apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Exactly how wide is it? I have a really similar hallway that is about 36-37 inches wide, 15-16 feet long, and we put up elfa shelves all along one side. The shelves are wider on the top, above the door, and narrower down below to leave room to pass. We also bought some bins at The Container Store to go below the shelves, and we put shoes and stuff there. It could be prettied up, which I'm thinking about embarking upon, but at the very least it is a superfunctional area. It's somehow not too claustrophobic for me, though every now and then when carrying something big in and out, or getting a bicycle past, a book gets knocked off the shelf.

"Hooks, lots of hooks..."

I think hanging coats, umbrellas and other bulky things on the door would be my first step. Maybe even a shoe tree screwed in at the bottom of the door could work. I have a long narrow hall too. Breaking up the parallel lines might make it feel less tunnel-like. Shallow shadowbox shelving and art hung strategically at different levels could create eye interest.

That is a run-way!

Sorry, There's really nothing that can be done with such a narrow space in terms of the landing strip.

Vertical stripes of similiar or varying widths might be a thought--if you can paint. Even hanging artwork (unless it's unframed or flat, flat, flat) might be a hazard in here.

Is the door metal? If so, you might be able to hang "locker" organizers for mail, keys and such.

Hope other are more imaginative that I and can help you out.

I have a hallway just like this. We hung coat racks across one side of the wall, which was necessary since we have only the one closet in the bedroom.

While I couldn't figure out how to put anything else in the hallway, a simple table at the end of the hall, where it opens up into the living room, serves as a landing strip. A bowl on top holds keys, sunglasses, etc. In the table drawer goes mail and underneath the table goes a basket for newspapers and mags.

Leave the hallway for art or color, and locate your landing strip elsewhere, like the kitchen.

It doesn't need to be the first location inside the door... as long as you don't create an area that tempts you to "dump and run" instead of an actual landing strip.

How about building some recessed shelves or niches? Depending on your wall construction, you could possibly even do a tall recessed area with hooks for coats, etc, that wouldn't protrude too much into the passageway. You could even do some niches for hanging art, family photos, whatever..

I don't know why, but I keep imagining robotic arms lining the hallway that take you hat, coat shoes, etc as you ride a people mover down your hallway.

The photograph that accompanies your inquiry gives a possible direction. The white walls, perhaps due to a semi-gloss paint finish, appear to slightly reflect the floor and an light in the long, narrow space. At the moment the space is the personification of claustrophobia, or at least a prime spatial way of inducing it. I'd suggest a not-a-moment-too-soon effort to collect every inexpensive mirror you can get your hands on - this will at least offer the illusion of width. As for horizontal surfaces for mail, keys, whatever, the only space would be above head height (or the back of the front door). Maybe suspending baskets as if a line of container/chandeliers might at least give you somewhere to stash the mail while you scurry on to the kitchen to deposit your groceries. And certainly seeing the front door keys or last month's utility bill dangling before (and slightly above) you might be a terrific reminder. Or hang some model airplanes in a gesture to the AT "landing strip" theory. Comfort yourself in the knowledge that this apartment will preclude your purchasing large pieces of furniture during your tenure there. And the narrow entry may be a whimsical counterpoint to the generous space beyond the front hall.

How about little lights on the floor that point to the emergency exits?

First off, if you can paint then do so. Something neutral and warm as the hallway is pretty stark and all that white is scary. Add a nice long runner with warm lush textures (perhaps a pattern) for grounding, to cut down on echo and create a long line for the eye to follow to the end of the hallway. Also if you can install some hanging light (warm yellow, orange light)fixtures that will hang low (only about 18"-24" abouve the top of your head or so) so that the ceeling is "lowered" This will make it feel more cozy and create visual texture as the light falls on the floor and wall...

Consider an arrangement of photos, pictures, art... etc. One thing you might want to do is have many small frames around the door area that slowly get larger and larger so that as you look down the hallway the shapes get larger until they open up into the living space. Within this arrangement of frames (I'm thinking black or natural wood without ornament-shadowboxes) you can conceal little shelves or "micro-strips" one for keys, one for hats, a long frame with coat hooks...(to save space always put your coat on a hanger and then on a hook- it will be flush with the wall this way and won't bunch up)

They key is to move the person through the hallway to the living area, not to stall them in the hallway.

Shaker peg racks, as referenced here:
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/look/look-shaker-peg-trim-010611

What about the "Hola Y Adios Entry Table" from DWR?

or the avenue console from cb2...on sale and only 8 inches deep! I have the exact same hallway and I have vague plans to buy one myself. My current solution is a long runner and hooks from ikea on the wall for jackets. I think a mirror hung above the table and hooks for jackets next to it would be very nice. Maybe you could keep some sort of vessel for umbrellas under the table.

Another option would be to get wall files at an office supply store--they won't take up more than a few inches of hallway space and are great for papers and mail and things, which is most of what ends up on my landing strip.

My Dad has a similarly long, narrow hallway, and our solution was to replace the overhead lights with halogen spots. We didn't replace the fixtures just used those screw-in, ball-and-joint arms, with small 25-watt screw-in halogens. They are directed down so the entry way has a more dramatic feel, and the brighter-lit room pulls you in. Some simple framed pictures give off a gallery feel as well.

I think you can definitely do some things here, and color would help, as well as with a more artistic as opposed to utilitarian/functional approach (think about the feel as you'd be walking each direction, besides how it would look viewing it as it is in the picture.

What's your style? Then I feel I could make better suggestions for painting something creatively.

I love lulu's idea of recessing things, but I don't know if I would want to/can tackle that. If you do, go for it! If not, here's some thoughts on things that you can mount that aren't wide...

I'm going to use Ikea products for examples of what I think would work, obviously, they can be found elsewhere if you like the ideas but not these exactly.

The jagga's an easy piece that can serve a lot of purposes, to put inbound and outbound mail, use a magnet to hold up lists, a dry erase marker to leave notes/to dos:
http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?topcategoryId=15600&catalogId=10103&storeId=12&productId=64827&langId=-1&categoryId=15780&chosenPartNumber=80089102

The Vippa hooks aren't very deep, either:
http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?topcategoryId=16198&catalogId=10103&storeId=12&productId=35139&langId=-1&categoryId=16151&chosenPartNumber=06683784
Keep in mind that you'll want to space them enough so that a coat can be "smooshed" up against the wall instead of wedged in between each other, which would then cause them to stick out further in the hall.

Boxes like this can hold mail/things that need to be attended to/scarves and gloves, and whey they're placed turned 90 degrees from the way you normally would, then they're only 6 1/2" wide:
http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?topcategoryId=16198&catalogId=10103&storeId=12&productId=11093&langId=-1&categoryId=16299&chosenPartNumber=40094935

The boxes can be placed on bjarnum shelves, only 7 1/2" deep (and ljusdal glass shelf in the smaller size is only 7 1/2" as well, second link):
http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?topcategoryId=15561&catalogId=10103&storeId=12&productId=69082&langId=-1&categoryId=15648&chosenPartNumber=S89834385
http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?topcategoryId=15561&catalogId=10103&storeId=12&productId=25869&langId=-1&categoryId=15648&chosenPartNumber=20101017

The klang wall shelf can be used to display photos or art on a shelf base so that you can rotate what you display easily (or strippa, in wood, second link):
http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?topcategoryId=15561&catalogId=10103&storeId=12&productId=43783&langId=-1&categoryId=15648&chosenPartNumber=50072259
http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?topcategoryId=15561&catalogId=10103&storeId=12&productId=34774&langId=-1&categoryId=15648&chosenPartNumber=50114382

The Karbo key cabinet is only 2 1/4" deep and cute:
http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?topcategoryId=16198&catalogId=10103&storeId=12&productId=12847&langId=-1&categoryId=15777&chosenPartNumber=30046450

Shoe storage that's only 6 3/4" deep:
http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?topcategoryId=16198&catalogId=10103&storeId=12&productId=60936&langId=-1&categoryId=17097&chosenPartNumber=10031992
or 7 1/4":
http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?topcategoryId=17088&catalogId=10103&storeId=12&langId=-1&parentCats=17088&productId=11710&chosenPartNumber=10031987

For design, you can run a series of 4-5 ringum rugs (diameter of 2'4"), either next to each other about 1/3 of the way into the apartment from the door, or spaced out over the length of the hall.
http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?topcategoryId=15594&catalogId=10103&storeId=12&productId=59170&langId=-1&categoryId=16059&chosenPartNumber=00108487

Or, you can put two bettan rugs end to end to cover most of the hall:
http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?topcategoryId=15594&catalogId=10103&storeId=12&productId=68709&langId=-1&categoryId=16059&chosenPartNumber=20100452

Here's a more "creative" idea...I can see fabric, perhaps something colorful but gauzey cut as wide as the hall and tacked up to the ceiling on each end and then every 4-5', to create a sense of movement along the length. Easy as well to change the color or reverse when needed.

My first thought was to to everything on the left wall (when looking at the pic), because it's on the less used side of the hall, but I think using the right side would make it more engaging. Definitely keep everything on one wall, though.

Good luck, hope to see the end resutl sometime!

If you hang anything on, or place anything along, the walls, there's a danger that it will get knocked down.

Why not have a little fun? Call it a "Bowling Alley" and paint bowling pins on the end wall or door to the kitchen; place a long runner along the Alley floor and paint or draw arrows like a bowling lane. You get the idea. Turn your negative into a positive and have fun with it.

I was thinking of gradation painting. Measure 3-4' (or whatever you want) lengths on the wall, and go up or down on a brightness chart on a color. Ie. dark pink on one end, light pink on the other end.

It's not that hard, use painter's tape. You could have one wall go from light to dark, and the other dark to light, get creative!

this doesn't solve the problem of creating a landing strip, but the ease the claustrophobia, you could put some long mirrors on one or both sides of the wall. We had a very narrow bathroom that this worked great in.

this doesn't solve the problem of creating a landing strip, but to ease the claustrophobia, you could put some long mirrors on one or both sides of the wall. We had a very narrow bathroom that this worked great in.

Maybe I'm all alone, but I actually like this! I think that the process of going down the hallway just increases the anticipation of "emerging" in the apartment itself. I'd embrace it!

A few ideas:

- If you're going to do hooks or a shelf, put them all on the door hinge side, not the door handle side - and I'd definitely recommend doing decoration/utility/etc. only on ONE side of the hallways. It'll save anyone from feeling like the walls are closing in on them, and instead will encourage you to travel along with your attention on that one wall, not the narrowness of the hallway

- I'd place a 5-6" deep semicircular shelf just an inch or two to the left of where the edge of the door hits that "hinge-side" wall. A wonderful option would be an old column capital (with the added benefit of bringing some architectural interest to the space). I can't find the link to another option, the acrylic shelves posted on AT just recently (can anyone help? they came in yellow, pink and white, with a cool scrolly-design under the shelf itself) - but one of those would be great for this purpose. You might also consider Room & Board's Slim table: http://www.roomandboard.com/rnb/product.do?method=get&id=383532&coll=377458&cat=110... or something along those lines. The placement and semicircle-ness will minimize any obstrusiveness as you walk, and that's more than big enough for keys, wallet, etc.. Any of the pretty standard 2" deep longer wall shelves (the ones that basically just look like molding) would be fine, too - but again, I think the key is to have it on that hinge side and very close to (but not behind) the entry door.

- Perhaps install a slightly-wider-than-normal chair rail along the length of the hinge-side wall - wide enough to perch keys on (if you're having it build custom, you could even ask for a small integrated shelf right up by the door, as suggested above)

- Make the ceiling work for you! Install a great reflective tin, or paint an enamel-finished baby blue -- anything to add interest and draw your eyes UP and down the hallway.

- I saw this in a hotel in Chicago and loved it: they lined the baseboard with a narrow (maybe 3") "gutter" filled with river rocks. You wouldn't even need an additional piece - just a long line of them to bring a surprising natural element in that "decorates" all on its own.

- If you are going to do art, I'd go big rather than small - again, with the idea of encouraging people's eyes (and bodies) to travel quickly down the route, vs. cluttering/clogging up. Maybe three big (like 60" x 60") canvases, or mounted panels of fabric or wallpaper... something really big and bold -- and all equally sized to keep the rhythm going.

- I don't think I'd do a runner, both because it'd be so difficult to find one that can go the whole length, and because the narrow "margins" of exposed floor on either side will ultimately only emphasize the length/narrowness of the space.

- You might even consider painting *only* the decorated (hinge-side) wall to add to the interest without making the space feel too closed-in.

- Lighting is key! I'm guessing that there's a fixture in the ceiling right above the door? I'd make sure it's on a dimmer, and if possible, put in a small decorative chandelier - something with a little whimsy and pattern. At the very least, hopefully you can find a worthy upgrade of a standard flush-mount blah light - and add a little bit of "ceremony" to the process of entering.

- Hang a large-ish mirror on the back of the door: it's utilitarian and helps bring some natural light in. I'd go with something round, or maybe with a decorative top... again, something to work against the foil of the "rectangle" of the passage.

- I think I wouldn't do hooks if you do have any other coat/umbrella storage option. While the hooks themselves are low-profile, even a single coat will really bulk up the space.

Okay, I realize that this isn't a longest post challenge - sorry 'bout that.

Best of luck with the space!
B

How about those large rubber wall bands that you stretch over your wall? The bands hold your misc items in place. I think I saw them at Moss and I'm sure you can find them elsewhere. I don't know what they're called, but I don't think they were very expensive.
This would give you a flat, streamlined method to store things. I think they might even be strong enough to hold shoes!

I have a hall like this. It was so bleak I have done innumerable paint jobs: harlequin pattern, stripes, mottled Tuscan colors, art, mirrors. Can't get behind hanging coats or any kind of shelves because it just makes everything even more claustrophobic.
Love what I have now and it cheers me up. It is a matte, warm red/orange. Stripped the metal entry door which is this great galvanized steel and glued a pattern made up of round mirrors and red glass beads on the door. Actually not as funky looking as it sounds. The door with the light bouncing off the mirrors really cuts down on the long and narrow perspective. If I had it to do over again I would do one side a deeper tone of the same color than the other.

Unlike the other posters I would suggest AGAINST hooks-well maybe just a hook or two...but not a wall of hooks...no matter how clean and streamlined you expect it to stay - I think it will end up looking very cluttered and messy.

I suggest doing floating shelves (doesn't have to be very deep) along the enter side of one wall...so it ends up looking like one long shelf. Then hang large horizontal black & white prints (white matting black frame)along the wall over the shelves. I think it will have a very cool, modern gallery effect. For colour you can then strategically place an orchid or two, a small bowl for keys etc.

a last-look-before-you-go mirror is always handy and takes up no space. you could put hooks on the door for keys and umbrella, and maybe even a clip or two for papers/mail you don't want to forget to take with you. if you can't attach anything to the door, you could put the hooks/clips in a vertical line on the wall on the doorknob-side wall, in whatever order makes sense to you (probably keys-mail-umbrella, top to bottom)

i wouldn't hang anything below shoulder level--the first time you come through the door with your laundry or a ton of groceries or a big suitcase, you're going to knock something off. i like the idea of posters in low-profile frames or some nifty mirror action.

I like the idea of being squeezed through this tight, narrow hallway into a large, open space. That's what Frank Lloyd Wright liked to do, take you through a tight entry into a larger light-filled area.

You might even exaggerate the sense of going from a tight space into an open space by painting the entry (including the ceiling) a darker color. Then, about halfway down the hall, I'd paint one side (including the ceiling) a lighter color (perhaps the same color as the room beyond the entry). This way the illusion might be that the hallway begins to open up where the wall color changes.

And then, on that lighter portion of the wall, I'd use Kay's idea and run one long shelf with very minimal, black-framed photos above. Alternatively, Pottery Barn has some wall organization systems that you can hang above your narrow shelf. Hopefully, it will look as though the shelf begins at a wider point of the hallway.

Unfortunately, you might have to discipline yourself to hang your coats in the closet. I'm sure you could put coat hooks in your hallway, but it would look so much nicer without them! It's really just a place for keys and mail that you should be concerned with.

I think it could look really awesome, actually. Good luck!

This may be totally crazy, but when I saw your hallway, I thought that if it felt less like a hallway and more like long, narrow path in the woods surrounded by trees that led into a clearing (the kitchen), it wouldn't feel so claustrophobic somehow. Well, at least I always love narrow little paths in the woods that lead into a clearing. Maybe you could paint stylized trees on the walls, paint the ceilings blue, and have filtered, dappled light coming from the ceilings. One of the trees could have pegs or branches that stick out, on which you could hang things. Bollywoo's idea of stones along the floor could go well with all this. You could also have a very narrow bench under one of the trees to put things on, hide shoes underneath, etc.

Don't try to fight the fact that it's a narrow little hallway. Just let it be what it is. And don't put anything on the walls like hooks or shelves--the space is too narrow. This would be a good place to use a bold color you'd get tired of in a living space. It would also be a good place for a fine-quality oriental rug. Runners are so much cheaper per square foot than a normal size!

i agree with patrick( the other one) put your landing strip in the kitchen, and put dowm a long runner in the hall.

That is one narrow apartment!

A VERY dark color on one wall with a repetitive series of similarly-framed small scale but wide matted art pieces (all at standing eye level), opposite a mirror (all the wall or as big as you can make it) on the hallway's "outer" wall would:
--Compress the space and make your eye travel to the lighter part of the room ahead of you
--Expand the space, while you are in it (and give you a way to check yourself on the way out)
--Give you something to look at down the hall
--Let you see some of the the art reflected in your living room.

Add a runner (or Flor tiles) that has bands running perpendicular to the hallway's length, and your entry will be a great and interesting introduction to your place, and you'll never notice its awkward proportions.

LOVE the idea of putting a series of floor-sunk uplights down one side if you want to get a bit more complicated, but you won't be able to beat the drama, especially if the wall the light is raking is textured in some way. Or, install ankle-high wall-recessed downlights (like they have in movie theaters).

There is also a large wall mirror with a slim ledge integrated as part of the frame available at The Conran Shop, but I could not find it on the website

I have a similar long narrow hallway here on the other coast (SF). I disagree with the "no hooks" crowd. I have a series of coat hook on one wall along my hallway. Its great - very convenient place for my coatss/hoodies and it looks nice too. I was worried before I did it that is would feel claustrophobic like some commenters noted - but after I did it I realized I was just being paranoid. It looks fine - and very homey and cozy.

I also have a series of narrow, hanging mail sorters that I got at the Container Store. Very handy - I have a slot for biz mail incoming, biz mail out, personal mail in, personal mail out. etc. its a landing strip on the wall instead of on a table or shelf. I also have a small metal magnetic note board for notes, pinning up receipts, theater tickets, etc. type stuff that would otherwise get lost on a desk. its right by the door so i see my reminders on my way out each morning.

shoe rack is great idea too. i put mine right under the coat hooks so i'll take off my shoes when i come home and hang my coat - guest use it too. keeps the apt. floors clean of city grime.

finally, i echo previous suggestions about painting the walls. i did that too. between the paint job, the coat hooks, the shoe rack, the mailslots and note board, i have a nice, homey little landing strip / decompression zone in what would otherwise be a sould sucking, long narrow hallway.

good luck

I am looking at this exact same entry way right now, except from the livingroom of my girlfriend's apt, rather than the kitchen. Mostly we just try to pretend it doesn't exist. Our's also has done a lot of settling over the last century, making it even more uhh, unsettling.

anyhow, if either of us had the energy and option of doing things with it, the first would be paint, second lighting (perhaps track? we have high ceilings; I cannot tell if you do), third a runner or series of small rugs, fourth coat hooks, and fifth, if it needed anymore, perhaps a shallow but long shelf on which things such as keys may be left.

I too have a long hallway, but I think it's wider than this. And I have a closet right next to the front door, so I don't have the same issues with coats, shoes, etc. I have a very narrow rustic antique chinese bench (prob. spent less than $150) right near the door, which is just right. Anything wider would be too much. I use this to sit on for shoes on/off and for putting things that go out the door when I'm leaving. I take my mail beyond the hallway and usually deal with it right away, so I don't need a holding area for it near the door. I sometimes leave it temporarily on a convenient surface in the kitchen, but for no longer than a day and usually same day.

Also, I agree with P2's idea to consider establishing your landing strip beyond the hallway, if that makes sense in your context.

In a similar space, I put up a long repetitive series of small round mirrors from Ikea (sold in 4-packs, self-ahesive), at eye level, creating a bull's eye effect, as if the wall had a long line of little round windows. It's a cheap and surprisingly effective solution you can try regardless of what else you decide to put on the other wall.

lifes a stage raise the floor.
leave space for the door to swing open, take a step up and walk over the stage(recessed storage, lighting, planters...ect)

if you grid the hallway you will be able to construct boxes(1x1 or 2x2)that can be pulled up and moved around like puzzle peices.

grow young, even a child reimagine this space everyday.

Paint the center of the ceiling a dark color but leave 4-6 inches between the painted area and the wall, so that there is "white space," creating a sense of openness. You could also expand the width of the painted portion of the ceiling as you go down the hall into the apartment, to suggest the hallway was getting wider.

Even if you are renting ask about creating a inset a little shelving between the studs and create some additional space. The most obvious thing would be to use the back of the door to attach a small flat back basket with hooks that can accomodate simple mail and keys.

A floating shelf of 2.5" w gives you a ledge if placed directly behind the door to at least leave your keys/cellphone and remember you can go above your head with shelving but make sure that it attached securely.
Best,

I have a hallway like this. It's 38" wide and I put Ikea burtby display cases along one wall. They're only 8" deep and it doesn't feel closed in. I also did the vertical stripes and I'd suggest sticking with a lighter color if you're hallway doesn't get any natural light.

My apartment also has a long hallway. I've learned to embrace it and treat is as a "decompression zone" as I enter and leave the apartment. Along the hinge side of the hallway, I have (in order from the door): mirror/key hook/ mail sorter; 4 coat hooks; and some small frames of artwork. Underneath the mirror combo, I have a place to put my shoes so I don't track dirt into the rest of the apartment. I've been toying with getting some short shelf along the wall to put my bag(s) so that my going out of the building stuff stays in the hallway and keeps the rest of the apartment clutter free. The hallway really does not look like it would enduce claustrophobia.

I have a 28" wide hall (no one believes it's that little until they're in it) and have the same landing strip problem. We have a key hook on the door frame as soon as we walk in. The mail has to wait until the top of a low bookshelf in the next room, but this has been okay. And we painted each end of the hall a hot orange. It looks great and feels less like a horror movie when you're walking down it...our doors are off the sides rather than at the end, though, so YMMV. Ikea has some good inexpensive lighting that mounts high on the wall and this has also added interest in a difficult space. Good luck!

Home Depot sells super-inexpensive crown molding shelves. They are about 3-4 inches deep - perfect for keys, mail, gloves and can also be used to prop up artwork, mirrors, put tea lights on etc.

I second (third?) the idea of embracing the hallway for what it is and playing with it. Maybe stick a string of xmas lights along the floor on both sides - real landing strip. Or hang up an exit sign. Or stencil images of running people along one wall.

Coats are a tough one - they are bulky. Hats and scarves can be used as a decorative element if the hooks are spaced in an interesting way, but I'd keep coats in the closet.

Shoes... Again, if you want to go playful, you could leave them along the hinge wall, in a single row, pointing towards the kitchen...

You might try playing with your garments as design elements. Use small hooks that you could hang coats and jackets on hangers against the wall. You could use items that are fun to look at, i.e vintage jackets, etc. Possibly play with the color of the coats, etc and painted rectangles to create a collage on one side. If there is room, you could incorporate shoe hangers as well. Of course this would mean having a place for certain items...

It looks so narrow and scary. I would mirror one whole side of it, at some track lights and watch myself strike a pose in my outfit before I hit the street!