Four Ways to Turn Your Hallway Into a Useful Room
The day you moved into your home, you may have wondered how you could fill all that space. Fast forward a few years, and suddenly you’re racking your brain trying to carve out extra storage space or considering a major remodel to add more square footage .
If it sounds like you’re running out of ideas, there’s a “hidden” resource lurking in your home: hallways. Depending on your width (the minimum width, according to the International Residential Code, is 36 inches , but most residential hallways are 42-48 inches wide, and some homes even have 60- or 72-inch hallways!), you may find them best application than just a guide from one room to another.
If your hallways are three feet wide, you’ll have a hard time making them do double duty. But if your hallways are at least four feet wide, you have the opportunity to turn them into surprisingly useful rooms.
Use the hallway as a dining room
If you have a relatively wide hallway off the kitchen and need a place to eat without standing over the sink or balancing plates on your lap, you can turn the space into a quasi-dining room with a little creativity. With four feet of space to work with, a narrow dining table like this pushed against one wall can work—at just under 16 inches wide, it leaves plenty of room for people to sit, and chairs slide underneath it when they’re not needed. in use. Hang a light above the table and add shelves for storage and you have a small but comfortable dining room. If you’re short on space, you might even consider a desk with a folding flap that folds against the wall when not in use.
Set up a library in the hallway
One of the easiest ways to transform a hallway into a room is to turn it into a library or other shelf-oriented storage space. Shallow bookcases like these (less than 10 inches deep) can turn even a three-foot hallway into a viable library option. Adding narrow seating (like this hallway bench ) against the wall between two bookcases, along with some wall lighting, can make this hallway a cozy reading spot.
Use the hallway as a conversation area
Hallways tend to move quickly, but if you don’t have a place in your home to sit with a friend and chat, your hallway may offer that opportunity. If your hallway is at least four feet wide, a shallow bench with a backrest and a narrow side table will provide a place to sit with a cup of tea and chat with a neighbor or hang out and think without the distraction of the TV. installed right in front of you.
The hallway can even be a “bedroom”.
No, your hallway will never become a real bedroom, even if it’s a ridiculous six feet wide. But if it’s at least four feet wide, it can be a place where unexpected and overcrowded guests can sleep when needed. One or two narrow frames of single beds or daybeds can transform a wide hallway into a place to sleep, while a daybed option can be used as a conversation area or reading nook when not otherwise in use.