The Key to Sprucing Up Your Hallway May Be Hiding in the Back of Your Closet
When it comes to interior design, <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="living%20rooms%20and%20<a%20href=" https: target="_blank">kitchens tend to get all of the attention, followed by bedrooms and bathrooms. Hallways, on the other hand, typically aren’t met with the same enthusiasm. Here’s the thing though: The simplest budget-friendly touches can add effortless style to even the longest of hallways, and homeowner Asia Babbington proves this exact point in her apartment.
A designer and licensed realtor living on the Lower West Side of Chicago, Babbington’s unique style is on full display in her 1,200-square-foot space. She shares her home with over 50 house plants and her dog, River, but I can’t take my eyes off of all the smart decorating moves she’s made, particularly in her hallway, of all places.
Aside from the vibrant gallery-style arrangement on one of the walls, she’s hung a beautiful, bright fabric on the ceiling outstretched like a canopy of sorts, which immediately draws your eyes upward. Taken together, both of these decorating decisions actually elongate the fairly long hallway, turning it into a striking space in its own right as opposed to just a plain pass-through zone. If you were wondering, the mystery fabric is actually a traditional Indian wrap from a friend’s wedding in India, but any long scarf or favorite textile that might be sitting in the back of your closet just taking up space could work for this idea, too. As a bonus takeaway tip from Babbington, it’s worth noting that you don’t have to splurge on a pricey, larger runner that covers your entire hallway. Instead, you can simply get two matching smaller rugs and lay them about one foot apart for a similar look. If you can sew, you could always stitch them together, too, if you like want the appearance of one continuous runner.
Babbington believes the most unique part about the decor in her apartment is that it’s about 90 percent secondhand. She considers her aesthetic to be a mix of collected, funky, and worldly elements and sees her home “as a canvas to continue practicing design/styling and creating.” Well, if what she’s done in her hallway is any indicator, you’ll want to check out her full house tour to see the rest of her bright ideas — trust me!