Simple, high-impact decorating ideas and DIY tips you can use to instantly make a small hallway feel more spacious.
After months of living through water mitigation and construction tarps upstairs, we finally focused on finishing our narrow hallway. It felt like a scene from a TV drama for a while, and I didn’t realize how much that tiny space affected my daily mood until it was fixed.
Hallways are often overlooked and left until the end of a renovation, even though they get a lot of foot traffic and set the tone for the rest of the home. With a few thoughtful changes, even a narrow passage can feel welcoming, brighter, and more intentional.
This is what our hallway looked like when we moved in:
Our environment shapes how we feel, even in spaces we pass through quickly. Treating a hallway with care can contribute to a calmer, more collected home. Below are practical, do-it-yourself friendly small hallway ideas that will help your hallway look bigger and feel more inviting.
If your hallway feels forgotten or cramped, try one or more of these ideas to make it feel larger and more purposeful.
8 Small Hallway Ideas to Make Your Space Look Bigger
1. Choose Either the Top or Bottom Paint Colors on the Paint Sample Strip
For dark, closed-in hallways, a light paint color will bounce light around and instantly make the space feel more open. Conversely, a very dark paint color can create a cozy, intimate feel if that’s the mood you prefer. Avoid mid-tones that neither brighten nor cozy-up the space—go light or deep depending on the effect you want.
Our hallway paint is Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace. If you’re unsure which direction to take, test a few options on small areas to see how the color reacts to your natural and artificial light.
Tip: Look for paint-trial strategies to choose the perfect color for your space.
2. Paint Trim and Walls the Same Color
Painting trim the same color as the wall reduces visual breaks and draws the eye upward, creating the illusion of greater height and openness. This is a simple trick that immediately streamlines a narrow space.
3. Paint Your Doors a Contrasting Color
Paint doors in a bold or contrasting shade—navy, charcoal, black, or deep earth tones—to add depth and visual interest without cluttering the hallway. Our doors are Benjamin Moore Wrought Iron, which gives a crisp contrast to the white walls.
Tip: There are easy step-by-step methods for painting interior doors cleanly and quickly.
4. Choose a Light Fixture That Adds Interest
Lighting is a major design element in a small hallway. A distinctive flush mount, semi-flush, or pendant (if ceiling height allows) can instantly change the space’s personality. Choose finishes that complement your trim and hardware to tie the look together.
We installed a classic flush mount with satin brass accents to bring warmth against the crisp white walls.
5. Incorporate Secondary Lighting
Layered lighting softens shadows and makes a hallway feel welcoming. Consider wall sconces, a small table lamp on a narrow console, or battery-operated picture lights to highlight art. Wireless fixtures are a smart option if you want to avoid rewiring.
6. Add Art for Personality
Artwork immediately elevates a hallway and makes it feel finished. Go big with a single statement piece, hang a tapestry, or create a cohesive gallery wall. Art brings color, texture, and personal expression to a transitional space.
Tip: Use consistent framing or a common color palette to make a gallery wall feel organized and intentional.
7. Roll Out a Runner
A runner adds comfort, sound-dampening, and visual length. A flatweave runner can break up wood floors and introduce pattern or color without overwhelming a narrow path.
8. Use a Plant or Two
Plants bring life and softness to a corridor. If you don’t have a green thumb, choose a realistic faux tree or a small potted artificial plant. Even a single plant on a slim stand can enliven the space—our stand was repurposed from an old piano stool.
The before-and-after transformation still surprises me. The narrow hallway feels so much larger and more welcoming now—partly thanks to open doors and better natural light in the after photos, but mostly because the paint, lighting, art, runner, and plants all work together to create a cohesive look.
Small changes—especially paint and layered decor—can have an oversized impact in hallways. What ideas have you used to improve your hallway? Share what you love in your own passageways.
Hallway Sources
- Wall Color: Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace
- Door Color: Benjamin Moore Wrought Iron
- Runner
- Flush Mount Light Fixture
- Large Landscape Art
- Matted Wall Frames
- Small Landscape Art Prints
- Eucalyptus Tree
- Olive Plant
- Plant Stand Stool
- Wireless Picture Light
