Hot Hallway Accessories

Hallways are the forgotten areas of the home, they tend to be overlooked in the design department.  As many hallways as we have, they deserve the design attention given to the other rooms in the house. 

Use accessories to decorate and brighten your hallways and bring them out the dark and back in to the home.

Lights, Action….

Light it up – one overhead light does not always do the trick for the hallway.  The overhead globe fixture tends to be centered in the hall, leaving dim, dark areas.  Install sconces to turn dim to drama in the halls.  And speaking of dim, use a dimmer switch for sconces so they can make the switch from general lighting to accent lighting.

Mirror, Mirror…

Use a mirror to reflect light through the hallway and extend the living space to make the room look larger.  The easiest, budget option to take on the lighting and mirror task is a hall or console table, narrow enough that it doesn’t block foot traffic.  Use a decorative table lamp on it and a mirror above to lighten and brighten.

Accessory Necessities

If you're using the table and lamp trick above, use a grouping of three objects on one end of the table – a group of three photos, one medium, one large and one small for interest is a good, classic option.  But you can use anything your heart desires, the brighter and bolder the better. 

If your hallway is right off the living room area, such as in an apartment, tie in the hallway décor with the living room décor. 

  • Accessorize the hallway similarly to the living room to extend the space and tie the hall and living room together.
  • Wall shelves, particularly ‘floating’ shelves with the hardware hidden are a nice touch in the hallway, but add an accent light over it and it will change the whole look of the area.  Small single item shelves are best for visibility and keeps accessories out of harm's way of running children.
  • Pictures and artwork are nice for the hall, but remember, it’s not particularly visible as you pass it in the hall – use three dimensional accessories for a better effect.  A large floor vase with bamboo will make much more of a statement.  If you can add an accent light, by all means try to do so.

By using three dimensional accessories and well-placed lighting, you can turn your hallway from humdrum to hot with the flick of a switch.  Just remember one decorating rule when you address the hallway, the function – which is to pass through to another room.  Don’t inhibit movement, but you can at least make the movement less monotonous!