, I would suggest you place a desk and chair and/or perhaps some bookcases and curio cabinets to make an interesting entrance way that can double as a study or home office. As an alternative, you could place a narrow dining table with leaves that fold down to allow easy traffic through the hallway. Above the table you could display some framed mirrors and, in matching frames, family photos that can serve as conversation starters. When you entertain, the fold-down dining table could be pulled out and/or moved to another room to accommodate your guests....See More
User
3 years agobigreader
3 years ago
siriuskey
3 years agoteeg00
3 years agoteeg00
3 years agoI thought about some vibrant colour in there and am contemplating colouring the trim to add interest. I just don't think I can handle a whole wall of colour. I have always liked white walls as I decorate with colour via artwork and plants etc...
obviously something that would go with the carpet cause it's in pretty good knick so will leave it.
Melt In ACT
3 years ago
kiwimills
3 years agoDid you see siriuskys hall..wow, gorgeous.
Maybe that type of thing ?
Dark and moody with great art.
This is from kitchen/dining thread if you want to have a better look at it.
tangerine9
3 years agoAnne Monsour
3 years agoAnne Monsour
3 years agoteeg00
3 years agoteeg00
3 years agoteeg00
3 years agoI've just priced some nice vinyl planks in.a similar whitewashed look to go in there and it was quite good compared to what I was expecting so will be going with that. I think I will also replace the cupboard doors with something with panelling to give some interest in the room. Something like the below.
kiwimills
3 years agoteeg00
3 years agokiwimills
3 years agoteeg00
3 years agokiwimills
3 years agosiriuskey
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3 years agosiriuskey
3 years agoJoanne Haigh
3 years agoteeg00
3 years agoLeigh James
3 years agoteeg00
3 years agoUser
3 years agoteeg00
3 years agobigreader
3 years agoMarylee H
3 years agofianou luca
3 years agoThe problem with crisp white, is that in areas that don't have direct light they throw a lot of shadows. My inlaws did exactly that with their loooong hall trying to brighten it up, but the shadows are gloomy. My lounge which has built in verandah around has no direct light and we painted it all white thinking the same and it looks really gloomy with all the shadow. I experimented with a peach and grey combo, not exactly my taste, but suits the era of the house and it worked to get rid of the shadow but still be bright, but in the end I've decided to just remove the wall of gloom and open it all up.
I think if the area will become a gallery of sorts than direction lighting that can face directly on the artworks should be the fist priority, then perhaps a nice hallrug for pattern and interest and to warm in up a bit. Take the colour cues from the artwork you have in mind and design from that. I like a darker wall behind a gallery wall of frames art, and if it went around the corner it would sort of push the wall back and make it disappear a bit. But if you prefer white use bold heavy frames and bright matt boards for colour.
kiwimills
3 years agoLeigh James
3 years agoMichelle Murphy
3 years agoThe floors are lovely. So much better.
I have a very similar hallway in the upstairs of my house. It's only about 80cm wide, with a low ceiling and quite dark. There's six doorways opening onto it; so it's also very gloomy. When we moved in first it was the most beige space in the world: filthy old cream carpeting, beige walls, and off-white woodwork and ceiling.
I tried painting it white, and it was still gloomy. The floors are a vinyl plank, and they're better. We hung some art work, and to be honest the corridor is so narrow, they made it feel even tighter.
So on the logic that you don't spend much time in a corridor, it's the perfect spot to be brave, I hung a lovely wall-paper on one wall, painted the doors and skirting boards a charcoal, and everything else white.
It's such a happy space now. It's hard to get a good shot, because the space is so small, but I'm really pleased.
kiwimills
3 years agoteeg00
3 years ago
Lena K.
3 years agoteeg00
3 years agoLena K.
3 years agoSarah K
3 years agoSarah K
3 years agoSarah K
3 years agoSarah K
3 years agosiriuskey
3 years agokiwimills
3 years agosiriuskey
3 years agojulie herbert
3 years agosiriuskey
3 years ago
teeg00Original Author