Posted by Dan O'Malley in Home Design

Many of us put more energy into decorating each individual room in our home rather than the small spaces that lead us there or greet us as soon as we step inside, such as hallways!

We’ve rounded up 11 ideas for decorating hallways to help you maximize the wow factor in your space.

Foyer hallway with 2 mirrors hanging on wall

Entry Hallway Decorating Ideas

1. Give Your Guests a Proper Welcome With a Chic Console Table

The console table trend has withstood the test of time. Adding one to your entryway will give your home a 5-star first impression and make a beautiful design statement.

To create a striking vignette, we recommend using a mirror or artwork as the focal point above the table styled with smaller décor pieces of varied heights around it. The beauty of a console table is you can rearrange it whenever you want or change the décor based on the season.

Open foyer with a console table and a mirror Dark brown console table with 2 lamps on it artwork with a heron above it

2. Create a Functional and Design-Inspired Garage Entry

Even though first-time guests will probably enter your home through the front door, the hallway by your garage door entry is still an important space to decorate because you’ll frequently pass it throughout the day.

Whether your home has a mud room/drop zone or not, consider making this garage entry space both functional and design-inspired with cubbies, hooks for hanging coats and backpacks, a small desk, an aesthetic wall calendar, and more.

Green wall in a mud room with a calendar and hooks with hanging backpacks Mud room with a white bench and cubbies and a hanging mirror

3. Paint a Pop of Color With an Accent Wall

Is your décor style dark and moody, light and airy, or eclectic and colorful?

No matter what you consider your home vibe to be, painting an accent wall in your foyer hallway is one way to immediately establish and express that style.

Black shiplap accent wall in a foyer with a console table and mirror

4. Go Bold With Oversized Mirrors

We love the oversized mirror trend because it’s easy and it adds elegance, luxury, and depth—especially in your entry hallway.

For a classic and refined look, consider square-shaped or circular mirrors with a dark frame. For a modern or bohemian look, use round or irregular-shaped mirrors with gold or lighter wood frames.

Foyer with blue walls and a large circular mirror hanging Entryway foyer with 4 large rectangular mirrors hanging on wall

5. Use Boho Hanging Baskets

If you find yourself leaning toward a more natural design style with a neutral color palette, hanging woven baskets can make the perfect addition to any of your hallway walls! Since they’re typically light-weight, small nails or command hooks will be sufficient to affix these on your wall.

Drop zone with a closet and hanging baskets on one wall

Small Hallway Decorating Ideas

6. Take Up Space With One Large Art Piece

Small hallways can be tough because it feels like you need something there to fill the empty space but there’s not much room to work with. Don’t overcomplicate it!

Hang one large and simple piece of art that complements the décor throughout the rest of your home but doesn’t overwhelm the space.

Small upstairs hallway with gold geometric wall art

7. Fall in Love With Floating Shelves

Take your design game to new heights with floating shelves! They’re classy and offer a functional and appealing way to use your vertical space. We especially love that they hide the hardware, keeping the focus on the art or photos they display.

“Floating shelves are interior designers’ go-to accent for adding beauty and function to any room in a house. These versatile shelves are inexpensive, space-savvy and available to shop in endless finishes to suit all interior design styles.” – Breegan Jane, HGTV

Loft with floating shelves and picture frames on the wall as well as a big console table

Long Hallway Décor

8. Break up the Space With Diverse Pieces

When it comes to long hallways, my pro tip is to use a variety of pieces along the wall (without overdoing it). Vary the sizes and shapes for extra visual intrigue.

For example, you could consider hanging 2 of the same pieces of abstract wall art next to each other for symmetrical value and create diversity and dimension by adding a console table with some decorative pieces on top.

Long loft hallway with wall art and benches

9. Arrange a Gallery Wall

There’s so much you can do with a gallery wall, and it’s the perfect way to decorate any long hallway wall. Showcase your favorite family photos or your most prized art pieces and arrange all the frames to either be even and symmetrical or spatially varied.

pro tip

Always measure the space and the frames before hanging them up.

Hallway showcasing gallery wall with abstract art

Ideas for Decorating a Hallway and Stairs

10. Use Natural and Neutral Décor

Decorating your staircase walls can be tricky. We recommend sticking to simple and minimal!

While a few decorative pieces on stairs can be visually appealing, they may become a nuisance for daily foot traffic.

Stick to wall art or framed photos here, and try a neutral piece of art that gives the wall dimension but doesn’t draw too much attention to itself.

A staircase with circular woven art on one wall

11. Go Big and Bold With a Statement Art Piece

If you have high ceilings leading up to the next level, make a statement and show of your design style with one eye catching wall art piece. Measure the wall space and find a custom piece that perfectly fits the space.

Modern industrial staircase with black abstract artwork on stair wall

Set aside some time on a weekend morning to easily bring your design vision to life and start elevating those overlooked, high-traffic areas of your home.

Ready to tackle the next open wall space in your home? Find out how to hang wall art in any room.



Author

Dan O'Malley
Dan O'Malley

Author

Dan O’Malley is the Vice President of Product Development for M/I Homes.With over 30 years of expertise in residential architecture and design, Dan has been overseeing the product needs of the company's 16 divisions located throughout the Midwest, Southeast, Nashville and Texas for the past 12 years. Before joining M/I Homes, he was a partner in the Chicago office of BSB Design, a national residential architectural firm, for 14 years. Dan is an expert in all aspects of single-family and multifamily design and has received several awards for his successful projects. He is also a popular speaker at various industry events, including the International Builder’s Show, Midwest Builder’s Show, and Multi-Housing World.

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