Maximize a narrow space to make it feel larger
You cannot get much narrower than the hallway of a 1950s tract house. In the first place, they were fairly tiny houses, generally less than 1,200 square feet, with relatively long, thin halls. Sometimes the halls were minimal, but necessary to separate basic room functions.
Generally, the private spaces, like bedrooms and the full bathroom, were segregated from public areas such as the living room, dining area and kitchen by the hallway. Typically, the forced air heater and linen closet might be located in the hall.
I live in a 45-year-old house that is blessed with a very wide hall. This feature makes a huge difference in how the entire house feels and is one of the reasons why I bought the place. However, this is an unusual characteristic. How can you work with your own hallway?
If you are remodeling, there are a few tricks you might use to get a confined hall to feel more modern and larger. If possible, push the wall out in a part of the length of the hall. Here we see one segment that is about a foot wider than the balance of the run. It is true that in order to accomplish this, you might have to steal space from one of the rooms.
Another trick could be playing with paint. Consider a change in color on the wall at the end of the hallway that will draw the eye. Keep the sidewalls light. This is a visual way to push the long sidewalls out in comparison to the wall that comes forward due to the stronger color.
You might invest in mirrors on a section of a hallway. Floor-to-ceiling mirrors are best, but also costly. Instead, look for large framed mirrors that might be hung to cover most of the wall section. Improved lighting is another way to coax the hallway into feeling wider. I would suggest adjustable recessed wall washers. You must have enough room in your ceiling to accept the housing of the fixture.
Only the trim is visible in the ceiling after installation and you should be able to create a light pattern on the wall. Provided you have a flat fixture, wall sconces are another good solution to provision of interesting light.
Check into fixtures that are ADA approved because they generally only extend 3 to 4 inches out from a wall. Look in that section of any lighting catalog or browse on Internet that category of light fixtures.
Floor treatment is important as well. It is always best to try and run one flooring material down a hallway. This serves to visually unite the space and to expand it. Our example demonstrates a clever use of different sizes of area rugs in a hall.
By using varying widths and slightly different patterns, one can minimize the long character of the hallway and give a nod to the wider spot on the floor. In general, it is better to keep flooring simple in a very narrow hall, but if you have a pattern of some sort make certain that it takes the eye side to side to minimize length.
Another trick might be to remove old baseboard that is only 2 inches high and replace it with more contemporary style; one that is about 4 to 6 inches high. While a very small detail, the increase in height also serves to distract from a long and narrow sensation. You could also create a family portrait wall on just one segment of the hall. Hang a collage of framed photographs in a pattern that occupies the center of an 8-foot high wall. Avoid a hanging design that is narrow and wide and instead try to get it to be more of an oval shape on the wall. Make it broader versus long. In this way, the eye will focus on the center of one section and it will distract from the length.
Christine Brun, ASID, is a San Diego-based interior designer and author of Small
Space Living. Send questions and comments to her by email at christinebrun@sbcglobal.