10 narrow hallway furniture and decor ideas 

No matter the size of your home, the entryway is often one of the smallest and most under-utilised spaces in your house or apartment. The entrance hallway serves a practical use — a place to store muddy shoes or keep an umbrella close at hand to grab on your way out the door — but that doesn’t mean you can’t add plenty of style as well. 

The right narrow hallway furniture and decor details can transform your entryway from a boring, but necessary addition to your home, into a stylish way to welcome you into your home. Read on for our top 10 decorating ideas for hallways and entryways. 

1. Do the most with your furniture

Most likely, your entryway doesn’t have enough room for a full range of furniture, and there’s no need to over-furnish this part of your home. Choosing a few key pieces of narrow hallway furniture that are compact yet functional is the best way to make the most of your space. Opt for a console table that gives you a place to set down keys or post, as well as adding a few personal touches in the form of photo frames or figurines. 

2. Keep clutter out with storage favourites

When you’re on your way out of the house, you probably have a checklist of items to take with you: phone, keys, wallet, and so on. Whatever you carry with you as you head out the door, you need somewhere to keep items right where you need them. Opting for narrow hallway furniture with storage in the form of drawers or lower shelves ensures convenient organisation without cluttering up a small space. 

3. Fake a bigger space with mirrors

Incorporating a mirror is a classic small space-styling hack that works just as well in your entryway as it does in any other room of your home. Hang a wall mirror at the end of a narrow hallway or opposite a wall-mounted light fixture to reflect the light and make the hall feel brighter and bigger. Plus, it’s always nice to have a mirror in the entryway so you can have a quick look at yourself as you head out the door. 

4. Focus on the walls, floor, or ceiling

If your entryway is too small for even narrow hallway furniture, or if there’s not enough room to add extra elements to the space, you can still inject personality by adding decorative details to your walls, floor, or ceiling. Patterned wallpaper on the walls or even the ceiling is a great way to make a hallway stand out without making it difficult to navigate through a narrow space. Or add a patterned floor runner for a similar effect. 

5. Light the way into your home

Picture an airport runway, with a row of lights on each side to guide a plane to landing, and use this as inspiration for your entryway at home. Wall-mounted lights like sconces or a row of hanging pendant lighting will greet guests and invite them forward down the hallway and into the main part of your house. Use identical lighting at evenly-spaced intervals to get this welcoming effect and brighten up the whole space. 

6. Give your hall a gallery feel

Another classic way to make a small space seem larger is to draw the eye upward toward the ceiling. Hang wall art at eye level and higher and create a gallery wall. This gives visitors something interesting to look at and enjoy while they walk through your entryway, and it also creates the illusion of a larger space with higher ceilings. Plus, it’s a fun way to introduce your decor aesthetic or interior design personality. 

7. Step up style with a ladder shelf

When you’re looking for narrow hallway furniture that still offers plenty of storage and organisational appeal, consider ladder-style shelving. An open-back bookcase or display unit won’t overwhelm a slim space with a heavy, imposing feel, while still adding convenient storage and display shelving for functional and decorative objects.

8. Make a door pop with paint

If your hallway is separated from your living room or kitchen by a door, it can feel extra small and closed off when the door is shut. However, you can combat this closed-off feeling by turning the door into a statement-making accent that brightens up the entryway and draws your eye forward to make the hall seem longer. Paint it a bold hue to add a pop of colour and a fun touch. 

9. Try tiles for an artistic look

Many Irish homes feature entryways that open directly onto the living room or staircase, so if you want to create a ‘zone’ that welcomes your guests or gives you a place to kick off your shoes when you arrive, you’ll need to do something to carve out the space. Changing up the flooring can be a great way to do this, and we recommend tiles. A tiled hallway floor not only gives visual style to the space, but tiles are also easy to clean and offer low-maintenance appeal. 

10. Add seating convenience with a bench

When you’re looking for narrow hallway furniture that is functional but compact, there aren’t many seating options that fit the bill. However, it’s nice to have some sort of seating in your entryway so you can sit down to tie your shoes or simply relax for a moment when you walk through the door. A bench is slim enough to fit into a small entryway with ease, but still provides plenty of practical usage for this part of your home. 

Narrow hallway furniture and decor for every home

Console tables, bookcases, mirrors, and more — at Corcoran’s you’ll find an array of narrow hallway furniture options and plenty of accessories to upgrade your entryway. Don’t let a small space make you think you can’t enjoy on-trend style! 

Shop hallway furniture online now or visit us in store to find the best pieces to enhance this often-forgotten area of your house and add decor that will set the tone for your home.