Built-in furniture for the hallway is a compact organization of space in which each thing has its own place. This type of cabinet furniture is distinguished by its monolithic design, looks natural, and is designed to match the parameters of the walls, which form a single design solution with it.
In addition to compactness, furniture for a narrow corridor must meet a number of requirements, including attractiveness, practicality and ease of use.
Features of built-in furniture in a narrow corridor
Narrow corridors are not the most convenient type of hallway, many people inherited them from Soviet times. It was then that planners, trying to somehow save space, began to develop the first versions of built-in hinged and compartment-type wardrobes, shelves and mini-pantries. The built-in hallway for the narrow long corridor was located at its end, opposite the entrance - provided that the doors to the rooms were on both sides of the entrance.
A practical solution for a small room would be to use built-in mezzanine cabinets
However, in apartments of the “Czech” type, residents were faced with another architectural trick. It was impossible to place the built-in wardrobe opposite the entrance doors, because... there were already doors to the toilet and bathroom, and on both sides of them there were doors to the kitchen and bedroom. A closet in a narrow hallway (as in the photo) had to be built along the free wall of the narrow corridor, which made it even narrower.
If the corridor was long enough, in addition to the closet, it was possible to find a place for an open hanger
However, this space planning option was much more convenient than buying ready-made bulky cabinets. Home craftsmen managed to build something that suited them from available materials - plywood, chipboard, remnants of old furniture.
Some apartment owners prefer combined furniture, consisting of both open sections and closed cabinets
If you are lucky enough to live in an apartment with a narrow corridor, and the old built-in wardrobe in the Khrushchev-era building in the hallway is pretty tired, it’s time to think about organizing the space according to modern design standards. Measure the room carefully, taking into account doorways, which can form a single solution with built-in furniture throughout the entire wall. If at the end of the corridor there are no doors and exits opposite to each other, you are very lucky and can order a wardrobe design.
Cabinets around the front door are another practical solution
Mistakes that are most often made when decorating a small narrow hallway
A complete rejection of any furniture will lead to the fact that outerwear and accessories will have to be placed in other rooms, which is very inconvenient. In the hallway there must be at least a simple, small-sized hanger for things that the family uses this season. The remaining clothes can be temporarily moved to the dressing room.
It is also unacceptable to refuse a mirror, since when leaving home and upon returning, household members must evaluate their appearance and adjust their accessories.
Another design tip: buy a hollow ottoman with a folding surface. Inside, in the recess of the pouf, you can store scarves, knitted hats, gloves, and belts.
Built-in furniture options
A sliding wardrobe is a structure from floor to ceiling and, in some cases, from wall to wall. The main feature of the wardrobe is the sliding doors. As a rule, it contains about a dozen shelves of varying heights and depths, a compartment with a rod for clothes hangers, compartments for shoes, hats and luggage bags.
A wardrobe can be placed even at the front door, while its sliding doors will not block the passage and interfere with comfortable movement
Sliding wardrobes come in different depths, depending on where they are installed. If the structure is located against the wall opposite the entrance, then the cabinet can and even should be made deep. This way you can maximize space and visually correct the proportions of the room. If the cabinet has to be installed along the wall to the right or left of the entrance, then it should be stretched to the maximum width. Another option that makes the hallway more spacious and bright is a small corner wardrobe.
The photo shows a corner wardrobe in the interior of a cramped Khrushchev corridor
If you live in the Czech Republic, then it is not recommended to install sliding wardrobes with bulky, heavy doors along a free wall. First, you won't have enough usable storage space. Secondly, it is not economically profitable, because... It will be necessary to install several of these doors due to the shallow depth of the cabinet. In such a curious case, it is better to prefer lightweight sliding doors made of plastic, plexiglass, bamboo or thin MDF.
The ideal solution would be a full-length mirror built into the cabinet doors.
Due to the need to fit into the proportions of the room, sliding wardrobes are not purchased ready-made, but are made to order. The same applies to a cabinet with hinged doors. If you have an entrance hall for a narrow long corridor, then it is advisable to install this model of cabinet only opposite the entrance doors - otherwise open doors will interfere with free passage. Along the walls on the right or left it is better to place cabinets with light sliding doors, roller blinds, curtains, etc.
High-quality light will help adjust the dimensions of a narrow room and achieve the effect of expanding the space
Cabinet materials
The good thing about built-in wardrobes is that you can choose the materials to make them according to your taste and capabilities. At the same time, the aesthetic component of the design does not depend on the high cost of the doors or body.
The service life of furniture largely depends on the choice of material.
Many people traditionally prefer natural wood because of its environmental friendliness and visual appeal.
Built-in wardrobe made of solid natural wood looks rich and expensive
Other fans of environmental theories confidently order cabinets made of chipboard and do not lose at all. This material has earned a good reputation among buyers for several reasons:
- easy cutting, assembly and installation;
- relatively light weight of products;
- quick replacement of damaged areas;
- ease of maintenance and repair;
- long service life - subject to high-quality gluing, cutting and assembly.
Chipboard facades - laminated or painted, are most often used in the manufacture of furniture in modern styles.
MDF is considered a leader in the variety of textures and colors, as well as one of the most durable materials on the furniture market. The only drawback is the difficulty of replacing with similar material. For example, if your cabinet doors have an exquisite color and intricate design, then finding the same one after a while will be very difficult. So stock up on stock ahead of time or order colors that are easy to find.
High-quality MDF-based furniture is often indistinguishable from its wooden counterparts, but is much cheaper
Advantages
White color in the design of a hallway has a number of advantages:
- a beneficial effect on the mental state of residents, expressed in the ability of color to relieve nervous tension;
- adding light to the room;
- expansion of area;
- beauty and grace;
- stylishness and respectability.
There is only one drawback - soiling. But you shouldn’t give up white finishing because of it, because vestibules decorated in other colors require exactly the same care.
We recommend reading:
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In conclusion, we note that a white palette can complement any planning solutions, creating your own hallway design, which can get lost if supplemented with unnecessary decorations.
Therefore, treat the design of the vestibule room in white shades with all possible responsibility.
Choice of colors
The colors of hallway cabinets have long ceased to be stuck within the rigid framework of a brown palette. The palette of modern materials is as wide as the imagination of the designer and customer can cover it. Some prefer to make the closet an inconspicuous part of the hallway, without highlighting it with any special color.
Light colors will be the best solution in terms of visual expansion of space
Others, on the contrary, emphasize the design as a bold interior solution and almost a work of art.
Natural wood shades are traditional: brown, cream or light gray
Facades can be composed of several colors, a pattern can be applied to them, or a monochrome option with bright handles that are visible in the dark can be preferred. This is what hallways with a wardrobe look like, photos for narrow corridors in an apartment.
Furniture in rich colors will add the necessary touches that will change the interior perception
Style options for furniture
The styles of cabinet furniture for the hallway are as diverse as for other rooms. Even an entrance hall for a narrow and small corridor in a house that has lived to be a hundred years old can look great in the spirit of modern minimalism. They are famous for their Scandinavian style with carefully thought-out solutions, ergonomic details, and original approaches to arranging a place for every item.
The photo shows built-in wardrobes in a hallway decorated in Scandinavian style
The photo shows a hallway in a minimalist style with matte facades
In contrast to the extremely restrained colors of the Scandinavian style, there is a tropical style - with bright colors that, at first glance, barely combine with each other, but create a feeling of warmth, fun and constant fiesta. If you decide to move away from the usual pastel shades, then you should make sure that your eyes can withstand this. It is very important to make sure that the colors of the furniture, walls and floors are a truly creative combination. The entrance hall to a narrow corridor with a wardrobe in the photo looks very impressive.
The tropical interior style welcomes natural materials with exotic accents
How to visually expand space
To make a small narrow hallway seem more spacious and feel comfortable to be in, you should decorate the walls in light colors. Optimal colors: vanilla, cream, beige, olive, soft lilac, gray. You can combine a couple of related tones.
Designers advise using wallpaper with small patterns. It is advisable to make the ceiling suspended, white, glossy. Pave the floor with laminate or linoleum in pastel colors.
No flashy shades, bright decor, or sloppy designs. From the photo of the narrow hallway it is worth appreciating all the nobility of light shades, including the white “Scandinavian” style.
Choosing the sizes of built-in furniture for a narrow corridor
The exact dimensions of the built-in furniture are determined by the parameters of the room. The narrower the corridor and the more doorways there are, the more carefully you need to measure each detail. If the house is panel and the hallway is small, then you can save on the side walls, but for this you will have to drill reinforced concrete slabs. Therefore, trust only an experienced craftsman to measure and install a cabinet or shelves in a long, narrow hallway.
The depth of built-in wardrobes and chests of drawers, as a rule, does not exceed 50 cm
If the corridor is very narrow, it is better to take a depth in the range of 25–40 cm
In any case, you need to focus on the width of the passage, which should remain sufficiently free
Decoration options
If you're bored of looking at a closed, sleek cabinet, you can add variety in the shape of doors with overlay patterns. Some people order panel doors, which are whole or separate paintings with landscapes, portraits, caricatures, and the ability to draw and erase.
Paintings are considered a traditional element of decor, the plot of which is selected to suit the overall decor of the hallway interior
The artistic wall painting also looks very original.
The free wall of the corridor can be decorated with round mirrors of small diameter
Paying attention to architecture
White wallpaper in the hallway can look incredibly attractive and stylish if you choose it so that it emphasizes the architectural features of the room.
A truly stunning effect can be achieved using moldings and panels. It is permissible to borrow certain ideas from church architecture, for example, arches and columns.
And if you complement the white walls of the room with a marble floor, the end result will exceed your wildest expectations, giving a feeling of infinity and weightlessness.
