Do you dream of a hallway that not only looks great but where chaos doesn’t stand a chance, either? OK. Then we will help you.
We show you how to make your entrance area practical, chic, and cozy – from planning and furnishing to little tricks for more order. Sounds interesting? Then here are our 24 tips for your hallway:
Contents
Plan
Even if you already know what your hallway should look like in the end: take a little time to plan.
Because a hallway only becomes practical if it fits your life exactly
To do this, it is best first to take stock of the things that your hallway will store for you later – as precisely as possible.
The following questions will help you:
. How much clothing do you want to accommodate – i.e., jackets, coats, hats, scarves, hats…
. How many pockets? And which bags are these – handbags, sports bags, school bags…?
. How many keys, wallets, (sun) glasses, and cell phones?
. Do you need space for huge things, such as strollers, dog baskets, or bicycles?
. Do you have special equipment for hobbies that should be in the hallway – bicycle helmets, hockey sticks, riding equipment, musical instruments?
. Do you have pets that you need storage space for their equipment?
It’s OK if the list gets long.
It’s perfect because then you’ve thought of everything. And you can rest assured that you will find the right place for each part.
Give things their place.
Giving things their place is a good idea for the lazy – because it saves a lot of searching, for example for the car key or the wallet
When setting up your hallway, keep in mind the belongings you want to put where.
We have a few ideas for storage space for typical hallway items here:
. Key box, drawer, or a small bowl for keys – ideally close to the door
. Shoe racks, compartments, or small trays for shoes
. Cloakrooms and cupboards for clothes
. Hooks for everything – bags, dog leashes, caps, scarves, shawls…
. Baskets or compartments for cell phones or sunglasses
. Umbrella stands for umbrellas or walking sticks
Tip! Surfaces are small items magnets – so put on shelves, hooks, or drawers in the hallway instead of tables and shelves.
Set up everyone’s storage space
A great tip for families with children and more extensive corridors
Give each family member their area in the hallway – with their hooks, shelves, and baskets.
So everyone can keep their things together in the best possible way.
Think about the right hall lighting
In old buildings, in particular, many hallways are windowless – which makes good light all the more important:
. Indirect light makes hallways appear larger and friendlier – ceiling lights or wall lights that emit a lot of light are a good choice
. Track systems with flexible spotlights combine essential lighting and exciting accents
. Table lamps provide comfort – place them on a sideboard or shelf
. Several pendant lights in a row are an elegant choice in long, narrow hallways
Tip! Buy the lights not too small and not too dark – a good guideline for the hallway is 300 lumens per square meter.
And a mirror
Because we humans are vain
Hang a mirror right in the entrance – for the last-minute check before you finally leave the house.
The advantage; you don’t have to go back to the apartment for the very last check.
It means: Everything you hold in your hand (car keys, cell phone, wallet, etc.) can only be put down in the hallway – and not in the guest toilet or bedroom, where the other mirrors are hanging.
The chance that little things will be “lost” so shortly before departure is therefore negligible.
Also, mirrors make rooms look larger – either alone as a large wall mirror or in groups in a group.
Set up a bench
For putting on and taking off your shoes.
Or to sit down comfortably when conversations deepen, and the visit lasts longer than expected.
The best thing about chairs and benches in the hallway: They don’t cost a lot. You can even just grab a cozy chair that you might have left somewhere else around the house.
Tip! Benches are great storage space. It is best to include compartments or small baskets in your purchase.
Give your shoes a place
Hardly anything ensures order in the hallway as quickly and comfortably as a shoe cabinet – therefore, an absolute must-have for us!
We recommend a shoe cabinet with flaps for narrow corridors because it offers a lot of storage space on a small footprint.
Special shoe chests of drawers or shelves with various compartments offer more space. You can store your footwear in shoe racks or simply in a couple of baskets.
And how do shoes stay tidy for a long time? – Our tips:
Only store your current favorite shoes in the hallway. The rest can disappear elsewhere.
Make sure that your shoes are neatly stored – so you can quickly access and put them on.
Keep an eye on your stock of shoes and give away what no longer fits or what you no longer want to wear.
Reserve an “Inbox”
And catch catalogs, mail, and newspapers in the hallway.
Sort out anything you don’t need or want to keep and throw it straight into the trash.
Only leave beautiful things (invitations, catalogs) and important things (invoices) in your home.
And an “outbox.”
This time not just for paperwork, but for everything that you don’t want to – or are not allowed to leave – at home;
You know the letter you wanted to mail—the books for the library or your mother-in-law’s salad bowl.
Reserve a place or a container in your hallway for such things – a kind of “outbox” reminds you what not to forget.
Install a charging station
Sounds weird now, doesn’t it?
But think about it:
. Where do your charging stations occupy valuable sockets?
. Maybe in the kitchen or on your desk
. Or on the bed
Our tip: Use the (often free) sockets in the hallway to charge your mobile phone, tablet, and the like and free up valuable sockets elsewhere.
Find the right furniture.
Depending on the size of the hallway and storage space requirements, a wide variety of hallway furniture can be used:
. Coat rails and coat hooks
. Freestanding clothes racks
. Cloakroom systems with matching individual pieces of furniture
. Complete hall wardrobes including mirrors
Tip! Often the best (and cheapest) hall furniture has completely different names. TV furniture, for example, often offers good seating and storage space, and bedroom cupboards offer plenty of storage space.
Make sure that the furniture is the right size.
Good hall furniture fills the room without blocking it.
Tip for mini corridors! Rely on flexibility – for example, with furniture on castors or foldable coat racks.
7 valuable tips for furniture in small rooms – here!
Do you need furniture for a small room but don’t have an interior designer to go shopping with you?
No problem.
All you need to know is what to look for when it comes to furniture for small spaces – and you’ll find the right parts.
We show what is essential:
Buy furniture with multiple functions
If you have little space, you need furniture that can do more.
When buying furniture, pay attention to all possible functions and give preference to the parts that can do the most:
Does your table have not only a surface but also drawers? Excellent! Additional storage space ensures more order.
Can you pull out your couch? Perfect! You have a sofa and a guest bed (more guest room tips – here!)
Can you also sit at your coffee table? Cool! One more seat.
Also very flexible: benches and stools. They are seating or storage space.
Make sure that the dimensions are correct
Whether for furniture or clothing:
What fits well looks best?
So don’t buy your furniture too big for a small room – but not too small either.
Because apart from the fact that small pieces of furniture are often uncomfortable and impractical, they also quickly make you feel like you’re sitting in a doll’s house.
Furniture that is too large, on the other hand, often leaves too little space.
What to do?
Find the correct dimensions.
Instead of simply reaching for the smallest size, it is better to take a close look at your room beforehand, measure how much space you have, and buy furniture that fits the size exactly.
Use adjustable furniture
Furniture that can change its size is perfect for small spaces
For example
. Chairs of different heights,
. Extendable tables or
. Shelves that hide a desktop.
Essential for buying changeable furniture:
The space that you need as much as possible
So how much space does the table need when it is extended? How big is the sofa bed entirely?
Create storage space on the walls
When you see your small rooms, could you sometimes walk up the walls? Well!
There are many ways to keep belongings on the walls instead of just on the floor—the effect: More space for your tidy look.
When buying furniture, look out for vertical storage space: high shelves for your books, for example, or hangers for your TV.
Loft beds are also classic for small but high bedrooms, under which a workplace or seat can be set up.
Choose round shapes for angular rooms.
For small, angular rooms, rounded furniture is recommended – for example, rounded sofas or round side tables.
Why?
Flowing, soft shapes make a small room immediately appear cozier.
Also, curves naturally have a relaxing effect.
Avoid heavy details
Furniture with slim silhouettes takes up less space and makes rooms look airier.
Avoid all heavy details as possible, such as thick armrests, massive cushions, and sturdy table legs or bulky headboards.
Instead, opt for light, open furniture such as bookshelves, wicker furniture, or glass tables.
So the view can wander unhindered through the room, and the room appears larger overall.
Do you have a small bathroom? 7 tricks to make it look bigger
Avoid wasting space
If you have little space, do without TV furniture.
If it doesn’t have a lot of drawers, they just take up too much space.
Hang the TV on the wall and pack a hanging shelf with the devices underneath.
Long side tables are also space robbers.
Instead, choose a small, round side table, preferably directly with drawers.
Catch debris
As long as there are feet, dirt in the entrance cannot be avoided.
What you can avoid, however, is that sand, leaves, mud, or snow continues to spread around the apartment.
A good investment is a combination of a doormat in front of the door and a doormat behind it. Make sure that both are easy to clean, vacuum, or shake out.
Even less dust and dirt get into the house if everyone takes off their shoes when they come in – at least in winter.
How else can you avoid dust? 4 tips – here…
Avoid dust – this is how it works!
A home with less annoying dust
Whether allergy sufferers or not – who doesn’t dream of it?
We show you which equipment prevents dust, provide practical cleaning tips, and reveal how you can reduce dust in the house with minor changes.
Tip 1: the proper setup
Dust settles on surfaces.
That means less equipment, less dust.
So try to live with fewer furnishings. With fewer trinkets, less decoration, more miniature pillows, blankets, soft toys, and curtains, and even with more miniature furniture.
How much and what you put away or give away does not matter as long as you do it.
For more space and less house dust;
More ideas for mucking out, 7 things that can be removed immediately – here;
Tip 2: the proper behavior
Most of the dust in our homes comes from outside.
Through open doors and windows, through our clothes and shoes;
How does less dust get into the house?
. Put a good mat in your entrance area
. Leave street shoes in front of the door or the entrance. And ask your guests to do the same (at least in winter).
. Do not take your pets’ accessories into the home
Tip 3: the suitable indoor climate
The drier the air, the more dust.
Therefore, ensure that the humidity is always between 30 to 55 percent, especially when the heating is on in winter.
It is a value at which we humans feel comfortable, bind the dust in the air better, and do not spread as quickly.
A good start for a better indoor climate is to ventilate regularly, briefly, and with the windows wide open.
Tip 4: the proper cleaning
Correct cleaning leaves less dust behind.
If you want to reduce dust, make sure not only to stir up the dust but also to transport it away.
We give you the following cleaning tips:
. Suck smooth floors only dust and wipe then wet – so less dust is left behind
. Wipe dust from furniture and Co. as possible with a wet cloth – both take the dust
. Use feather dusters or dust brooms as little as possible, at the very most for hard-to-reach corners
. Wash duvet covers and fitted sheets at least once a week – this will keep the bed fresher longer
. Wash pillows and duvets from time to time, preferably with a special detergent – for less dusty sleep
Do you want less dust in the house?
Because you can’t take it well or just want to clean less?
Learn how to avoid dust and keep it from spreading unnecessarily. Just a few tricks help tame the uninvited house guest.
For a fresher and nicer home
Layout a carpet
Carpets give hallways warmth and draw people into the house in an almost magical way.
It also makes ugly floor coverings disappear discreetly.
And this is what you should keep in mind when furnishing your hallway with carpets:
. Avoid placing furniture on the carpet if possible
. Make sure that the door opens easily.
. Protect your carpet from footprints by adding a doormat that you place directly behind the door.
In a small entrance area, choose the carpet that is not too small, either in terms of size or pattern – this will make the hallway appear larger.
Check out the eye-catcher.
“Where do you and your guests look first when they walk in?”
Maybe on your messy wardrobe; you’re old stairs or a nice picture
Interesting to know – and often surprisingly easy to change
Take the chance to make the first look into your home as beautiful as possible:
. Hang art on the walls.
. Decorate with a beautiful lamp.
. With a great wallpaper
. Or with a fancy mirror
Show personality
It is a critical point: surround yourself with personal things – small mementos, beautiful photos, or pictures that your children have painted.
Because it is not the nameless decoration that makes rooms interesting
But the personal things that fascinate us – and that succeed in putting a smile on our faces stressful days!
And believe us: whatever has such an effect on you is guaranteed to make an impression on your guests too.
Decorate with plants
Plants are one of the easiest and cheapest ideas to add value to your entrance area.
Regardless of whether it is a single flower or an arrangement of different flower pots, many coines are drawn in with plants.
You can read here which plants also provide fresh air…
Let colors do the talking.
Speaking of homely – of course, the right color also influences the identity of a beautiful hallway.
We recommend thinking a few things about the effect of different colors before going to the hardware store:
. Pastel colors and soft tones create a calm, homely atmosphere
. Solid and intense colors make the hallway look livelier
. Dark gray creates a feeling of security and looks cozy
. Natural tones, as well as black and white, can be combined well
Tip! Let colors take place everywhere – as wall paint, wallpaper, furniture, or light. And beautify your hallway and hallway in an uncomplicated and utterly individual way.
Be brave when setting up.
Corridors are small rooms – and they can always take courage.
Also, they are walk-through rooms in which you neither linger long nor seek your peace.
So be a little braver with your hallway furnishings and save your caution for rooms in which you spend more time, such as the bedroom or the kitchen.
Outsource generously
Fewer things mean minor tidying away.
So try to keep the number of things in your hallway as small as possible – by:
. Outsource clothing that doesn’t suit the season
. Store items that you rarely wear elsewhere
And don’t worry, it’s OK if not all compartments are complete and not all hooks are occupied – on the contrary.
It is only suitable for a harmonious, calm impression.
Keep the ground clear.
No matter how big your entrance area is, a free floor always looks tidy and provides a better space feeling.
So choose storage space, lights, and the like, always hanging on the wall if possible, for example, wall-mounted wardrobes, coat hooks, hanging shelves, or cubes.
Develop a homecoming routine
One of the biggest dangers to tidy hallways is people coming home.
Because then we often just want to get in and just throw everything in the entrance area.
Our tip for anyone short on time to clean up: try to develop a homecoming routine.
Make it a habit to pause for a moment when you come in to put everything in its place – take off your shoes and put them down, take off your jacket, and put away your keys and odds and ends.
You could also say: put the “world out there” aside and arrive.
Put something sweet in the entrance.
For example, a bowl of candy or chocolate to sweeten the way home for your visit. You don’t believe how guests are into such little things.
Stay flexible
The perfect hallway is not about the best furnishings, the most expensive cloakroom, or the fanciest wallpaper.
It’s about you. And that your hallway works the way you need it.
Our last tip is, therefore: to stay flexible.
Understand what you and your loved ones need for a stress-free departure from home and a pleasant arrival – and adapt your hallway to your own needs.
We hope you enjoy setting up the hallway.
