Problem Solved.

i designed a long hallway at a childcare center adding random blocks of color along the way. also painted the wrap around walls in accent colors leaving the main hall color a pale yellow.

the above was a smaller hallway, this one is the longer one.

First thing is to take down the piece of art you have on the bedroom wall and replace it with a large piece (taller) that pretty much fills the space. You want it to stay within the boundaries drawn by the door opening. Paint all the walls in your hallway the same color as the bedroom wall we see. Purchase a runner, preferably an oriental that picks up warm tones such as red, gold, green, etc. Don't know your taste or what other colors you are working with on forward areas, as well as in the master bedroom. Put your overheads on a dimmer. No need to place art on the side walls.

Mirrors on the one wall and pictures on the other. You will double the width of your hall and make a better view angle for your pictures

We have run into this situation many times over the 25+ years we have been making rugs. My suggestion would be to put 2 rug runners on the floor and make them as wide as possible. This would break up the space. Get these runners custom cut and bound. You can visually see what will work by putting masking tape on the floor, where you want the rugs. (Don’t leave on the floor to long as it will take off the finish) Look at the doorways and lines of the hall to place the tape. You don’t want the runners to be halfway in a doorway. Move the tape until you can see how the rugs will look. Find a lightly patterned carpet that can be custom cut to your size. Don’t use anything bold. Looking at your picture, I would pick the color in the wall at the end of the hall, for the rug as the prominent runner color. Keep the hallway, décor and colors simple.

Since the space is long and narrow I would mount a flat water feature at the end of the hall. Ceiling to floor, for movement. Paint the walls in your the colors of your choice with a wide horizontal wave down the center of the wall on each side. This would add movement and interest without taking space. Keep the floor bare. The wood flooring would compliment the organic interest.

some inspirations for ya : )

some more : )

What is the greyish colour at the end of the hallway, I love it.

Definitely would consider horizontal stripes. This will visually expand the width of your hallway.

Hi, the first thing I noticed is there are no area rugs. I would drop a couple of runners which will break up the appearance of a long hallway into segments and fool the the eye into appearing shorter than it is. I would also put some artwork or mirrors on the walls to break up the long walls and the mirrors will widen the appearance of the space. You can add a chair rail or molding on the bottom section and paint a warm color on top or add a wallpaper in a geometric like a large damask patter or large vertical stripe in tone on tone colors. Good luck!

I'd do a gallery, of photos, pictures, art or a mixture. If your house is more modern do all the frames the same, for me eclectic is the way to go. I have color on all my walls and that helps. The picture at the end looks small and lonesome so I'd change that to a large picture or wallpaper that in something strong. Change the lighting, if your not to modern add chair rail or crown moldings to the right wall, and don't forget the doors, you could paint them all different colors from your house and that would be your art if you don't want to do the gallery, then a big mirror to bounce them back.

This hallway is a great place for art. I would defintiely put a nice runner down the hallway to add interest and tie in the blue color at the end.

We had a similar situation. Besides using some of the great ideas mentioned above, we installed a Solatube skylight. It was simple to install and opened the space up. Also, it made a huge difference in getting rid of the catacomb feeling that the hallway always had.

Thanks, casavieja, for the reminder, as I too have a Solatube in my hallway, which helps illuminate the artwork as well as the dark hall. It is not visible in the picture that I posted earlier, but it makes a world of difference in the atmosphere of an otherwise dark area.

the hallway is really too narrow to appreciate art as it should be done- from a distance back. That said, I agree with others in introducing a graphic wall covering- one of my fav's of late is Cole & Son's 'birch' look but if you don't want to spend some big bucks, I have found a great, large stencil in the same motif. Easy DIY if your budget is tight. Add some great pendant lighting and it really would make a great impact. Good luck with your decision!

I would keep it simple and perhaps just add a carpet runner. Agree hallway is too narrow for artwork. You could like others mentioned, put a larger piece of artwork at the end of the hallway to replace the smaller one already there.

I would do a long row of hanging pictures equal is size across one wall. It would be cool painted a very dark gray!

I had posted before about raising the ceiling in the hallway, but if you are limited in funds which would prohibit that, I would suggest mirrors on both walls. Different sizes and styles, and then, if budget permits, an antique runner. E-Bay has lots of them in lots of colors, and they are not usually expensive. However, if your place is more contemporary (and you like contemporary), use a bound sisal runner. There are sites on the Internet that are less expensive than retail.

The hallway before had a pulldown attic stair and a double attic fan, which took up the whole ceiling. During a whole house renovation, I moved the attic stairway to the garage and removed the attic fans because of allergies and dust. I also re-configured the doorway openings, moved the end wall back about 12" and installed a hall closet.

Do you collect anything? I collect patches, and have a long piece of fabric that stretches most of the length of my hallway with patches sewn on. Even if it's something bigger, it looks tall enough to put a shelf a foot or two down, either on the short ends, to draw people to the end, or along one side. You could even pair that with a mirror on the other side, or both sides, to make the collection bigger and more eye-catching.

If it were mine, I would add wainscoting and paint a warm neutral color (look at Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter - it would go well with the great color at the end of the hall), add a photo gallery on the wall where the phone is or a gallery of pretty framed mirrors...and definitely add a pretty runner to tie it all together. I like the color of your wood floor :)

They make such fabulous wallpaper nowadays. I'd spend an afternoon looking at wallpaper books and find one that you really love and that goes with your color schemes. Maybe paper both walls, or even leave the other wall in a combining color and use that wall for your gallery.

Keep it simple, not overwhelming for such a narrow space. I think a mural is just too busy, and another bright accent wall throws it off balance. A long runner in colors that bring together the bedroom color and black wall, with one accent color would work well: gray, gold and black, for example. I like the niche idea, but depending on the style of the rest of the house. If it's more traditional, I'd go with a fypon-type niche you stick right in the drywall opening rather than a drywall niche. Lighting in the niche would help a lot, too.

I think that the striped walls are absolutely fabulous! A stunning Oriental carpet and I would take off those handles on the doors. You can get all sorts of unusual handles these days....make them an interest. I think they are protruding into the passage too much.

I agree with most of the comments. I am a bit of a minimalist and love drama. I think crown molding would do wonders. I would then paint the molding black satin finish and also have different size frames of different finishes, patterns, or colors, all complimentary of the 2 colors you have on the walls of course, and hang them on the wall in a a pattern or "hap hazardly" . But the catch would be to leave them empty that way it adds visual interest without making it too busy. check this out http://www.houzz.com/black-crown-molding-in-hallway http://www.houzz.com/empty-picture-frames-on-wall http://www.houzz.com/empty-picture-frames-on-wall

I can't recommend wallpaper in this instance because you have an outside corner in the foreground on the l.s. Especially, no grasscloth as it will fray. Those plastic "shields" are an eyesore as well. I agree with those who contend the hall is too narrow for art and murals, as with anything, you need enough room to view. If you had a solid wall at the end with your doors on either side, then a huge piece of art would have been ideal. That's why I suggested a large piece of art on that end bedroom wall. Your excitement will come from an excellent rug choice (my preference is an Oriental), and down lights to highlight the rug. You really need to keep it very simple in order for this space to work its magic.

WOW thank you, everyone! I am loving everyone's perspectives and suggestions -- I'm going through all of Cole & Son's wallpapers today. Very interesting points of view on whether art down the hallway would work... I'm thinking it may in fact be too narrow.

Love the solatubes idea, but unfortunately I live in a condo, so I don't get to poke holes up to the sky :( and yes -- the right wall is a fire wall, so I don't think I'd be able to do recesses after all! I'll definitely have to follow up with the progress I make thanks to everyone's ideas!

Remember, if you find the wallpaper out of reach with your budget, there is a great large stencil with the 'birch forest' look you can try. Then its only paint and your time that you're investing! I got mine from Cutting Edge Stencils- Birch Forest Allover.
://www.cuttingedgestencils.com. good luck!

Sometimes less is more! A carpet runner and perhaps a new larger picture at end of hallway to replace existing one is ALL you need.

Two strong geometric pattern runners in black and white would be interesting and then fill out the wall with art work in black frames.

neon arrows

We do made to measure art through our web based gallery and I think I have a solution for this hallway. Making a statement with a huge piece is always nice but I agree with the posts above, the hallway does limit the ability to appreciate it.

I would recommend three 18"x12" prints with a 2" mat and approximately a 2" frame (finished size = 26"x20"). The hallway is naturally going to push you closer to the images so you will be able to appreciate the piece at a smaller size.

Take a look at these three links below. If it's not quite your taste just let us know, we are always glad to search for you.

http://bit.ly/Jeremy_Cram-Dahlia
http://bit.ly/Jeremy_Cram-Orange_Dahlia
http://bit.ly/Jeremy_Cram-Scarlet_Dahlia

Not everything we do can be custom framed on our website, printed on matt and metallic paper as well as giclée printed, canvas wrapped and mounted on plexi. Enjoy looking!

Using wire sculptural art (such as an interwoven wire art) & then spotlighting it has a big impact with out cluttering the walls too many actual objects. You could find just 1 rectangular piece, that would be all you need.

In my entrance way, the wall was always getting bumped and dinged. I put up a heavy vinyl wallpaper that looks like sand and fossils. I'd definitely put a stronger piece of art at the end of the corridor, something that really pops forward visually into the hall space.

I think a very big mirror is your best bet. It would make the hallway seem less narrow. It think it is just too narrow to display many photos. Luckily my home has really wide hallways because it was designed by someone in a wheelchair and those hallways make a great art gallery but that is not the case for you.

Believe it or not, a mirror is not going to help in this tight space. The repetition of the reflection will just add busy-ness to the space. Instead, opt for a fabulous color that you love - let's say it's grey based on the open door at the end of the hallway, then pick a complement, say a blue-grey. Something that makes you happy when you see or wear it. Because you are so close to the walls as you walk through, a family photo gallery is ideal....you are close enough to see all the details in the photos, the collection can keep growing, your eye sees the graphic nature of the frames and is not overwhelmed by the art itself. A white ceiling will emphasize the narrow nature of the space, instead add some of the wall color to white and tone it down to further complement the walls. Also, a runner is going to reinforce the narrowness again, the only way to avoid this is to have the runner the full width of the hallway and carry the color up the molding. Look at painted floor options for this. I would be fearless and have fun, it will really pay off ( and that doesn't mean wacky, it can be elegant too!)

Years ago, we visually shortened the bowling alley entry hall of one of our condos by pulling up a section of the flooring in front of the entry door (about six or eight feet), and replacing it with large tile in a matte, contrasting stone look . The change in surface shortened the line of the long narrow hallway, and it was very inexpensive to do. It also created a sense of entry, and a place to "walk off" street dirt before stepping on the wood floor.

Add a mirror at the end of the hallway and lots of great pictures!

I think a mirror is too distorting, when you just catch a glimpse of yourself in the mirror and you are half asleep walking toward your bedroom it will set your nerves on edge! There are a few places where mirrors are quickly unappreciated at the end of the hall, or stairs or near a door or window - when you are home alone at night? Yikes ...

Love the look of your hallway. the wood floors are very warm and inviting. I love the grey at the end used in your bedroom. I would just add two big pictures one on each wall of abstract art, a big flower or whatever you like and that is all you need. I wouldn't add a rug because the floor is a work of art in itself. I love the black wall also.

Chair rail with a graphic paper above, coordinating paint below and no rugs

With zenhome on this: all one color, great art at the end of the hall and a runner https://www.houzz.com/photos/private-family-ranch-retreat-rustic-hall-houston-phvw-vp~55043

ch http://www.marthastewart.com/275137/photo-projects/@center/277001/diy-decorating for a nice idea of hanging favorite photos in a hall gallery. The trick is using the same style and color of frames. Adding a nice runner and some track lighting would really make it warm and cozy. Best wishes on filtering through all of the wonderful ideas!

I would paint all the doors black and either put up framed artwork or family photos on the walls and add some nice lights. my hallway actually looks like the pic Spaces...by marina posted, just one row of black photo holders.

I'd try Flor carpet tiles. There are so many great options and will make a big impact. Of course they will also buffer footsteps. Add some mementos to the walls and voila!

shorten hall visually by painting floor to ceiling sections with one color in 3 or 4 decreaing values-- like you're walking out of a tunnel into the light.

A friend of mine had the same problem. She used primary colors for each of the doors (and frames), striped the colors around to the other wall, and let them be painted into a multicolor mural on that wall. Tied everything together.