Decorating Your Wide Hallway For A Good First Impression

Investing time in decorating your wide hallway for a good first impression will enhance your home’s overall ambience, mood and functionality. If you’re looking to find ideas on how to decorate a long wide hallway, (whether that fills you with dread or excitement!), our 12 wide hallway ideas will provide you with more than enough tips, tricks and design recommendations.

The majority of us have a hallway as the entrance point to our home, so start your guests and yourself off on the right foot by utilising our ideas and reap the benefits of creating the best interior design for your wide hallway.

12 Wide Hallway Ideas

1. Pick The Right Lighting

Lighting can make all the difference in a wide hallway as it is often the least naturally lit area of your home. Therefore, lighting is a key feature to consider when picking the most effective interior design for your hallway.

Lighting has the power to massively increase cosiness levels, changing the atmosphere from purely functional to a room that you’d actually want to spend time in. To accompany ceiling lighting (which usually isn’t the snuggest, or most forgiving), opt for either a tall, free-standing lamp or a small table-top variety (depending on your set-up).

Both of these options produce subtler lighting, giving you the ability to create a mellower ambience, whilst the right lighting also greatly aids feng shui!

2. Utilise A Bookcase

One of our favourite wide hallway decorating ideas is simply adding a bookcase which can be beneficial for several reasons. A bookcase combined with a statement chair as a cosy reading nook creates purpose, making your hallway a useful room in its own right, and essentially adding an extra, thoroughly usable space to your home.

What’s more, strategically placing a bookcase in your hallway can save space in other areas, such as living rooms and bedrooms, and enables you to make better use of those spaces.

Finally, a bookcase gives character. Pick the right one, and the bookcase itself won’t only be a decorative treat at which to marvel, but the books you choose to fill the shelves with will add a touch of your personality to an otherwise impersonal room.

3. Add Rugs For Cosiness

Nothing says ‘home’ like the feel of a soft rug beneath your toes, especially when you’ve just arrived from outside. With many hallways featuring wooden floors or older carpeting (as hallways aren’t often a priority to re-carpet), a high-quality hallway runner can go a very long way in terms of comfort, practicality and aesthetics.

Wide hallways can often be drafty, so adding a snug rug will not only keep your toes toasty but will reduce drafts, keeping your hallway that little bit warmer. Choosing a hallway runner also gives you the chance to showcase your personality with creative colour and style choices.  

What’s more, rugs are the one homeware product you’re guaranteed to find in all shapes and sizes – small or large, long or short. This is ideal when deciding how to decorate your long wide hallway, a room which can be peculiarly shaped or sized.

Here at Rug Traders, we have a variety of hallway runners available, in a range of colours and styles. See our blog for further information on how to pick the right rug for your style.

4. Invest In A Statement Chair

If you’re lucky enough to have a hallway big enough to house a statement chair, you absolutely need to take advantage of this!

Indeed, a statement chair is a must-have for any long, wide hallway with adequate space. It is undoubtedly one of our best-loved hallway and landing ideas to maximise both comfort and practicality. Combined with a cute bookcase and cosy lighting, a statement chair has the power to convert a ‘through’ room into a fully functioning space. Add a couple of comfy cushions and chic throws to bring some comfort and personality to your hallway!

5. Don’t Forget The Little Extras

As with any room, it’s all in the details. Never play down just how much charm, character, and cheer can be added while decorating your wide hallway just by simply sprinkling in a few trinkets amongst your more practical décor.

Whilst this technique is easily remembered for the more pivotal rooms in the home, hallways are commonly forgotten! You could opt for more personal touches, such as souvenirs, or trendier pieces and ornaments (you can even use rugs as wall art!).

Even a scattering of flowers in a large vase can go a long way in creating that welcoming, homely feel, all perfect for elevating your hallway and the entrance point to your abode.

6. Gallery Wall

Why not consider designing your own gallery wall as a personalised wide hallway idea? Nothing says ‘homely’ more than a collection of your most treasured memories.

Often wide hallways come with an expanse of wall that can create a stark and dull first impression if it is not decorated in the right way. Choose a variety of photographs, artwork, typographic art or just about any personalised piece that can be hung up. Design your gallery wall by selecting a variety of shapes, colours and sizes to either mount or frame your chosen pieces. These can be chosen to complement or contrast your interior design.

How you choose to arrange your wide hallway gallery wall entirely depends on the aesthetic you want to achieve. Ordering your pieces in neat, symmetrical lines will blend seamlessly with a modern home, while arranging them in a disjointed fashion will create a quirkier effect.

7. Plants, Plants, and More Plants

Whether you’re a keen gardener or a green-fingered novice, bringing life to your wide hallway will help create an inviting first impression. Plants are known to improve air quality, reduce stress and improve a sense of well-being, and if you’re looking to decorate a long wide hallway, they are an ideal choice to populate some of those emptier spaces.

And don’t worry if your hallway has limited to no natural light! Plants such as the peace lily, Boston fern, parlour palm and Swiss cheese plant survive fantastically in those shady indoor areas.

8. Multifunctional Bench

If you’re struggling to know how to decorate a long and wide hallway, a multifunctional bench may be your answer! Placing a long bench within your long hallway can provide you with a functional and inviting space to kick off those muddy boots or take a seat while you wait for the rest of the household to get ready for the day.

What’s more, a long bench will provide you with ample space to place some decorative ornaments or indoor plants. Consider searching for reclaimed benches that have previously been used in schools or churches to create a unique aesthetic and give an old piece a new lease of life!

9. Turn Your Hallway Into Its Own Room

Why not embrace the space a wide hallway has by turning it into a room in its own right? We’ve discussed the idea of a reading nook, but what about opting for something less conventional?

A wide hallway could be an ideal area to showcase your love of music with a comfortable seating area, a stereo and your favourite collection of vinyl records. Or, bring a slice of fun by arranging a games area equipped with a collection of cherished board games.

10. Mix Patterns, Shapes and Colours

Collating an eclectic mix of modern patterns, shapes and colours to help decorate a long, wide hallway will instantly create a multi-dimensional and multi-layered effect for a fantastic first impression. You can achieve this look by layering rugs of varying styles, such as a modern rug and a traditional rug.

You could also try pairing black and white optical pieces with pops of bright colours, chequered pieces with psychedelic patterns, or why not place unusually shaped accessories with contrasting wavy and starkly rigid lines?

Whether you decide to go for subtle introductions of varying patterns, shapes and colours or plan to combine a fantastical mix for some wow factor, optimising a wide hallway with variety will help bring the space together without over cluttering.

11. Create Height

If you are looking to keep all that glorious space while searching for wide hallway decorating ideas, or if you simply want to lift the eye from the furniture or décor you currently have in your hallway, consider placing a long wall shelf above head height for the perfect solution.

A hallway shelf not only affords the possibility of extra storage, but can be used to place pieces of art, trailing indoor houseplants or even atmospheric lighting.

12. Keep It Decluttered With Creative Storage Ideas

Many of us have the tendency to take off our shoes and jackets at the door and leave them as an afterthought while we busy ourselves in the home. This, in turn, can create a cluttered and messy feel even in a spacious wide hallway.

Introducing a stylish storage solution will invariably create a more harmonious and inviting area for a great first impression, but can also be used to enhance your interior decoration.

If you’re looking to keep things fresh and minimalistic, try placing a Scandinavian-inspired modular open shelving unit with hooks for jackets and space for shoes, bags, keys and pretty much anything else you fancy accessorising it with.

Or, if you’re hoping to enhance a more boho interior, pair a reclaimed or upcycled storage bench with an eclectic mix of cushions for style and functionality.

Ultimately, by utilising some of these wide hallway decorating ideas, you’ll create a wonderfully welcoming entrance to your home. This will give a positive first impression to everyone who enters, which is sure to spread throughout the rest of your abode.

To get even more out of your hallway, read our tips on how to choose a hallway runner or head to our blog for more interior inspiration!