Worst Style Choices for a Hallway

What To Avoid If there is one thing a homeowner should avoid when choosing a decorating style for their hallway it is colour arrangements that make the hallway appear smaller and darker. If the colour scheme in a hallway is too dark, it can take on a tomb-like aura. It may also be a safety problem unless sufficient lighting is readily available in all areas of the length of the hall. Don't clutter a narrow hallway. One of the biggest mistakes is furnishing a home hallway with bulky, overwhelming credenzas, armoires or occasional chairs. Another error in hallway furnishing is decorating with too many large framed photos or unusual paintings and photographic prints. 
Where's The Hallway Decorating Strategy?When you consider that a home hallway is a connecting link to other rooms in the house, the hallway decorating strategy shouldn't be unbalanced: too cluttered at one end and too empty at the other. That may be a hallway style faux pas. Choosing wall accents such as heavy sconces that are too overpowering in a shorter hallway makes the hall space seem menacing even when the hallway is wider than 36 inches. No decorating strategy may be better than feeling as if the hallway is a dungeon with any number of possibilities for punishment.
Hazards In The Hallway To AvoidAn occasional table in a narrow hallway is a hazard as is any type of dresser or storage chest. Electrical wires or wiring from lamps or lighted wall sconces are another hazard to be avoided in a hallway of any size. When it comes to floor coverings, the worst style choices are those that cause slipping or falling. This usually occurs with certain types of wood or ceramic tiles. Although, scatter rugs and hallway runners without a quality backing can be as much of a hazard as slippery tiles.
Overpowering Wall CoveringsAlthough it may be appealing in some rooms to cover walls with overpowering designs like huge flowers, dizzying geometric patterns or strange stripes or polka dots, can also be quite claustrophobic for a hall passageway. Exotic wall coverings may give the impression of a scenic tropical style in other more open areas of the home, but in a hallway it may cause guests to feel as if they may become tangled in lush greenery at any moment! Using dual contrasting colour schemes for painted hallway walls should never include the darker colour painted above a lighter colour or white. The effect becomes similar to a 3-dimensional movie – not good!
Time and thought are all that is needed when choosing hall furniture and decoration, yet the effect created, when done well, can’t be underestimated.