Legacy of Previous Owner

11 years ago

Do you think this hallway could maybe use some help? Short of turning this into a bowling lane, and presuming that the painted legacy and flooring with linear reference should go, does anybody have any suggestions? Any? Please?

Featured Answer

tsudhonimh

11 years ago

OK: it's a utility hall, leading to a garage. 3x28 feet - TWENTY-EIGHT FEET!!! - with no doors or windows. And those are common walls, not yours, so you can't do any to them.

It's narrow and you'll be carrying things as you walk between living area and garage so you want minimal obstructions. It has to be done with surface finishes.

1 - Paint over the mural unless you like it.

2 - Color blocking - paint 7 or 9-foot sections in different colors to break up the lengthy wall space. They can be strongly contrasting or closely related, just different. Put slightly different flooring in each section to strengthen the illusion that you are passing through different rooms.

3 - Embrace it? Faux paint a cartoonish tunnel effect in it? A bowling alley? Treat it like a hotel or old office building hallway and paint fake doors along either side, with room numbers or business names.

4 - Small gallery? You don't have the room to stand back and appreciate many pictures, Convert that single light into a string of wall-washer flood LED lighting along the upper edge of the wall to the right, most aimed at the wall to the left, some aimed down at the floor. Attach interesting posters and photocopies of family pictures to the opposite wall, in several clusters of different sizes. These will have to be flat on the wall, and not priceless family treasures, because you'll hit anything that sticks out into the hallway with your shoulders or a large package.

If you combined colorblocking with the gallery you could have a different subject in each of the "galleries", marked off with color.

Comments (85)

nasmijati
11 years ago
The photos were of the hallway of the Miller Brewery. Artist's name is Eric. His wife's name is Kathy. Sorry I do not have more information.
momsy
11 years ago
Eric is either a genius or a sorcerer! Those pictures are incredible. Hmmm, where could I close off something to make a hallway...
Related Professionals
Ogden Interior Designers & Decorators · Palos Verdes Estates Architects & Building Designers · Salmon Creek Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Saint Charles Kitchen & Bathroom Designers · Spartanburg Furniture & Accessories · Eau Claire Furniture & Accessories · Detroit Furniture & Accessories · Irmo Furniture & Accessories · Jacinto City Furniture & Accessories · Bay City General Contractors · DeSoto General Contractors · Maple Heights General Contractors · Port Huron General Contractors · Rocky Point General Contractors · West Lafayette General Contractors
nasmijati
11 years ago
Here are a couple of photos from Germany...

If I had a hallway such as yours, I think I would like a huge aquarium on at least one wall. Shiny coat of protective paint over the artwork to resemble glass, and bright lighting, but with no glare.
nasmijati
11 years ago
I will post this and then go away so others can get a word in edgewise.

Two sites for you:
www.kirtwenner.com/
www.pinterest.com/dmadden14/3d-wall-sidewalk-chalk-art/

You may also be interested in the art of Julian Beever in the UK, and Edgar Mueller in Germany.
PRO
ct design studio
11 years ago
2 other thoughts for the walls, a pretty pinboard, you can change out the photos as you like and would have a thin profile. You could even make it by wrapping the core with fabric of your choice and trimming the edges.

Decorative Bulletin Board, Large by Only Lally · More Info

You could also use chalkboard paint on a section of the wall, not the whole thing of course because that would be too dark. If you have kids they would probably love it. This would be too much for you, but you get the idea:

Sunset View - Cottage With Room To Grow · More Info
PRO
NetZero Energy LLC
11 years ago
If it works with the style of your home, try picture molding and chair rail, painting the space above and below the chair rail different colors (much like ct design's good idea). Alternatively, try the gallery idea but with a twist: fur a couple of floor-to-ceiling rectangular 'boxes' about a half inch out from the current wall. Cover them with drywall and tape and mud the joints. Painting the 'boxes' dark and the existing wall a light color will give your eye somewhere to go and provide some concentrated real estate for hanging art. Two of these on one side and three on the other is more than enough. Spots placed over the art would be practical and only improve the impact.
elcieg
11 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
white hot · More Info

Possini Euro 16" Wide Ivory-White Flushmount Ceiling Fixture · More Info

Repaint the hall with a beautiful white of your choice. I can't see the ceiling lights but make sure they are gorgeous. Floor looks interesting and if you paint that door and trim a high gloss (black, red, bright yellow…whatever) I think it will be your best bet. Too narrow to appreciate any artwork.
Elise
11 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
Hi Kimbergarden,
Definitely paint out the mural lady! Consider using the wall space by creating art niches to break up the hallway length. Walls paneled with moldings and vertical striping can also break up the length of the hall. I really like the sculptural look of the walls in the 2nd picture. Check out the plastic, sculptural wall tiles that are paintable and easy to apply as a wall treatment.

http://blog.hgtv.com/design/2011/11/15/wall-covering-design-trend-3d-sculptural-surfaces/

Open your end of the hallway wall for light to flow through and hang some great light fixtures up to brighten the space. Change out the flooring to large format, horizontally or diagonally laid flooring across the width of the hall. Also if you are a cyclist, or own a bike, they are great sculptural art pieces when hung on a wall. I love hanging storage as a very practical option. It can also look very attractive when done well.

http://www.houzz.com/photos/products/bicycle-storage

Good luck, hope to see more pics in the future.

Grunsfeld Shafer Architects › North Shore Modern · More Info

Island Stone Sandstone Mint Large VTile Wall · More Info

Porch House · More Info

https://www.houzz.com/photos/11th-street-residence-mediterranean-hall-phvw-vp~57361
Gail Kochie
11 years ago
This is so weird! I am working on the exact same hallway right now. Hall from my townhome to the garage. Reminds me of a cattle shoot. UGLY! Here's my plan: Yesterday I painted the top third of the walls gold. Today I painted the bottom 2/3 bright glossy white. Next I'm going to install 1"x4" boards between the 2 colors all around the perimeter, around the base of the floor and vertically every 25-30" to resemble board & batten, similar to the pix above 'Restyled home'. Gonna put a few metal coat hooks near the house (but no shelf above, they're just junk collecters). Saved the best for last. I found some 3' x 3' carpet tyles at the overstock store that are awesome, red/hot pink/green with gold designs running thru. They are HOT! The gold paint is cheerful, the bright gloss white bounces the bad light around. Can't wait to get those carpet tiles in. So much more cheerful to come home to!! Gail
PRO
Mint Design
11 years ago
I like the trompe l'oeil which is also available in wall coverings as well as having it painted directly on the wall...if too expensive, consider long strips of adhered cork for notes or a long strip of chalkboard for notes, lists, things to remember on your way to the garage...kind of tongue in cheek but I have to return from my garage an average of 2 times because I have forgotten a list or something...you have a long walk to remind you!
goosefairy
11 years ago
@Gail Kochie - I'd love to see a before and after of that!
tsudhonimh
11 years ago
I like the idea of chalkboard panels for kids (excepot for the inevitable rubbing off onto your best clothing) and painting kid's games on the floor. Hopscotch, shuffleboard and bowling? A long skinny town with roads (you can play Godzilla and stomp on the streets)

When it's not a hallway it can be a games center.
kimbergarden
Original Author
11 years ago
wow... what an awesome bunch and so many great ideas... I may be changing my mind about murals and whimsy (I'd original thought that's what I was to break away from!) Gail@Kochie .. I would love to see that too!
nasmijati
11 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
Hopscotch painted on the floor! With no little pieces to mark the squares, of course. What about a maze - 18 inch wide spaces to walk on, with 1/4 inch lines to mark the maze? If one has children, it would be dangerous to have little cars on a painted or carpeted roadway, same with the shuffleboard equipment or bowling. Kids forget to put things away.

I like Gail's idea of 3x3 carpet tiles as well. Carpet will keep sound from echoing.

The light globes in The Grunfels Shafer photo above caught my attention a while back. I like the way they are not lined up in a row, but undulate along the ceiling. Kimbergarden, is your ceiling high enough for something like this?. Otherwise, I like goosefairy's idea of wedge shaped sconces shining upward and bouncing lightnoffnthe ceiling - I have this kind in my long narrow hall, and it really does brighten up the space more than a regular fixture on the ceiling.
PRO
Rose Construction, Inc.
11 years ago
Pretty funny! Hopscotch!
kimbergarden
Original Author
11 years ago
I too loved the light globes on the ceiling, and may experiment with Japanese paper lanterns to get the overall effect first! I am going to use a combination of a number of these ideas -- Elbert's idea of furring the ceiling (lovelovelove) carpet squares and simple black and white photos; combined with the dark ceiling, end wall and lit sculpture beckoning at the end. Very classy. I am pretty much over the days of Hopscotch and whimsy as my children are older and I am now ready for quiet, although I think the ideas are incredibly creative and fun. (hmm but what about a red carpet and classic b/w Hepburn/Munroe photos, and star lights...?? see what you've done! lol) I am actually excited about starting this project now (and primed over the mural last night.. bye-bye!) Thank you all. Awesome response!
nasmijati
11 years ago
Please post "after" photos! Please? I would very much like to see your completed project. tipi
PRO
Paradise Restored Landscaping & Exterior Design
11 years ago
I have to stretch after this great read! So many ideas - now I need a long narrow hallway! kimbergarden - excited for you after reading your post 8 minutes ago when I was deep in my reading of this discussion - Like where you are going and think you are fun! Enjoy and take photo after photo during and after!
lisianthus
11 years ago
How about hurdles? You could serve two purposes, and really get in shape as you travel to and from your garage! ;-)
lisianthus
11 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
I think that, while whimsical ideas are fun to think about, you may not be happy living with one over the long run. After all, that is what got the previous owner to the current situation. I think if it was me, I would do something like these examples but I would use light colored flooring and run it sideways. I would add track lighting to light the whole area, lighting up one wall, on which I would hang a modest number of photos or artwork, things that made me feel happy to see them when I passed. I would keep the colors light and simple, to create the most illusion of space. I would use frames that hang close to the wall and secure them well. A wall sentiment lettered on the wall above the photos/artwork might be nice.
lisianthus
11 years ago
Oh- and if the budget allows, you could replace your plain doors with some doors that are lovely to look at, that would change the feel of the space quite a bit. Crown molding along the ceiling and nice molding at the base would add to that effect as well. Good luck with your project! Let us know how it goes!
janbeaver
11 years ago
I have the same problem...not 28 feet long but sure feels like it. And I have an active family so putting pictures or mirrors on the walls only seem to be constantly hit, damaged, or crooked. I put down wood flooring with very tall molding on each side and painted the molding the EXACT color of the floor. That widened the look out tremendously and wasn't that expensive. Then I hung pendent-type lights down the length that hung several feet down (I have ten foot ceilings). So when your eye looks up it stops at a lower point which also 'widens' the effect. The flooring/molding is a lighter golden brown and the walls are a very soft yellow peach. At the very end I painted a darker color to bring the end 'closer'. I have been very happy with it.
PRO
ResaleDesign
11 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
Before you start painting I think you should take pictures of your mural, you like it! You can use these photos as artwork for a galery wall. They can be enlarged at a copy store, framed with white matts in a square brushed metal frame from IKEA. They cd be hung on a Z bar to secure them to the wall. Installing a picture rail at 82" will allow you to mount picture lights by running the wire above it. I would as well install a high baseboard and paint the mouldings in a high gloss the same light colour as the walls. I like the carpet tile idea as it can be changed up easily but no bright colours or patterns. Good luck with your project!!
mathomson5
11 years ago
Growing up in a contemporary with a butterfly roof (!) the main hallway was at least 28 feet long, but may have been a few inches wider than 36. The ceiling was slanted -- large globes (now available new from a well known retro lighting store) designed to be hung on a slanted ceiling broke up the 8-9 foot height and 30 foot length. Dark floors, light walls, with hardwood molding, and a focal point at the end -- so classic for so many years. And the basis for everyone's comments.

My only added thought is for safety first -- carrying things from the car -- keep the glass shoulder height or above -- whether mirrors (my favorite design basic) or black and white photos (again, always works someplace else when you tire of its first use). Lighting is expensive to install but more light is the best investment.

Consider that the Asian design style feng shui avoids outdoor walks leading straight to the front door in favor of curved approaches. How would these ideas translate outdoors?

As for the detail along the floor and ceiling -- I actually liked this although it is hard to see what it is -- if pictographic -- paint it over -- but if just a graphic stencil -- might have been nice to work it in. Hard to imagine the rest of the decor -- ?
nasmijati
11 years ago
Just as the globe lights undulate along the hallway, one might also install a carpet with an undulating pattern.
fnstf
11 years ago
only idea not mentioned was to put in another door to shorten the hallway. There's no side interference and you could simply put the door to the garage 15' or 10' from the living space. Nothing lost in function and could still employ any of the lighting, flooring, decorating ideas. Just a thought. Visual ease. Inexpensive. Functional. You'd still have the hall from the garage side, but you wouldn't have the "alley" feel.
jmorde
11 years ago
I solved my long hallway problem by adding a solar tube. They are inexpensive, and you can get them with or without lighting for night light. I thought I would need two of them, but the rafters were such that they could only install one. It was more than enough. My hallway is always bright and cheerful.
henry111
11 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
Got kids? Try this. Chalkboard paint comes in a variety of colors - not just black and green.
Eclectic Hall design by Chicago Interior Designer Branca, Inc
[houzz=
Basement Hallway with Chalk Walls · More Info
]
PRO
Rose Construction, Inc.
11 years ago
The owner stated there are garages on each side to other units. I don't think side doors are possible.
nasmijati
11 years ago
fmstf, are you thinking of adding a door in the middle of the hallway, similar to a - oh, can't remember the word - to make a space for cold air before you enter the house?
kimbergarden
Original Author
11 years ago
To clarify and confirm- definitely fire walls on either side .. mine is the middle garage so blasting out any part of those walls is not possible. Also this is ground level (theree more storeys of architectural nightmare above .. on no, it doesn't end here), so it's a long way to the sky...

ResaleDesign... your post made me laugh. I think the mural did it's time (whenever that was) but I hope I haven't just primed over a masterpiece.

mathomsom5 .. are you able to refer to the "well known retro lighting store" by name?
olldroo
11 years ago
Another Senior Moment tipi??? Do you mean an airlock?
PRO
Charmean Neithart Interiors
11 years ago
Paint it white, add some great lighting and art. Add a runner with great color, that's all you need.
victorianbungalowranch
11 years ago
Adding another door could create what is called an airlock entry, to keep the cold out. They are a valued feature in my neck of the woods. Could be a hassle in a long narrow hallway though.
jmorde
11 years ago
I don't know what an airlock is. Here we call them solar tubes.
Elise
11 years ago
It's a double entry, keeping cold drafts from entering the living area and heated air from escaping. :)
madilynshouse
11 years ago
Are you the only person who has access to the garage at the end of the hall? Is there any reason the entire hall has to be inside your living space? Could you move the door so some of the hall is in the garage? You may find even 10 feet (in combination with any of the previous suggestions) makes a huge difference.
PRO
Southern Patina Home
11 years ago
Think your best option is to use the space as a picture gallery. You don't have to fill the entire wall with art, I suggest centering it. Keep color of frames and style uniform, but different sizes. Another way to add interest to the space, depending on your decorating style is wainescoating. You can purchase "panel" size sheets at Home Depot that install easily on the wall. Top off with moulding and paint.
You can paint the top part as an accent. Change up your lighting with something modern that points towards the art work. Don't forget to balance the look on both sides. You don't have to add photos on the other side, but some wall sconces - otherwise the other wall will look unfinished. Any way you can change that floor? Also, look on Houzz for pictures of wainescoating in hallways - there are tons.
greenthumb2
11 years ago
Lighting. If ceiling is accessible to roofline, tubes rock for indoor daylight. saves on electric. Yeah! Door placement for breaking up space = great ideas. Moving doors can often solve odd floor plans and long hallways. Besides, you can use the hallway on the other side of the door as: mud room, with hooks and shallow shelving (canned goods, potato/onion/garlic storage) that kind of thing if you need such a thing.... Flooring: for quiet and warmth carpet. For cleanliness, tile it. Throw rugs with skid stoppers underneath.
PRO
Promos10
11 years ago
such a creative painting should be on both right and left side with different design and then looks beautiful.
http://www.promos10.com
jupeter41
11 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
You can take both if its looking match and colorful but some are here,
http://www.jupiterelectronics.com
sacapuntaslapioz
11 years ago
2 words for you: wall mural. paint the rest in a light sheen. add a carpet, paint the ceiling glossy brown.

[houzz=
PAISSIN interior design · More Info
]
[houzz=
Flea Market Chic · More Info
]
orangecamera
11 years ago
Here are my thoughts:

Assuming you need to carry groceries and other things from one end of the hall to the other, what about some sort of system on a track or wheels (or something) so you can load up a cart and push/pull it from one end to the other?

Is the space directly above the hall's ceiling in your apartment? Can you punch a hole in the ceiling for a dumbwaiter type of thing? (in concept, like a bucket on a rope in a treehouse).

If you have a ton of money, one of those people-movers like they have at airports would be nice :)

I happen to be a legomaniac, if that were my space I'd do something like this bridge in Germany: http://www.thisiscolossal.com/2012/07/street-artist-megx-creates-giant-lego-bridge-in-germany/
olldroo
11 years ago
orangecamera - you are a hoot!!! Great idea and would keep the kids amused for hours.
Good Taste
11 years ago
Have 40-60 lux in the hall and light the end much brighter. That way people will be drawn down the hall and won't care what it looks like.

Pls post after photos!!
PRO
www.opportune
11 years ago
It is looking awesome design and looks shine on one-side wall.Thanks for the post on such designs.
http://www.opportune.in/opt-hrms-software
kitasei
11 years ago
I would find it irritating to have to turn on a light switch when I entered and turn another one off at the other end, which seems inevitable unless you pipe in a constant source of light. So I'd think about having the lighting go on and off automatically with the opening/closing of the doors at either end.
Donald
11 years ago
I'd add chair railing and wainscoting on just one side, the other side a really graphic wallpaper, maybe something textured or with a little metallic. Then paint according to the colors in the wallpaper, a little darker from the chair rail down and lighter above. It'll break up the big expanses, give you something to look at while walking but not get in your way.
linamae
11 years ago
Paint first! Installing track lighting goes a long way and can be reasonably priced...try Ikea. For me, this is a hallway for my art work. Make sure that frames are similar in color or style.
PRO
McClure Tables
10 years ago
This space looks like it has just enough room for a great shuffleboard! Check us out for some ideas.