The entrance hall is an important room of any home. Here we get together and clean ourselves up before leaving, store clothes and shoes, and return here after a hard day. The choice of furniture for the room is a responsible and difficult task, because the dimensions of the hallway rarely correspond to our needs. It is necessary not only to ensure that the hallway fulfills all the necessary functions, but also try not to overload the limited space. In the article we will talk about the features of the room, the advantages and disadvantages of custom-made and factory furniture, as well as reveal a few design secrets that will help to make the room comfortable and make rational use of the available square meters.
Purpose and features of the room
The entrance hall is the first room we enter when we get home. Despite the fact that the room is not residential, it should be cozy and beautiful. The entrance hall sets the general style of the apartment and forms the first impression of the guests. In addition, the room should be functional, have a place to store and dry clothes and shoes; a mirror to put yourself in order before leaving the house; shelves for hats, accessories and trifles.
When designing private houses, the owners pre-lay all the required functions in the room area, but this is not possible in apartments. The typical sizes of hallways in apartments are usually very modest and do not allow you to place all the necessary furniture, and morning work fees turn into a problem if more than one person lives in the house. Design techniques for visual expansion of space and multifunctional furniture help to rectify the situation. Furnishings can be chosen ready-made in a furniture store or you can order an entrance hall according to individual sizes.
Pros of the factory hallway
Furniture factories provide a wide range of hallway sets at affordable prices. The main advantages of factory furniture include:
- Established mass production allows you to reduce the cost of the process, which affects the final price of the product.
- When developing models, designers are guided by the standard sizes of hallways according to SNiPs.
- Factory furniture is of high quality and meet the requirements of GOST.
- Technological holes are always in the right place.
- The manufacturer provides a complete set of accessories and detailed assembly instructions, so it is not difficult to assemble headsets for the hallway yourself.
Cons of the factory hallway
Despite many advantages, factory furniture has a number of disadvantages:
- Mass production involves furniture design that most people will like, but may not match the chosen concept of your hallway. It will be difficult to create a stylish and original interior with factory furniture.
- Setting up serial production is time-consuming, so most furniture sets for the hallway in stores have an outdated design.
- The model you like may just not fit into the size of the hallway of your apartment.
Pros of manufacturing a hallway to order
Custom-made furniture studios rely on an individual approach to the client. Despite the higher cost compared to the factory models, the hallway to order in individual sizes will ideally fit into the space of the room, will suit the general style of the room, and the internal contents will exactly match the wishes and needs of the client. Materials and accessories are also selected, focusing on the tastes of the customer. The color and shape of the hallway can be any. The furniture according to individual sizes allows using the available square meters with maximum rationality.
Cons of manufacturing a hallway to order
With all the undoubted advantages of manufacturing a hallway to order, this option has a number of significant disadvantages:
- Furniture made from safe materials with high-quality fittings will cost much more than similar factory models. The quality of cheaper materials is poor.
- You must carefully select the contractor and carefully read the contract. Individual production of furniture is a popular entrepreneurial activity, so a large number of companies work in the services market. In pursuit of savings, you can run into scammers or get low-quality furniture that will fall apart in a few months. Such firms rarely focus on quality standards in the manufacture of furniture.
- It will be problematic to assemble a set for the hallway on your own, as contractors do not make precise technological holes and do not give an assembly diagram. Of course, such companies always provide a service for the assembly of furniture, but this is rarely free.
Hanger and mirror
A coat hanger and a mirror are the hallmark attributes. They can even fit into the smallest room.
Wet outerwear can not be hung in a closet, it needs to be dried, otherwise there is a risk of an unpleasant smell and mold, then the thing will be hopelessly spoiled. For these purposes, there is an open hanger for the hallway. The most compact models are a simple board with a series of hooks. Limited space requires increasing the functionality of furniture, so hangers often complement a shelf for hats.
A minimum of space is occupied by a rack wall hanger with a shelf and a built-in mirror. The composition is combined with a stylistic solution, color and material of manufacture, which simplifies the process of selecting a model for an entrance. Often, such hangers complement a small shelf for small items or a drawer under the mirror.
Wrought iron hangers in the hallway look original and elegant. Such designs look quite airy and do not overload the space, despite its strength.
If the hallway space allows, you can put a floor hanger-bar. Such models look stylish and original. Complementing the composition with a mirror in the frame and a bright pouf, you can get a spacious hallway that performs its basic functions.
It is advisable to have a full-length mirror in the hallway, but this is not always possible. Therefore, you should install a mirror at least to the waist in order to be able to straighten clothes before leaving the house. To rationalize space and save space, mirrors are often built into the furniture structure: on the rack base, hangers or cabinet doors. It is important to remember that the entrance hall is often the nodal room for households to move around, so the mirror must be firmly fixed to avoid injuries.
The footwear stand
The cabinet for shoes is a convenient and practical thing for the hallway. It allows you to carefully store shoes, avoiding deformation and creases. A freestanding cabinet, as a rule, takes up a lot of space, so it is combined with a pouf or shelf for bags and accessories. For narrow corridors, shoe racks with radially opening shelves are suitable. They are stretched up, which reduces their width and depth. The top of the cabinet is used as a shelf for storing trifles.
Cupboard
A closet in the hallway is a place to store seasonal clothes and shoes. The design and dimensions of the cabinet in the hallway impose restrictions on the area and configuration of the room. In narrow and long rooms it is more convenient to place a cabinet with swing wings. When the rod is parallel to the doors, the depth of the structure must be at least 60 cm. If the narrow corridor does not allow taking up so much space under the cabinet, you can refer to the cabinet model with a perpendicular arrangement of the rod. The depth of this design will be 35 - 45 cm.
A good choice is a closet in the hallway. The dimensions of this piece of furniture are quite compact and allow you to embed the design in the former pantries. A width of at least 90 cm and a depth of 60 cm is considered optimal. It should also be borne in mind that for the guide profile of sliding sashes, another 4-5 cm will be needed. Built-in structures allow you to use the space to the maximum benefit. The master of cabinet furniture will help determine the exact dimensions of the closet in the hallway. The photo in the interior is presented below.
If the room has the shape of a square with several doors, the best option would be a corner cupboard. It can be with hinged or with sliding sashes, as in the photo. The dimensions of the cabinet in the hallway depend not only on the available area, but also on the convenience of moving and using the room for its intended purpose. Sharp corners should be avoided in furniture designs, especially near walkways to other rooms and around bends.
Coupe halls are quite popular. The size and configuration of the case allows you to connect a wardrobe for storing seasonal clothes, a shelf for shoes, a bedside table, an open hanger, shelves for hats and accessories. The mirror, as a rule, is located on the back door of the cabinet. Such models are suitable for small hallways, as they save space without compromising the functionality of furniture.
Selection tips
Happy owners of spacious hallways are free to choose furniture to their taste and place it in a room with convenience for households. Owners of modest standard apartments have to be sophisticated, combining attractiveness and functionality on a minimum area. Several design techniques to harmonize the space will help to make the entrance hall beautiful and cozy.
- Itβs rare which hallway boasts the presence of windows, so the lighting function falls entirely on the lamps. The light in the room should be bright and preferably multi-level. The combination of built-in ceiling lights or spotlights with wall sconces will help to achieve the desired effect. Glossy surfaces: ceiling, furniture facades will help to increase the level of illumination of space and gently scatter light.
- To make a small hallway more spacious will help a light color scheme. Furniture of the same tone with walls and ceiling allows you to visually dissolve large-sized furnishings in space.
- Using mirrors from the ceiling to the floor will make the small hallway 2 times more spacious.
- Furniture over the ceiling should be preferred. This will allow rational use of the volume of the storage room and visually raise the ceiling.
- Bright accessories and decor will add a positive mood to the room.
The entrance hall is a business card at home. It forms the first impression of the guests about the house and its owner. Rationality and convenience of furniture, its functionality is the key to comfortable use of the room and a harmonious interior.