Small corridor design: design nuances and stylish solutions
As a rule, corridors in apartments are not very large. Mostly they are small square or long narrow spaces, so it is not so easy to create beautiful and functional interior design in them.
You need to think over everything to the smallest detail and use the maximum usable space. We will talk about how to do this correctly in this article.
Features of the room
A corridor is the very first room in any house or apartment that has a large functional load.
Experts recommend that you first create an interior plan on paper, and then start finishing work.
So you will be able to choose the optimal location for niches, shelves, as well as take into account the position of the entrance door and possible protrusions on the walls.
The shape of the room plays an important role in the layout, so it is important to take into account the features of the room.
- Square. The ideal solution for the design of such a small corridor would be corner furniture. This will allow you to use the maximum amount of space. Such furniture consists of an open hanger for clothes and a closed part; the wardrobe can also be equipped with a key holder and shelves for shoes. But separate furniture, consisting of several functional parts, is best avoided.
- Long and narrow. For such corridors, it is worth choosing straight long furniture, since it will not be possible to place a corner cabinet. An excellent solution would be a wardrobe, since it has the greatest capacity.
Style solutions
The interior of a small hallway can be decorated in any style. However, it is better to use those directions that have a minimum of elements.This will make the space lighter and more spacious.
Let's consider the most popular destinations.
Minimalism
The style is characterized by simple colors and laconic furniture. Decorative elements are not peculiar to it, the beauty of the interior is achieved through the use of glossy and shiny surfaces.
In minimalism, the closet is often replaced with wall hooks, open shelves, small shelving units, or a bench. This set of the most important items is suitable for decorating even the smallest corridors.
Classic
Natural materials are often used for interior decoration, which makes it original and elegant. The classics are characterized by a calm and delicate color palette and strict forms of furniture. For decoration, gilding or bronze is often used. In such an interior, dark wooden furniture will look good.
Provence
This is a graceful and delicate style. It is characterized by an unusual furniture design and the use of exceptionally light colors. Furniture can be styled antique... When it comes to prints and patterns, this is either a floral theme or cityscapes.
Japanese style
Differs in clarity of lines, simplicity and use of natural shades and materials. This style is perfect for a small corridor.because Japan values simplicity and functionality. Furniture should be simple and discreet, and to make the interior more interesting, pictures and other small design elements are used.
Finishing materials
When designing a small-sized corridor, you need to carefully and carefully approach the choice of finishing materials.
You cannot use materials that visually reduce the space. Such materials are considered to be stone, panels, stucco moldings, moldings and wallpapers with large patterns or prints.
Another important criterion is the service life and strength of materials, as well as ease of maintenance.
Walls
Paint is considered the easiest to use, since such walls can be washed. Moreover, you can always update the color, and if you are tired of the colors of the walls, then it is quite easy to paint them in a new tone.
But the paint is not suitable for finishing walls that have irregularities or defects, such as cracks or potholes.
In this case, a good fit decorative plaster... It is easy to clean, but more importantly, it can be used to easily fix or hide imperfections in the walls.
No less popular material for wall decoration are wallpaper... Experts recommend purchasing vinyl options, since they are the densest and are able to hide minor surface imperfections.
As for the color palette, it should be light. Milk, vanilla, pastel shades are ideal. Interestingly, cold colors make the room visually larger, so gray or light blue walls will look no less good.
If you want to decorate the walls with prints or ornaments, then it is a good idea to use three-dimensional drawings.
But they cannot be pasted over all the walls. It is better to paste over one wall with wallpaper with a pattern, and make the rest plain. If you have a square corridor, then the emphasis should be on the end wall. And in the longest corridor - on the longest.
For small corridors the use of large patterns and drawings is undesirable, they will attract too much attention and visually narrow the space. But small drawings, on the contrary, will make the interior brighter.
Ceiling
Most often, the ceiling is painted white or beige, or light plaster is used to finish it.
But bright or dark shades for finishing the ceiling in small rooms should be avoided.
Will look good glossy stretch ceilings in tandem with spotlights. Thanks to their shine, the room will look brighter and more spacious.
Flooring
It is important to purchase a durable and durable material for finishing the floor in the hallway, as this is the most visited room. The material should be moisture resistant, not afraid of dirt and easy to clean. As for the color, then he must be neutral.
Will look good laminate or dense linoleum, however, the second is inferior to the first in terms of its quality characteristics. An excellent solution would be to use ceramic tiles, because it is moisture resistant, it is not afraid of chemicals and it is easy to wash it.
You can also use stone, it looks noble and rich. However, this material has the highest price.
You can combine two different flooring materials. So, the space near the door is often trimmed with stone or tiles, and the rest of the floor space is covered with laminate.
To visually enlarge the corridor, you can use stripes. The laminate, which is laid diagonally, will look original.
Color spectrum
The color palette of a small hallway should consist of 2-3 shades. Moreover, one will be the main one, and the rest should be used to create small color accents.
- Decorating the corridor in white tones will visually enlarge the room. Such a corridor will become the embodiment of cleanliness and order. As for accents, you can use any color, even the darkest or brightest.
- Another stylish option is beige. It is ideal for interior decoration in any style and will make the room cozy.
- The gray corridor will look restrained. To add brightness, you can use red, blue, green, brown, or purple.
- The corridor, decorated in pastel colors, looks unusually gentle and romantic. Most often, in this color scheme, the room is decorated in the Provence style, but there may be other design solutions.
Furniture selection
To equip a small-sized corridor, it is better to choose simple furniture. Ideally, the closet should have a shoe rack, a mirror, hangers and shelves for boxes and various small items.
For such corridors, they often use wardrobes. If there is a niche in the corridor, then it can be hidden in such a closet. Glass doors will visually expand the room. The glass can be decorated with various designs or patterns.
Experts advise making a custom-made wardrobe - this way you can purchase a model up to the ceiling, which will significantly increase the availability of usable space.
You can purchase corner cupboard. It also boasts large capacity and functionality. The color scheme is different. As for the mirror, it can be built into the cabinet door.
The cabinet can be completed with open wall shelves and a coat rack... If the cabinet does not have its own hanger, you can purchase it separately. It can be both wall hooks and a model with a leg. To create additional storage space for shoes, you can purchase a pouf or a small bench with built-in shelves.
It is also important to choose a convenient package. The modern market offers many advanced designs. The doors can be opened sideways or downward, and the cabinet itself can be supplemented not only with sliding shelves, but also with various hooks and hangers. Accessories should not be bright and flashy. It is better to choose classic options with a simple design.
Lighting
There are usually no windows in the hallways, so it is important to plan your lighting well. They often resort to using spotlights, since one central chandelier will not be enough. Spotlights illuminate the room well, they can be used both in tandem with a large chandelier, or separately.
The spots will look beautiful. Moreover, they can be directed to important areas, thereby creating good lighting in the most important areas of the corridor and hiding what you do not want to draw attention to. As for the choice of a chandelier, it should not be too large and long.
In the hallway, you can create additional lighting with wall lamps... Such lamps will become not only an important element of lighting, but also an interesting design addition.
Decorative elements
To decorate small hallways, various wall decor is often used.
- Pictures will look good. You can use many small paintings or hang one large one and several small ones next to it.
- Personal photos will look no less stylish and interesting.
- Another wall decoration is a clock, matched to the style of the interior.
- Also, to create a cozy interior, wicker baskets and small pillows are used, if there is a bench or ottoman.
- If there are open shelves, then pots of flowers and small figurines or candlesticks can be placed on them.
- Unusual hooks for clothes or bags can become a beautiful decorative element. For example, hooks with birds look beautiful.
Beautiful ideas
In a small light corridor, a dark brown wall will look beautiful. A built-in wardrobe will help save space and hide a niche. Delicate orange walls will be an interesting backdrop for wooden doors and a red ottoman.
In the hallway of a non-standard shape, you can install a small straight wardrobe with a seating area and open hooks. A large mirror and open hooks with small closed shelves are a functional and stylish solution.