Hmm I don't have a great hallway in my new house, except the one that leads back to the bedrooms and it's piled high with stuff at the moment. In our old house we had neutral oyster white walls (I know...boring) and dark hardwood floors. I did have some artwork on the walls, it was mostly seasonal artwork that I changed depending on the season, and a few framed silhouettes of my children. We did have a runner and it didn't go ALL the way from end to end but helped protect the floors pretty well. I have a table that is made from and old shutter and on that I would also put seasonal stuff, like gourds and wheat in the fall and a small Christmas tree during the holidays. It was kind of dark and tunnel like, but it had a light in the foyer area and a light at the other end so it wasn't bad when it was all lighted at night.

This picture is without the runner or the artwork on the walls since it was when it was on the market.

Kat :)

Here is my runner. I think it is about 8' long. Could you get two 8' runners?

This is not a good photo, but I have my children's portraits hanging in my hallway. We also have a niche with a naked lady. :)

I have too much art work since I buy stuff on a whim and since I have artsy children, so I just hung one of my hallways floor to ceiling with art work, without regard to theme, color, or frame. The other has a mirror, a runner that smells like dog and a dog lying on it that smells like the runner and the cat is meowing pewweeee.

Our hallway seems to go on forever, because that's because it does. We have 2 bedrooms and a bathroom just off this hallway that leads to the garage.

I was able to find a runner online that's 33' long. I can't recall the rug company, but it was very reasonable and it's very durable...shows no signs of wear or dirt after 5 years.

There are 4 closets - 3 along the hall, and 1 bigger linen closet at the end of the hall. Plus doorways to 3 bedrooms and 1 bath. And art.

Here you go, my favorite hallway- simple and beautiful:

Here is a link that might be useful: [hallway[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/grunsfeld-shafer-architects-north-shore-modern-modern-hall-chicago-phvw-vp~11837)

threedgrad, I love your pic of the Old Chicago Water Tower did you photograph that yourself?

Marybeth, no, a high school friend did that while in the photography class in HS. It is a great picture. The Playboy club was nearby as you can see by the sign, This was taken in the early 70's, I think. Thanks.

My walking through the foyer, a hallway winds around a utility room so it is unusually long and zigzag-y before you get to the home proper. After passing through the small living room and by the kitchen, another hallway (on the opposite side as the first one) ends in built-in shelving. The first hallway/foyer has gorgeous walnut hardwood paneling (solid wood thick enough so you don't drywall behind it, not cheap veneer over particle board)... but somebody along the way painted over it :-( I'm thinking of trying to strip the paint and refinish the underying hardwood. I've seen an adjacent unit w/the same floorplan with the original wood undesecrated and it's makes a stunning entrance.

oceanna, I was laughing to myself because my hallway is so small I had to stand outside to take some of these. The hall tree was my grandmothers. The family photos were on the long wall but looked lost after we repainted so I moved it to the wall going out the front door. The painting is ok for now but I'm hoping to get some ideas from this thread thanks for posting it!

Good thread. I'm enjoying these. Mine has two bedrooms on the one side, a bathroom straight at the end, around the corner is another bedroom. I have no art or photos up yet. I have brown carpet that someday I'd like to replace with wood. Walls are Mushroom Cream by Vista.

Monablair- I absolutely LOVE that table! Where did you get it if you don't mind me asking? Also would you mind sharing how wide your hall is and the table?

Oceanna, check out Overstock and Ebay. The sample linked is just one of many on line, some more expensive than others. This happens to be a good price for a hand-knotted, but the style may not appeal.

We've had long hallways with wood floors in a few homes, but didn't use runners. Now I have runners in the kitchen that are about 12'. My favorite wall colors are quite light, but I really like warmer tones that sort of glow. My "current-soon-to be former-I-hope!" foyer longer and wide hall has a chair rail and molding. Above the rail is a lovely sand, below a deeper sand and inside the box molding is a deeper sandy-taupe. Paintings above.

In our last house we had four related prints in the first half and one large unrelated piece in the second portion defined by doorways interspersed on either side of a 35' hall. At the end was the door to the garage which I always thought would look great with stained glass -- probably not code-compliant but would have beautifully let all the bright light from the garage flood into the house. I've seen similar doors at the end of halls punctuated with mirrors or accent paint. I didn't think of it at the time but wonder what a copper/steel overlay would have looked like. Imagine wrapping the door in a sheet of relatively inexpensive copper and designing brass and steel art, accented with small bursts of color. I'll have to try that in our next house.

I think whether to break up the walls with railings depends on the width of the hall. Railings don't work as well in long narrow halls, but drawing the eye up with art and/or mirrors is great. You're so creative that I'm sure you already have wonderful ideas that will inspire us.

Here is a link that might be useful: 16' runner

Mine is in the process of being remodeled. Before it was a dark tunnel. lol.

Right now it has unpainted beadboard running down it. It will be painted white with a very pale yellow wall above it. There will be dark wood flooring, and I intend to get a runner with some yellow in it, a light color.

I'd show you a picture but there's really nothing to see yet. lol.

I do plan on putting family photos on the walls.

Ours is a big L shaped hallway. Actually we've got halls throughout the house but this is the "most hall like". It's still a work in progress, (If you look the picture frames are empty LOL) I have a bunch of antique family pics to put in them. We have the door to cat land in the hall which we had painted with pics of our pets playing poker. Wood floor, which I leave bare because we're still training the freaking dog and a new rug is just a new pee pad to him ;OP

The entry rug is marble (a mosaic) so fortunately he leaves that alone LOL
I've since changed the chairs and table here...I found the cuttest little victorian chairs in a very worn ivory velvet. They have inlaid mother of pearl...very unique and fun and smaller than this stuff. We also found a nice buffet which we use instead of the little table here. We need the storage because this is on the same level of the dining room...but together they look basically the same, as this pic, just softer lines.

End of the L at the door:

if your back was to the door you'd see this view straight and looking up:

Then down the hall:

Then the cat door:
{{!gwi}}
The cat sitting above the door (I've since removed that baby photo because it was too buys) is the one on the left in the picture.

I have an L-shaped hallway, each leg of equal length. Interior, no windows. I have a Solatube at the angle and it really brightens things up. Real red oak floor. When I first had the floor installed, I planned to get runners, but never got around to it. It's fine without. I don't think my hall's wide enough to accommodate any table, even a narrow one. It just isn't that kind of hallway. I'd only crash into it at night. Walls and ceiling are SW Antique White with Swiss Coffee trim.

I have a couple pieces of art on the walls, but mostly it's family photos. It's a great canvas for photos.

sheesharee, the hall is 4' wide.

The table is 11" deep, 70" long and 33" high. I was lucky to find a shallow table like this.

I got it at a garage sale for about $100.

This company makes tables similar to mine but they're really expensive. I guess I got a better deal than I thought.

Here is a link that might be useful: Ambella table

This hallway is off the family room and foyer. When the house was being designed, I asked that they make a dogleg down that hall for added privacy. The bedrooms and bathrooms are down there and I wanted our kids and houseguests to be assured some measure of privacy, walking between the bedrooms and bathrooms, from someone standing in our foyer or family room.
This is the first part of it, right off the family room. It has part of my cross collection hanging there, that framed pic, and across from them is a painting. We have two skylights in the hallway and another down in the MBR foyer to keep things light there. Our floors are brick throughout our house. I sometimes think about runners for the hall but worry about them smelling like our dogs. Or, like Igloochic, I worry they might use it to do their business!

After the hall doglegs, there are doors to the powder room, the laundry room, a full bath, two bedrooms and then, at the end, our MBR foyer. I have framed family candids and another painting hung on the walls down there. I'm not happy with how I have the family pics framed and hung, so I'm not showing you that area ;^D.

Down at the end of the hallway (it's a long one) is the only furniture. I'm concerned that we'd all be walking into tables, etc. if I had any in the hall itself!
What you're seeing is actually part of our MBR foyer. There's a wicker demilune chest, a floor lamp and a nicho, carved out of the adobe wall, that holds a carved wood santo.
Lynn

Mona - Thanks for the info! I found that table, or one very similar today in the thousand range and about fell over. :) You sure did get the better deal! After lookin at my hall again a table wouldn't work unless it was super skinny like that.

Mine is alternating yellow stripes. I have black bookcases at one end (it's wider toward the MB) and a narrow black shelf with mirror at the other end. There are also linen closets at the narrower end.

Narrow end. I've changed out the shelf to one that spans the length of the mirror and it looks better.

Wide end. All the picture frames are now black, to give a coordinated appearance. The hallway bookcases are on the left, out of the picture. The bookcases on the right are in the 'library'. I have a lot of books, so I keep adding bookcases where I can fit them!

Wow! I should have known you talented ladies could make even a hallway look gorgeous!

Lesmis, did you make the table? It's perfect for that space. Patricia, maybe you can toss that rug onto your driveway and shampoo it then throw it over your deck railing or the fence and hose it down good in the warm weather to get the stinkum out? You know you need to post a picture of your art gallery hall. :o) Claire, that is lovely, in a very modern way. Threegrad, your artwork is luscious. I love those four dark matching frames, too.

Marybeth, your halltree is beautiful and how special that it was your grandma's! Lee, please be sure to take before and after pictures. We'd love to see what you do. Oakley, I love beadboard so will be watching for your before and after pics. Iggy, I love your marble inlay and your "Radio City Music Hall" light fixture. Linelle, mine's not wide enough for a table either. Lynn, I love your idea of requesting a jog for privacy. Pesky, your hallway is bold, bright and cheery!

Abundant, thank you so much for taking the time to look that up for me! I had no idea I could get one that length. Your faux wainscotting sounds really pretty. Got pictures? You can post them through tinypic.com. I like your imagination with the metal and now you've got me curious to see pictures of your home and what you've done.

NHB & Mona, how to you keep those rugs from slipping around, and do they lift up on the ends when you vacuum them? NHB, what is the paint color on the wall? I love it. Mona, 33' is reeeeeaaaalllyyy long!

Okay no rugs ... but had to show everyone this deal on overstock. Beautiful Drexel Heritage sofa table pictured in a hallway .. only $429.

Here is a link that might be useful: Overstock table

Mine doesn't pick up and it doesn't slide aound either, maybe it's because it's so thick and heavy. I chose to go without fringe on the ends and not to have a pad under it. Don't know if it's my wall color you're asking about but it's Suart Gold by BM.

It is long, but we tried 2 shorter runners with a space in between and it just didn't look right to us, plus people kept tripping as they went from tile to rug.

I have a love/hate relationship with our upstairs hall. We referred to it as the "bowling alley" when it was under construction. It's kind of a waste of space but it turned out this way due to our very long, narrow lot size. I came to love it more once we decorated the little nooks.

hmmm? Looking at this photo with a fresh pair of eyes. I think I'm going to look for a small picture or piece of art to put above the table here.

We have an L hallway in our lower level. I'm standing in the doorway to DH's laundry/storage room. The stairs end into the den, just past the far arch. We poured 14 foot foundation walls, so the stairs ended up there instead of inside the hallway - this gave us the perfect place for built-in shelves. Doorway to the left leads to exercise room bath.

{{!gwi}}

Above the bench are old photographs of European architecture. Bought locally for $18 each. A bargain until you get into framing. lol
HVAC company had installed the thermostat two feet farther down the wall during construction. I had them move it immediately. Why some don't think is beyond me.

The second part of the L is a tad longer. No picture. I repeated the two light fixtures. It has one door to exercise room and leads into DD2's old room. It contains an oak dresser with old family photographs. I've been keeping my eye out for a bookcase, shelves or a large piece of furniture to replace dresser. Need more places for books.

Allison, your idea to have the long, built-in bookcases in your hallway was brilliant! You've added so much personality with them. I love your hall!!
Lynn

Mona, thanks for the answers. I'm thinking if I do get one and it slips around I might double-back tape it down. I'm wondering if that would hurt the engineered hardwood and thinking it wouldn't.

Lindy yep, and a picture or four above the plant, too. I really like your panther and mirror, so beautifully deco!

I'm standing in the doorway to DH's laundry/storage room.

Allison, I never have heard the phrase "DH's laundry!" HE does all the laundry? If yes, please share your training secrets.

A bargain until you get into framing. lol

Yes that is pricey, and that's why I haven't yet framed the prints you sent me, you dear, and I feel so guilty. I love your picture grouping, though.

I'll second Lynn, the bookcases are a brilliant idea and so pretty.

Thanks, Lynn and Oceana. I wanted to have the trim carpenter build them out of cedar or old wood, but DH thought this would be better/quicker. One day I'm going to take those out and redo....maybe when DH is out of town. lol DH keeps trying to convince me to take away the accessories - make more room for books - but I won't budge. I enjoy seeing my older and family things mixed in. A bookcase full of just books would be too boring for me!

DH keeps saying "just put more of these in the next hallway" but they wouldn't be built in....or could be but it wouldn't look the same. He said we could bring drywall out and wrap the ends, but it would look funny. My light fixtures would be off center to and that would drive me nuts! Yes, I'm already nuts but always willing admit to it! lol

Oceana, I've wanted to ask if you had framed them yet - Girl! You need to do that! I just hung my two over the toilet in DD2's old bathroom:

{{!gwi}}

Found the blue table last week at my favorite antique store - 25% off. The pictures were framed at different times, so the frames are similar but don't match. One is slightly larger than the other - I think one was bought off the framing shop showroom floor. DD2 helped me pick out the Limoge while in Paris and I was tired of it in the DR, so I put it in her bathroom. DD1 likes to stay in this bedroom/bath when she visits.

Why don't you ask a framing shop if they have any framing stock they'd love to get rid of at a discount? Mine does that sometimes.

fyi, I have my pretty laundry room on the main level with the front load/undercounter washer/dryer. We brought the extra large capacity w/d from last house. They are for his workout clothes/towels, workout clothes and dog towels....and yes, he does his own laundry. :D I do mine in the pretty laundry room. My secret? I don't touch his nasty, sweaty clothes!

Smart about the laundry, Allison. :o) Thanks for the tip about the framing shop. I never go to those -- too expensive.

Here's mine although it is blurry. Mona and I have a similar table in our foyer. My foyer is painted SW restrained gold and I'm still working on adding a couple more pieces for the walls. It is a long foyer and I struggle with the idea of adding a runner and if I did finding one long enough to fit.

lindy - it's good you have a chair in your hallway...somewhere to rest part way thru it... lol!

there are some very long hallways on here!

What beautiful hallways you ladies have. I have just sat here with my mouth open. Really learn a lot in the decorating section.

Igloochic--love your rug. What are the actual colors. Looks like gold and black.Could you tell me where you purchased it? I might be able to use something smaller but in a round design. It is really pretty.

Deborah, your hallway is beautiful. Look at that floor gleem!

Desertsteph, hahaha about the chair!

Oceanna, we bought the table at an antique store, not even sure where the shutter came from. It looks really yellow in the photos but it's a more muted mustard which were the colors I used in my last house so I'm thinking about painting it...not sure though. We've had a lot of remodeling going on at our new house lately and every workmen who has been here has commented on what a cool table it was. It's funny to see these big burly guys who don't wipe their feet or put down the toilet seat stop and say "wow that's a cool lookin table...is that an old shutter?"

Great hallways everyone, you've inspired me to do something with our bedroom hallway!

Kat :)