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Decorating: 10 Contemporary Decorating Ideas to Rev Up your Corridors
Turn these uninspiring, incidental spaces into somwhere to pause in with these 10 idea for pepping up a passageway
For many of us, the corridors and passages that link the rooms in our home are overlooked. Perhaps we hang a picture here or stand a chair against the wall, but often that is the extent of our efforts in these vital, but slightly tricky areas. By definition, corridors are long and narrow, and we pass through them rather than linger here, so how best to treat them to a pop of personality? It can be as easy as a lick of paint, some clever storage or a collection of art on the walls, ideas which can transform these connective spaces from neglected passageways to super stylish strips that link your home beautifully. Here are 10 great examples that are long on style…
Team black with white
Opt for a monochrome colour scheme to give your corridor real impact. Confining the black hues to the floor and accessories, as in this space, keeps the atmosphere fresh and airy, and the dark flooring anchors the space and leads the eye towards the rooms beyond.
Opt for a monochrome colour scheme to give your corridor real impact. Confining the black hues to the floor and accessories, as in this space, keeps the atmosphere fresh and airy, and the dark flooring anchors the space and leads the eye towards the rooms beyond.
Cross boundaries
Continue the decor from the living room or kitchen into the connecting corridor, to create a seamless sense of flow. This idea is about treating your hallway as so much more than just a passageway between rooms. By designing and decorating it in the same way as the room it serves, it gains credibility and belongs more completely to the house.
Continue the decor from the living room or kitchen into the connecting corridor, to create a seamless sense of flow. This idea is about treating your hallway as so much more than just a passageway between rooms. By designing and decorating it in the same way as the room it serves, it gains credibility and belongs more completely to the house.
Curate a collection
A blank corridor wall or a partition between rooms is a great place to display your art. Mix large and small prints with photos to create a gallery wall that invites you to linger in front of it, examining all the images, time and time again.
A blank corridor wall or a partition between rooms is a great place to display your art. Mix large and small prints with photos to create a gallery wall that invites you to linger in front of it, examining all the images, time and time again.
Express yourself
You can do so much more with a long corridor wall than simply hang a few prints on it. Here, a mishmash of postcards, photos and drawings have been pinned to the wall for an original look that can be easily added to or altered. Below, units, shelves and book storage have been built against the wall and, while incredibly slimline, this feature also includes seating space so you can stretch out with a story.
Discover 10 ways to pep up your hallway
You can do so much more with a long corridor wall than simply hang a few prints on it. Here, a mishmash of postcards, photos and drawings have been pinned to the wall for an original look that can be easily added to or altered. Below, units, shelves and book storage have been built against the wall and, while incredibly slimline, this feature also includes seating space so you can stretch out with a story.
Discover 10 ways to pep up your hallway
Strip it back
Bricks are well and truly back in style and bring lots of softly industrial style to a space, so don’t plaster over yours if you can avoid it, leave them exposed. If their natural reddish brown tone threatens to darken your hall or corridor, painting them white will brighten the space whilst retaining that rustic, uneven texture.
Bricks are well and truly back in style and bring lots of softly industrial style to a space, so don’t plaster over yours if you can avoid it, leave them exposed. If their natural reddish brown tone threatens to darken your hall or corridor, painting them white will brighten the space whilst retaining that rustic, uneven texture.
Light a path
These storm lanterns make an unusual lighting solution in an entrance hall and the corridor leading off it. They act as pretty accessories but, when lit, the corridor becomes an illuminated path which leads visitors into the house and creates a calm atmosphere. The lantern itself protects the candle inside, too. It’s a smart measure in a space that sees heavy traffic, and prevents anyone accidentally kicking a lit candle.
These storm lanterns make an unusual lighting solution in an entrance hall and the corridor leading off it. They act as pretty accessories but, when lit, the corridor becomes an illuminated path which leads visitors into the house and creates a calm atmosphere. The lantern itself protects the candle inside, too. It’s a smart measure in a space that sees heavy traffic, and prevents anyone accidentally kicking a lit candle.
Build shallow shelves
Wall to wall storage in a hallway or corridor can give the space a cultured, library aisle feel while turning little used space into valuable storage, too. To avoid the shelves encroaching on a narrow corridor, make sure to build shallow shelving, perhaps just the width of a standard paperback, which won’t eat up too much room.
Wall to wall storage in a hallway or corridor can give the space a cultured, library aisle feel while turning little used space into valuable storage, too. To avoid the shelves encroaching on a narrow corridor, make sure to build shallow shelving, perhaps just the width of a standard paperback, which won’t eat up too much room.
Bare all
If you are lucky enough to have original floorboards in your home, don’t cover them with carpet! With their long lines, boards laid in the direction of the corridor help to lead you into the house. A thin varnish will give them a polished and timeless look, while subtly bouncing light up, too — a plus in a windowless corridor.
If you are lucky enough to have original floorboards in your home, don’t cover them with carpet! With their long lines, boards laid in the direction of the corridor help to lead you into the house. A thin varnish will give them a polished and timeless look, while subtly bouncing light up, too — a plus in a windowless corridor.
Colour in
Go crazy with bright accents! White walls and a neutral wooden floor are the perfect backdrop for colourful accessories which can really boost the stylish feel of a corridor space. Sticking to only isolated pops of a single bright hue (here, its’ red) keeps the colour from being overwhelming, but helps lead the eye down the space and into the room beyond.
TELL US...
How do you keep your hallway updated? Share your tips in the Comments below.
Go crazy with bright accents! White walls and a neutral wooden floor are the perfect backdrop for colourful accessories which can really boost the stylish feel of a corridor space. Sticking to only isolated pops of a single bright hue (here, its’ red) keeps the colour from being overwhelming, but helps lead the eye down the space and into the room beyond.
TELL US...
How do you keep your hallway updated? Share your tips in the Comments below.
White walls and floors will give pokey entrances and poorly lit passageways the illusion of space. If white-on-white feels a little harsh for you, warm things up with some distressed wooden accents to break up the snowy scene.
Be inspired by crisp white design schemes