The hallway as the visiting card of the house

Come on in! Visitors already notice who is welcoming them in the entrance area. After all, it is the first thing they see when they enter the flat. Unfortunately, the design of the hallway often receives little attention. Are you also greeted by a barren hallway when you come home? Then get creative and reinvent this room!

The entrance area has a special advantage. As it is separated from the other rooms in many flats, you can design it differently from the rest of the furnishing concept. A true field for experimentation! This room can have a purist look with minimalist furniture and reduced decoration, be transformed into an art gallery with various pictures or become a sightseeing experience with holiday collages, travel mementos and souvenirs. In flats with an open-plan design, the entrance area is often less spatially separated, but rather merges seamlessly into the living area.
If you want to separate an open hallway from the rest of the flat, you can, for example, place a plant or a piece of furniture in the room so that it serves as a separating element. A different floor covering or a carpet runner can also visually separate the hallway from the rest of the flat.

Wall colour has a great influence on the effect of a room. It can have a calming effect, radiate energy or visually enlarge rooms. Think about the mood you want to create in the hallway. A mixture of "loud" and "quiet" tones gives the entrance area structure. Coloured accents on the walls become eye-catchers if they stand out clearly from the rest of the wall colour. You can also emphasise individual areas with expressive wallpaper. Narrow corridors look wider if the shorter walls have a stronger colour than the long sides. But you don't necessarily have to reach for the paint bucket to upgrade your hallway. Picture frames, pinboards with postcards, memo boards, clocks or sayings on the wall also draw the focus.

The furniture in the hallway should of course be practical and functional. But the look also has to be right. An expressive console, a chest of drawers or a chic sideboard will enhance any entrance area. Depending on the season, you can place special decorative pieces on it, such as a vase with summer flowers, Christmas lights or Easter bunnies. A small bowl or casket on the console can be used to store car and house keys, wallets, glasses and other everyday objects.

A coat rack with several hooks or a bar for hangers can be used to hang bags, jackets, coats and scarves within easy reach. They come in countless variations: As hanging or standing coat rack, with clear shapes or ornate design, made of metal or wood, with mirror, umbrella stand or shelf. Some also have shelves for hats, caps and gloves. An open shelf is an alternative for accessories.

A shoe cabinet for sneakers, sandals and other footwear is also a must in every hallway. Modern shoe shelves and tippers either let the kicks disappear inconspicuously or put them skilfully in the limelight. There is a suitable model for every style. While plastic shoe cabinets are easy to clean and available in many colours, wood scores with a warm appearance and naturalness. Metal is very resistant and has a rather cool effect.

A chair, stool or bench in the hallway helps when putting on shoes, but also serves well as a jacket and bag rack. Some benches have open compartments for shoes or storage boxes under the seat. Models with flaps and drawers can be real storage space wonders.

Especially in autumn and winter, a lot of dirt and moisture is carried into the hallway. To protect the floor covering, it therefore makes sense to use a dirt-trapping mat. Textile mats made of cotton or synthetic fibre absorb moisture well and are available in a variety of colours and designs. To clean them, simply vacuum them. If they are very dirty, they can often be washed in the washing machine. A rubber mat is hard-wearing, weatherproof and easy to clean. However, it can become slippery when wet. It is therefore usually sold perforated or with a special anti-slip coating. Some also have a robust frame made of metal.

No hallway should be without a carpet runner. It catches stones, dust and dirt, dampens noise and creates a homely ambience. Depending on the interior style, a plain-coloured model or a multi-coloured runner with geometric shapes, ornaments, circles, waves, stripes or colourful prints blends harmoniously into the surroundings. Many rugs are also suitable for rooms with underfloor heating. Tip: Choose a runner with an anti-slip underside or use an appropriate carpet underlay to avoid tripping hazards.

Is your coat and hairstyle right? A mirror in the hallway is an absolute must if you want to take one last look at your appearance before leaving the flat. A full-length mirror is fine for this purpose. It's best to choose a design that matches the rest of the furnishings. Models without frames are inconspicuous and blend in easily with any ambience. Where it suits the concept, a mirror with a teak or old wood frame, exciting mosaic decoration, ornate metal elements or an ornate baroque border can give the hallway that certain something extra.

The lighting conditions play a decisive role in making residents and visitors feel comfortable. Because daylight is scarce in many corridors, good general lighting is needed. In the corridor, an ensemble of several recessed ceiling luminaires (downlights) or a track system with movable spotlights is particularly suitable. They illuminate individual areas in a targeted manner. In corridors with very high ceilings, a row of several pendant luminaires has a balancing effect.

The main lighting can be supplemented by various accent lighting. These can be diffuse niche lighting or indirect light sources on shelves or coat racks. A table lamp on the sideboard also creates a cosy atmosphere. If you connect the accent lighting to a timer, the lamp switches on automatically in the evening hours. Wall lamps also create decorative accents. They should be placed at eye level (approx. 1.60 cm - 1.80 cm) and not project too far into the room.

A narrow entrance area, often paired with several outgoing doors, entails limited design options. Nevertheless, there are various methods to make such a "problem hallway" attractive.

1. Paint the walls in pastel shades, light grey or white to visually enlarge the entrance area. With patterned wallpaper, the following applies: Large-scale designs make the hallway look more spacious than small decors. Large floor tiles also create a sense of space.
2. Narrow pieces of furniture in calm, light colours make the room look airy. Look for multifunctionality, such as benches with storage space. Wall hooks are more space-saving than a coat rack with a hanger. Also use the height of the room, for example with shelves above the doors.
3. If the doors leading off the hallway are painted in the same colour as the wall, they blend visually into the background.
4. A dark hallway can seem oppressive. Provide sufficient brightness with ceiling, wall and table lamps. If possible, the lighting should not cast any shadows.
5.  Narrow rooms tend to look crowded quickly. Make sure that the walkways remain clear. Laundry baskets, handbags, shopping bags, shoes, umbrellas and other objects should be put away immediately.

The hallway is the connecting piece between the outside area and the flat, the figurehead of our flat, so to speak. It should be functional, but also interesting and inviting. The rule is: whatever you like is allowed! Some love clear shapes and discreet colours, others can't get enough colour. By emphasising the individual merits of this room and setting effective highlights, you create an environment in which you welcome guests impressively!