Hallway Hacks = Usable Space

6 Hallway Hacks to Turn Them Into Usable Space

Here are some great hallway ideas from Dwell.

Put your corridors to work as storage, seating, or gallery space with these ideas.

Hallways don’t just have to be connective space they can serve a multitude of functions despite the challenges that their long, narrow proportions present. Below, find a practical guide to making hallways that aren’t just for passing through.

1. Install Shelving

6 Hallway Hacks to Turn Them Into Usable Space - Photo 1 of 12 - Installing wood shelves in this nook in a hallway adds visual interest that breaks up the hallway's length, and provides storage for books and other vignettes. — Wood shelves in this nook in a hallway add visual interest that breaks up the hallway’s length and provides storage for books and other vignettes.

6 Hallway Hacks to Turn Them Into Usable Space - Photo 2 of 12 - Custom millwork and cabinetry can be a great way to add storage while keeping the hallway looking clean, neat, and bright. Cut-outs in the doors instead of knobs or cabinet handles ensure that hardware doesn't take up any extra space in the narrow corridor. — Custom millwork and cabinetry can be a great way to add storage while keeping the hallway looking clean, neat, and bright. Cut-outs in the doors instead of knobs or cabinet handles ensure that hardware doesn’t take up any extra space in the narrow corridor.

2. Hang Artwork

6 Hallway Hacks to Turn Them Into Usable Space - Photo 3 of 12 - Installing artwork in a hallway is a great way to create drama in a small, narrow space; textured pieces like this one work particularly well because viewers can get very close.

6 Hallway Hacks to Turn Them Into Usable Space - Photo 4 of 12 - Artwork can also bring balance to a space, acting as a counterpoint to closets and doors, and introducing color schemes that play throughout the rest of the home. — Artwork can bring balance to a space, acting as a counterpoint to closets and doors, and introducing color schemes that play throughout the rest of the home.

3. Add Seating

6 Hallway Hacks to Turn Them Into Usable Space - Photo 5 of 12 - Placing seating in a hallway or corridor might sound counterintuitive. However, adding seating— in particular a piece that takes advantage of the length and narrowness of a hallway, like a bench—is particularly well-suited because it works as a waiting nook. — Placing seating in a hallway or corridor might sound counterintuitive. However, adding seating, in particular, a piece that takes advantage of the length and narrowness of a hallway, like a bench is particularly well-suited because it works as a waiting nook.

6 Hallway Hacks to Turn Them Into Usable Space - Photo 6 of 12 - A bench in a hallway can also provide a moment of respite, encouraging new perspectives and rhythms within a residence, even if it's just a pause to look out a window or into another room. — A bench in a hallway can also provide a moment of respite, encouraging new perspectives and rhythms within a residence, even if it’s just a pause to look out a window or into another room.

4. Turn it Into a Library

6 Hallway Hacks to Turn Them Into Usable Space - Photo 7 of 12 - You may think that a library has to be its own room, but books can be stored and read just about anywhere. Lining a hallway with books turns it into a library that you’ll walk through, and be inspired by, every day. Cabinets below provide extra storage and even a place to sit and read.

6 Hallway Hacks to Turn Them Into Usable Space - Photo 8 of 12 - Creating a library along a staircase out of open shelving means that the books can be accessed from both the staircase and the stair hall on the other side.

5. Install Hooks

6 Hallway Hacks to Turn Them Into Usable Space - Photo 9 of 12 - Wall space in a hallway can easily be activated by a series of hooks for hats, coats, or scarves. If the hallway is particularly visible, you may hang items in an artful way, so that there's a mixture of aesthetic cohesion and functionality.

6 Hallway Hacks to Turn Them Into Usable Space - Photo 10 of 12 - Colorful, scattered coat hooks by the architect-designers Julia Jamrozik and Coryn Kempster create a functional, eye-catching wall that works well whether the hooks are used for hanging or just for decoration. — Colorful, scattered coat hooks create a functional, eye-catching wall that works well whether the hooks are used for hanging or just for decoration.

6 Hallway Hacks to Turn Them Into Usable Space - Photo 11 of 12 - An entrance hallway is the first space you enter in a home, but it can also serve the very important function of acting as a drop-off station or mudroom for keys, shoes, and coats. — An entrance hallway is the first space you enter a home, but it can serve the very important function of acting as a drop-off station or mudroom for keys, shoes, and coats.

6 Hallway Hacks to Turn Them Into Usable Space - Photo 12 of 12 - A drop-off station can consist of anything, from nothing more than a narrow shelf with a mirror above it, to a series of hooks with seating, storage, and plants. — A drop-off station can consist of anything, from nothing more than a narrow shelf with a mirror above it, to a series of hooks with seating, storage, and plants

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diana bennett | artist | interior designer | cook

Interior . Kitchen. Bath . Office Design & Wonderful Food.