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Small hallway lighting ideas


13 Hallway Lighting Ideas that Work Even in Windowless Spaces

Ignite the Light

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Hallways often get overlooked. A passageway to more functional parts of the home, it can be easy to avoid adding style and function to large or small hallways alike in favor of a nearby bedroom or living room. But a hallway can also set the tone, adding accent lighting that streams into dimly lit cozy rooms just around the corner. There are so many hallway lighting ideas to take advantage of, whether that’s a low-hanging chandelier for a hallway with high ceilings, or a stylish table lamp placed on a buffet for mood lighting. Take a look at these 13 options.

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Second Floor Chandelier

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Draw the eye up with hallway lighting ideas like this second-floor chandelier that adds grandeur as you climb the stairs. The light will bounce off your hallway walls and ceiling to brighten up even dark floors.

Related: 6 Ways to Cure a Cave-Like Hallway

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Slim Floor Lamp

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If you’re looking to avoid electrical work, a floor lamp is a great option for your hallway lighting ideas. A slim floor lamp like this gorgeous gold one (available on Amazon) can be easily tucked in a corner without taking up too much floor space.

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Double Pendant Lighting

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If you’re looking for hallway lighting ideas that bring maximum overhead lighting to a space, then try double pendant lights. The pendant lighting grouping will provide undeniable luxury to even the simplest of areas. If you have high ceilings, add even more luxury with low hanging lights.

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Vanity Inspired Lighting

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For a dimly lit hallway, try using vanity lights on a wall. The look will provide moody vibes as you walk down the hallway. This vanity option (available on Etsy) features retro bulbs and unfinished brass that’s ideal for both a farmhouse feel and a modern look alike.

etsy.com

Tiffany Style Fixture

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Go beyond simply brightening up a space and consider hallway lighting ideas that take center stage. This handmade Tiffany ceiling light (available on Etsy) features stunning Wisteria stained glass that will add colorful vintage vibes to your hallway.

Related: 8 Common Lighting Mistakes Almost Everyone Makes

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Multipurpose Shelf Floor Lamp

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If you’re looking for hallway lighting ideas that allow you to store and display things with a space-saving design, try a shelf floor lamp. This modern standing accent light (available on Amazon) is great for a narrow hallway that can’t hold a buffet or other furniture to add a touch of style.

amazon.com

Recessed Lighting

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For curved, narrow hallway lighting ideas, avoid low hanging lighting, lights on the walls, or anything that closes the space down. Instead, try recessed lighting or ceiling lights, which will light the way and open the space up with its inconspicuous design.

istockphoto.com

A Series of Wall Lights

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For captivating hallway lighting ideas, consider installing multiple wall lights or sconces to set the scene. This option (available at The Home Depot) combines industrial and rustic design for an edgy yet warm look.

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A Mixture of Styles

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For spaces that offer style from the ground up with gorgeous floors and elegant furniture, consider hallway lighting ideas that accent your style, like this eclectic mixture of sconces and overhead foyer lighting. A mix-and-max approach will brighten up the hallway while adding even more decadent decor.

istockphoto.com

Stylish Table Lamp

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For moody hallway lighting, try accenting a buffet with a stylish table lamp that gives off just enough light to lead the way. The low lighting is ideal for ensuring the hallway isn’t too bright, which would take over the relaxing vibes of a nearby room.

Related: 16 Brilliant Lighting Ideas You Can DIY on a Dime

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Spotlight Floor Lamp

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This functional and uniquely-modern spotlight floor lamp (available at IKEA) is an ideal choice for a wildly different hallway lighting idea. It allows you to point the light exactly where you need it, whether that’s to illuminate the hallway or avoid too much light in one direction.

Related: 15 "Under $100" Lighting Solutions for Every Room

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Stylish Track Lighting

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A low-profile yet aesthetically pleasing option for hallway lighting is track lighting. This industrial-meets-traditional style (available on Overstock) doesn’t overwhelm the space while still offering the function of various track heads that individually direct and focus light where needed.

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Hexagonal Touch Lights

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A techy option for your hallway lighting are these hexagonal touch lights (available on Amazon). The lights add style to your wall, while a sensor turns the lights on with the simple touch of your hand when you walk by.

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15 Hallway Lighting Ideas to Try

By

Sarah Lyon

Sarah Lyon

Sarah Lyon is a freelance writer and home decor enthusiast, who enjoys sharing good finds on home items. Since 2018, she has contributed to a variety of lifestyle publications, including Apartment Therapy and Architectural Digest.

Learn more about The Spruce's Editorial Process

Published on 03/31/22

ALine Studio

Feeling stumped as to how to best illuminate the hallways in your home? Well, it turns out there are quite a handful of routes you can go when it comes to choosing lighting for these areas. We've outlined 15 of our favorite hallway lighting approaches below, whether you're in the process of designing your entryway, an upstairs walkway, or another tricky spot in your home.

Hallway lighting: 8 ways to make a small dark hallway brighter with photo

In the pictures and photos, all the hallways are completely flooded with light, at least from the open front door. Their walls are not disfigured by a “lump of jackets”, and dirty shoes were removed from the frame for the duration of the filming. With the mind, we all understand this, but we are unpleasantly surprised at the reality of our own home: the cramped, dark (if not cluttered) native hallway. Once on the doorstep, we pay attention to all this negativity even more than to the recent renovation. How to fix the situation? - Proper lighting of a small hallway. nine0003

Yulia Sologubova/ Antresole

Now I'm not saying that the functional content of the hallway doesn't matter: it does. Dozens of useful articles have been written about solving this Houzz problem in the hallway section. In this material, I will talk about something else - about the skill of managing attention and the ability to “redistribute” it with the help of lighting in a small hallway.

Recently in my practice there was a case - I was invited to an on-site consultation on the subject of a small corridor in a recently renovated apartment. I have identified several tricks - from constructive changes to small decorative touches that improve the lighting in a small hallway. Perhaps some of them will help in your case. nine0003

We analyze the correct lighting in the hallway - with a photo - and think about which lamps to choose and where to hang them.

Louis Angèle

1. Learn to use a mirror
The first thing that works to visually expand the hallway is a mirror (thanks, how new it is). But it's not just the fact of the mirror or its size, but how exactly to use it. An example in the photo - they lined a fragment of the hallway with mirrors, made a mirrored frameless door to the bathroom and literally dissolved the wall in space. See how the interior has become "twice the size" of the nominal? nine0003

Let us now imagine that there are not enough lamps above this mirror (there is a mirror, but it is in the dusk). And that the reflective surface is not solid, but is repeatedly crushed by the frames of the closet doors. Mentally draw this wall with red rectangles: and the mirror will disappear - a closet will appear in the field of view.

Alexey Trofimov Photography

Another example in the photo - the mirror in this case acts as a wall covering and finishing material - not an object of decor. At the same time, a lot of useful things can be hidden behind it: access hatches to counters and a pair of built-in wardrobes with a push-to-open opening system. See how decorative mirrors continue functional (built-in closet façade) along the wall with a banquette. nine0003

This is not such a small hallway in the photo, you object. Good: mentally remove a meter of width - a seat and tables; table lamps are replaced with ceiling lamps on a long suspension. What changed? In the design of the hallway - nothing; but you can use this idea in your compact narrow hallway.

Mikhail Kalinin

The second point is what exactly your mirror reflects. Hanger mess? Congratulations, you now have it doubled. A wall with perky wallpaper opposite? Well, it is unlikely that space will magically “unfold” from this. Therefore, it is correct to put the question differently. nine0003

Where to hang a mirror in the hallway?

Tip: If the hallway is a small square, find a side where at least some light enters the room and place a mirror opposite this source. In extreme cases, the mirror will work in the same way with an artificial light source. nine0003

Chris Snook

Fact: As we can see, the reception with a spectacular reflection in the mirror is suitable for hallways of any size.

Irina Tatarnikova Decor

What to do if there is no place for a huge mirror or several?
We hang any (taking into account what was said earlier), but we work with the illumination of its surface. I will not tire of repeating: the compact mirror located in the hallway, although it will not make the space more airy, will reflect the light and thus add “volume”. An example in the photo - a mirror was lit with paired sconces, on the ceiling - two powerful lamps, and this is in a small hallway. nine0017 This is done not only in order to improve the insufficient lighting of the hallway in the apartment. But also to correct the situation when you are upset at the sight of your own reflection.

Read on the topic ...
My light, Mirror: How to organize the backlight by the mirror

Grandecor

2. Arrange “Light at the end of the tunnel”
in the narrow and oblong hallways. A light in the end of a tunnel". This option is often there by itself, you just need to strengthen it. A dark corridor in almost any case leads to a room, and here we have several options. The first and most primitive is to leave the door from the corridor to this room open for most of the day. The second is to organize an arched opening without a door, or replace a solid canvas with a door with a glass insert. nine0003

Allison Lind Interiors

If a narrow hallway ends with a wall, place a light source and some catchy element like a painting on it. The lamp will play the role of a visual beacon, and the picture, especially a large one, will bring the wall closer - the corridor will seem less elongated.

In the example in the photo, the wallpaper ornament “directs the eye”, and the red chair serves as a focal point.

Zulufish

Another example in the photo is a mirror on the wall at the end of a narrow corridor. Let's repeat the well-known tricks: a window and light from an opening in the neighborhood are reflected in the mirror. An excellent working technique, but now you will object to me about the “tunnel effect”. nine0003

Indeed, blogs often write about how it is undesirable to place mirrors on a short wall in a narrow corridor. This is true if you make a mirror surface from floor to ceiling, from wall to wall - then a narrow long corridor will become exactly twice as large. Why do we see a counterexample in the photo and the mirror works great for expanding the hallway? Because the designer has worked with what will be reflected in it.

VVDesign

3. Make niches
Oddly enough, niches in the wall are one way to improve the lighting in a small hallway. The thing is that such niches create light differences, which allows the lighting to look more voluminous and ultimately make the dark corridor lighter. Pay attention to how successfully this volume is emphasized in the photo due to light and shade from the wall lamps and ceiling lamps. And again the same technique with the light of the sconce, multiplying in the mirror sheet. nine0003

onside l estudio de arquitectura

4. Add a light box
Instead of a mirror wall in a niche, a light box works great - the wall is covered with frosted glass, behind which sufficiently powerful lamps are mounted. Similar light windows are often arranged on the ceiling. It creates the effect of pouring light from the next room.

Natalia Preobrazhenskaya | Bureau "Uyutnaya Kvartira"

5. Become an ascetic in design
If you have a narrow corridor and a small hallway, then the best solution would be the most ascetic design: light floor, neutral walls. Lighting in a small hallway with technical light is one of my favorite options. Almost always looks neat and does not overload the compact space. nine0003

Tip: Don't be intimidated by the lack of decor, as empty walls and simple baseboards create a clean and tidy feel. And so that the composition does not seem too bland, you can add a bright bench and a cool hanger.

HOLZMANIEREN

Let's start with the "extra" in the design of spaces - remove the "excess" from sight! So that the notorious lump of jackets does not an eyesore, a niche of one (one!) Square meter is enough. Yes, wet clothes dry faster in the air than in a closed closet. So a dressing room with hangers is exactly the same as an open hanger. Only storage in it is much more ordered. nine0003

You will have to look for a place for a micro dressing room in the hallway, but even in standard apartments it is often available. Or it can be organized due to a slight redevelopment (the closet “deepens” into the next room - there is a ledge on the other side, and the corridor has not become narrow). Look for options!

MORE ABOUT THE INTERIOR WITH PHOTO…
Project of the week: Wardrobe for a family of 1. 2 square meters

In a small and narrow hallway, more light is physically required. Therefore, at the repair stage, it is required to lay enough fixtures on the ceiling. But not only - you need lamps below: on the walls and near the mirror, shoe cabinet, at the front door; think about which lamps to choose to highlight the space and design of your hallway. I even met options when the plinth was illuminated around the perimeter: it is very convenient to navigate in the dark if you have a habit of looking into the refrigerator at night. nine0003

Tip: If the hallway is long and narrow, install the switches not only on the side of the front door, but also on the side of the exit to another room - then you will not have to go through the entire corridor to turn on the light.

Natalia Preobrazhenskaya | Uyutnaya Kvartira Bureau

7. Remove the wall
Yes, that's exactly what I wrote - in typical apartments, one of our frequent redevelopment decisions is to demolish the wall between the corridor and, as a rule, the living room. Of course, in those houses where possible. For the entrance area, we leave the necessary minimum, in the vacated space we plan a dressing room and expand the living room space. nine0003

On the layout, one of such examples is the removal of the partition between the living room and the hallway, and the passage area was separated by zoning columns.

Ponizovkin Architectural Studio

The advantage of this solution is to create the illusion of spaciousness and openness, the minus is the risk that things from the hallway will start to "creep" into the living room. Therefore, it is necessary to clearly define the boundaries of the zones.

An interesting solution, a kind of half measure, is shown in the photo. Here they left only a half-height partition between the hallway and the living room: thus, zoning is clearly present, but the hallway is well lit and does not seem so cramped. nine0003

READ ON THE TOPIC…
Good question: Why do you and your apartment need internal windows

QT INTERIOR DESIGN

glass inserts. Thus, part of the daylight from the adjacent room will penetrate directly into the hallway or corridor. On a bright sunny day, this is a great option for lighting the hallway. Imagine how much darker the hallway would be in this photo if the doors were deaf - the delicate shade of the walls would immediately be lost. nine0003

9. Add a transom where there was none
Of course, this solution is ideal for the hallway in a private house, where additional daylight can be let in through a stained glass insert in the front door or glass blocks on the sides of the door. This option is very common in American and European homes.

But in a typical apartment, we only have the opportunity to "borrow" the dim glow of a light bulb in the entrance. So we muster up the courage and cut the inner “window” between the hallway and the adjacent room: add a transom above the interior door. If several doors open into the hallway, we arrange transoms over each. Of course, if such an option is constructively possible. nine0003

SEE ALSO… 543 more photos of transoms in the interior

ALLARTSDESIGN

Then the hallway will be illuminated not only by the light of its own lamps, but also, as in the photo, by lamps from the adjacent room.

READ ABOUT THE INTERIOR WITH PHOTOS…
Houzz tour: Sun and Scandinavian mood in 55 square meters

Beauparlant Design inc

The solution is highly dependent on style, but if desired, a glass partition between the room and the hallway can be added to any interior. It would be possible to agree on a partial dismantling.

SEE ALSO...

  • White hallways - 457 more examples
  • White corridors - 76 photos Victor Stefan

    11. Color can be any, if it is white
    To add some light to a small and dimly lit hallway, feel free to go ahead and paint all the wooden elements with glossy white paint. By the same principle, choose the lightest boiserie wall panels as a finishing material: they will look more expressive than a plastered wall. And interesting hanging lamps and a laconic sticker will emphasize the fact that this color was not chosen by chance, but, on the contrary, is a design idea.

    I won't get tired of repeating about "a lot of light". With white walls paired, it is also economically beneficial - the light will be reflected from the walls, and not absorbed by them. And there are dozens of shades of white: you can always choose a pleasant one for you personally. nine0003

    In your city ...
    Create a lamp on your own project or order from the manufacturer - lighting specialists on Houzzi

    See also ...
    Another 647 Options for the hallway

    Read on the topic ...     Good question: What is the right way to paint a wall white?

    Lighting in a small hallway: tips, photo

    Many have the opinion that the hallway is a very dull and dark room, from which neither beauty nor comfort should be demanded. And it exists only so that there is a place to change into slippers and hang outerwear. But after all, even a small corridor is the same "member of the apartment family" as a bathroom or kitchen. This is the first impression of guests about the apartment and the owners of the house, which can be improved by proper lighting in a small hallway. nine0003

    Contents:

    • 1 Correct lighting in a small hallway: what to consider
    • 2 Types of lighting and types of lighting fixtures
    • 3 Ways to visually correct the size of a room

    Correct lighting in a small hallway

    In fact, the hallway serves much more than just a "slipper parking". Although, first of all, this is a place to store seasonal clothes, bags and shoes. Secondly, before going out, almost everyone looks in the mirror to check if everything is in order with makeup and clothes. Sometimes it is here that you have to hastily comb your hair or update your makeup before going out. Thirdly, the hallway and other rooms should match each other in terms of lighting and style. Fourthly, even a small corridor can be a place to store a collection or favorite trinkets. Based on this, the correct lighting of a small room should be moderately bright, but soft and uniform. And it is also desirable that it is convenient for all family members to turn on / off the light, and use energy-saving lamps. Because in apartments, hallways / corridors are devoid of windows, then the required level of illumination can only be provided with the help of lighting devices. nine0003

    Types of lighting and types of lighting fixtures

    There are the following types of lighting :

    • general , which is designed to illuminate the entire room. Lighting devices of this type - chandeliers, ceiling lamps and spotlights around the entire perimeter of the ceiling. For a small hallway, it is better to choose not a large chandelier in the center of the ceiling (especially if the ceilings are low), but evenly dispersed spotlights (or sconces / shades) with soft diffused light; nine0038

    • work (or local) is designed to illuminate individual functional areas: mirrors and places for dressing. For a mirror, you will need two or three halogen lamps or LED strips, they will provide a uniform light flux. As an alternative, a pair of sconces on either side of the mirror with lampshades in a soft pink shade (this will improve the complexion and mood when going out). The light from these lighting fixtures should not hurt the eyes, so provide the fixtures with a continuously adjustable switch and, if necessary, make the lighting more or less intense. In addition, spotlights can be built into the wall, closet or mirror frame.; nine0038

    • decorative. You can also use LED strips or spots to illuminate a wall or ceiling niche, a false window or a large indoor plant. False stained glass windows on the wall or ceiling, illuminated niches, stretch glossy ceilings with LEDs, spots in the flooring can also be considered exclusively decorative elements of the interior.


    Thus, the correct lighting of a small hallway should be diverse (that is, you need to install general lighting, working and decorative), and the total number of lamps should be from 3 pieces.

    Learn more