hmm. Yeah that's tough since it's so narrow. I think I'd paint the area leading to it a some color you like, and then the hallway a shade or two lighter to take advantage of the angles and to sort of make the runway feel a virtue.

If it's just a pass-through, maybe use more saturated versions of the colors in the nearby rooms? You could add interest with stencils or decals, or even use a fabric or wallpaper that you like but would never use in a larger space in which you spend more time. It seems like a good oportunity to do something a bit crazy.

I agree with the above - since its not a space for lingering, do something with some punch, something unexpected. If you're not afraid of wallpaper, I would totally plaster that right wall with something bright and graphic.

Jill,

A row of round dot rugs on the floor, each a different color. That would really break up the lenght and be fun.

You could cut 19.5" diameter ones from Flor tiles and have a zillion colors and styles from which to choose! I'm not sure if something that small in diameter would look right, but you could lay down some paper templates to find out.

I've also seen 24" diameter rugs online, but I can't remember where...maybe google could help.

yeah, i'd do fun rugs or a runner, and definitely wall colors or a big stencilly thing. seriously, i wouldn't even hang photos because it's so narrow in there.

maybe on the right side (of the picture) across from the first door (if there's room), you could put a small console with a lamp... as that would kinda make the area look purposeful. then the hallway wouldn't be so looonnnng. it'd also help light it up.

you didn't mention how long it is, but i'd go with a runner that you love. i'd avoid doing much to the walls as it would just close in the narrow space. can you re-wire and hang an interesting light fixture, or a group of light fixtures?

Darkening the walls would make me feel even more claustrophobic.

I do like the floor idea above, but I think you need some ceiling work too, to get the eye to wander upward and notice all the height.

1) a stripe on the wall for a horizon would be a start.
2) Maybe a small modern chandelier, or
3) very bright spot lights pointing up

The only place I have really bright lighting is in my entryway - no windows, and the hallway outside isn't the brightest, so I like the brightness of entering.

First thing I thought of when I saw it was that you could paint the door.

How about a gallery of artwork on the short wall in addition to some of the suggesions above? I especially like the small chandelier idea.

Wall mural. Paint the door black. Add a mirror and sconces.

If it was me, I would install track lighting along the ceiling to really brighten it up, paint it an interesting but light color and then add those dot rugs along the floor! Sounds like an interesting space for quickly passing through.

This may sound like advertising… but you should consider putting up a couple of the Norm06 lamps in small (16.5 inches in diameter). I have them in my extremely narrow hall and they look great because I can hang them very high (looks best from below).

Kind regards
Michael

http://www.flickr.com/search/?w=14542389@N07&q=norm06&m=text

How about hanging light fittings low (aprox door top height) from the ceiling, some sort of bulb shape, perhaps 3 of them in a row. Then instead of traditional artwork you could hang something that adds texture to the walls, like these angel wings http://www.gifttrap.com/images/Wings_05.jpg (copy and paste into browser) or some jewelry like beads and stuff... I wouldn't put anything on the floor, the boards are beautiful!

I have a similar issue in my new apartment, although it's not quite as narrow. We're going to do the following things:

- Get a great modern runner. I'm thinking of sewing together a bunch of these rugs from IKEA to make a long runner.
http://www.ikea.com/ca/en/catalog/products/60114150
I'm thinking the horizontal stripes will help with the narrowness

- Doing something really dramatic with the lighting. We're thinking multiple paper lanterns in different sizes down the length of the hall. Not necessarily in a row, more random/clustered.

Things we're not able to do but you probably could:
- Paint the walls with a pearlized/metallic paint. It would bounce around a lot of light and just be, you know, special
- As someone else mentioned, paint the door at the end of the hall a great colour. It would be easy to update if you got sick of the colour as well.

I'd paint the ceiling a dark color. Sounds crazy, but it will visually bring it down and "push" the walls out. Might be tricky, though, given how the ceiling does or doesn't transition into the stairway.

Otherwise, go bold with a color on the outside wall.

Or cover the wall (or a substantial portion of it) with SMALL art pieces (like 52 vintage playing cards or shell or bird's eggs botanicals), identically framed and hung in a continuous grid with no space between them. Will give impact of a larger piece, but because each is small, you'll still be able to appreciate them in such a narrow corridor.

I would paint it a bright color and then hang some wall art. I like the gallery idea although I wouldn't do to many small pictures because it would feel crowded. I also like the idea of a better light fixture to add interest to the area.

I'd paint the walls a super glossy white, the ceiling lavender and put down a bright and cheerful runner of some sort.

i agree with circles.......my very first thought. however, i would paint them on the wall at shoulder level (for the average woman, no shoes).......i would use a multi-color palette that would be similar to an orly kiely print. use color-stripes.com for inspiration, too.
i think a circle with a contrasting band would be interesting, and the circles should be in a different finish from the wall: semi-gloss against flat. end the "color march" with a painted door(as others have suggested) at the end of the hallway. i would be tempted to paint the door frame, but that would also require painting all the moulding in the hallway.

These comments are so exciting -- thank you! thank you! thank you! I look forward to reading more... -- Jill

All the ideas are so good, but personally I wouldn't do too much other than install some type of sculptural overhead lighting.

As tempting as it is, I wouldn't want to draw too much more attention than that to this hallway, rather I'd treat it as a quick transition from one space to another.

The nice thing about hallways like this is when you get to the end of it, whatever room you enter feels huge. I recall the head office of Yabu Pushelberg's design firm did this on purpose -- they had a long narrow hallway with a ceiling sculpture that pushed down further on the small space, but when you finally got to the end of it, the great hall you found yourself in felt spectacularly huge. It was a bit of an illusion but it was very effective.

That said, I might experiment with a strip of artwork (either one long piece or a series composed as a strip) on the long wall. I'd worry however that even the slightest protrusion of any frame might be too thick for such a narrow space.

I'd keep it very white but paint a big black silohuette of a tree on one wall. I think that would really look cool.

Something like this:
http://images.dpchallenge.com/images_portfolio/2130/print_preview/407890.jpg

Only one thing you can do. PENNIES!! Hundreds of them! Just hot glue them onto the walls and PRESTO! You have an interesting look.

I think you also have to take into consideration the visible style cues from the house. A large supergraphic, or anything super modern, is going to look like you turned a Victorian into a Montessori school.

As much as runners make hallways look a little more appealing, I think that covering that beautiful floor would be criminal. It's such a beautiful colour!

quick update...add series of mid century sconces (three) on the right hand side wall - less predictable than overhead pendant lights, and would draw the eye up. Beyond that, you could ebonize the floors (matte finish - again, less obvious) and paint the ceiling high gloss pale gray. Could look really interesting...

http://www.blinkdecor.com/listings.php?gde=1&cat=4

You may wish to do something with the entry door at the end of the hall. Painting it a different color will make it a focal point of the hall and perhaps shorten the perceived length of the hallway. Leaving the mouldings and baseboards white while painting the walls a light color also works. If you have the resources or time, you may wish to consider a polished plaster, venetian, or other plaster/painting technique. Again only use light colors with light reflecting glazes or techniques.

A traditional or interesting contemporary rug runner would liven up the hallway, just avoid patterns (stripes, etc) that emphasize length. Using carpet tape to combine rugs from Ikea is a great idea, however their rugs are usually wider than 24" so unless you don't mind the edges of the rugs running up your baseboards, you may wish to find a narrower alternative.

Using the hallway as an art gallery is a good idea, however given the narrow width, I would suggest hanging only small pieces of artwork at eye level. You may wish to only hang artwork on one wall as the hall's narrow width could cause the viewer to bump into artwork hanging on the opposite wall.

This isn't usually my thing, but I immediately thought of draping fabric on the ceiling. I've seen really nice things done with a strip of bamboo every 3 or 4 feet going crosswise to pin the fabric to the ceiling making waves. I think that plus a nice runner rug could give a kind of exotic cave like feel to the hallway, making use of it's limitations instead of trying to hide them.

I think painting horizontal stripes on the walls would make the space look more open. You could be more subtle with a tone-on-tone effect, or be more bold and paint different colors.

Ruining it by tracking in sand and dirt would be even more criminal.

The biggest thing to keep in mind is light. When walls (esp the ceiling to wall connection) are not well lit, a space will feel gloomy. I think some small-scaled, interesting lighting placed high up and running along the length of the hallway will help to cheer up the space. There are so many wonderful ideas posted above as well. Good luck!

Embrace the small width - wallpaper/decal/paint tree trunks on the walls, so when you walk down the hallway it feels like you're walking through a forest. And I agree with the above posters about the importance of lighting.

I would:
1. Paint the door a contrast color (something from the room the hallway leads to, or a dark grey perhaps).
2. Add a row of small paintings or b&w photos at eye level along one wall, with picture lighting.
3. Add a long mirror hung horizontally at eye level on the other wall to open it a bit and reflect the light from the picture lights.

If you own, consider opening it up by installing french doors between the hallway and the room on the left. Even if that room is a bedroom, you could hang thin white drapery over the glass and let some light into the hallway even with the doors closed.

"Ruining it by tracking in sand and dirt would be even more criminal."

Sorry, I forgot that most americans leave their shoes on in their homes.
Also, isn't this hallway just between rooms and not an entrance/exit? How could sand and dirt be tracked in from a guest room?

I like the idea of small artwork at eye level on one side.

paint it a color or wide virtical stripes. and get a cool chandelier

We have a similar situation, though our hall is a little wider (we're able to fit some shallow furniture in ours). Anyway, we have a runner and refer to the area as "The Gallery" like all those penthouse floor plans do. We hang our artwork there (as several other commenters have suggested).

As this is just an entry passage, I don't think you need to do anything too clever. It seems people don't linger in this area too much other than to step out of muddy shoes. A light paint and good lighting will go a long way. I think painting a two shades of a light french grey, the darker shade coming up to chair-rail height and the lighter on top. Pendent lights or the prettiest track light you can find and this will be a warm reception that will set a nice tone for the rest of your home. (also, can we see the rest of your home?)

To draw the eye up to create volume, you could paint a thick stripe at the top of the wall or hang mobiles. Mobiles are always a good way to make a small space seem bigger because the eye does not just look at the width and length, it also looks at the height.

you could do something like this http://picasaweb.google.com/kinsey.branch/Woodstock/photo#5166154032126164722

I would paint the door at the end a bold color to make it stand out. The idea of a runner in an interesting color or pattern, or carpet tile (Flor - ? - I think) with texture would be nice. I would leave the molding a white or soft white and paint the walls a soft color or maybe a taupe that would compliment the door and floor. Make the door and floor stand out. On one wall, maybe line a collection of art or photographs would be nice. On the ceiling, maybe two or three simple light pendants....one at each end of the hall, and one in the middle. Have fun!

Thanks very much, everyone, for your comments. In addition to all the great ideas, I've learned several important principles of design from the types of suggestions you've given me: the importance of a focal point in a space, how to direct the eye to particular aspects of the room, paying attention to lighting (something I've tried to avoid thinking about because it means going through the hassle of dealing with the electrical system in this old, old house), using contrasting design elements (e.g. circles for a very angular hallway), and playing up or playing off the positives of a space as a way of dealing with its drawbacks. I'll update this thread with photos once I tackle the hall (and will check back just in case there are other great ideas!).

I'd paint the walls a rich, warm color - maybe one of those buttery yellows - and the moldings high gloss, pure white.

You can buy attractive "over the door" hooks - I'd put them facing out on whichever of your doors can been viewed from a distance. Buy an inexpensive matching curtain rod (or have a lucite rod cut) and find an interesting textile that you can drape vertically over the rod. The molding will act as a frame. This is the only place you'll have the visual distance needed to view any art.

If you want to visually lower the ceiling line AND add color, you put up some of these, in different colors and shapes
http://www.justlanterns.com/itemlist.aspx?showentireinventory=true

A colorful runner would be perfect.

we figured the hallway was the perfect spot to do something crazy fun.
inspired by the darjeeling limited......

http://www.flickr.com/photos/yolie/

http://www.stencil-library.com/docs/cat315.htm