Upgrade A Bland Hallway And Create Sleek Built-In Storage With A Must-Try DIY

When was the last time you took a good look at one of your hallways? Are you seeing unimaginative walls and no place to put anything? Maybe it's even worse; not only are the walls an afterthought (or even barren), but instead of having an organized system, the hall is cluttered with piles, possessions, and packages. If that describes your passageway, it's time to upgrade with sleek built-in storage. You can start to love your hallway again with a must-try DIY that uses prefabricated furniture pieces, some ready-made shelves cut to size, and a piece of lumber for a topper that connects it all. With a narrow footprint, the project radiates sleek vibes while its wall-hugging component gives it a built-in, custom appearance, and the bonus is that using a power drill is probably the most difficult part of this must-try DIY.

Lots of built-in hallway storage projects require saws, levels, drills, nail guns, and more, making you feel like the job can't be done unless you already acquired most of the tools worth investing in to start woodworking at home. With this DIY, you're in control of how extensive you want the built-in component to be. You may choose the easiest version or combine it with other ways to create built-in storage to maximize your hallway's limited space.

If you thought the only way to upgrade your ordinary hallway while adding custom storage was to plug in power tools, create a few piles of sawdust, and carve up walls, you're in for a pleasant surprise. Yes, you can still do all those things, but for many homeowners, it's either beyond their abilities or they don't have the time to commit to that kind of project. On the YouTube page Great Home Ideas, a project designer and stylist devised a clever way to get the built-in appearance without needing sharpened carpentry skills. 

The creator began by purchasing slim floor cabinets, placing them side-by-side with a gap in between so that they filled the wall space. They were then anchored to the wall, wisely sidestepping one of the scary dangers lurking around your home by ensuring the narrow furniture couldn't topple over if bumped against. The Yaheetech console table has rounded corners and is just 12 inches wide, making it a good hallway option. It's easy to attach to the wall with furniture anchors.

Once the cabinets were secure, the designer added pre-fab shelves between the tables, topping everything with a long length of wood to connect it. The narrow profile and anchoring to the wall give the unit a built-in appearance.

While some renovators might think that built-in storage in a hallway means that you'll have to frame it in from bare walls, there's an easier way. If your hallway includes a closet, that's a great place to start. Most hallways in bedrooms or upstairs areas will have a linen closet. It's not uncommon for the linen closet to be a standard, bland style with builder-grade bifold doors and three or four shelves (yawn). Not only is that style boring, but it might not give you the storage solutions you need. Creating a custom-designed closet allows you the flexibility to make the space work perfectly for the items stashed there.

It all starts with removing everything in the closet, which is also a genius tip to make a perfectly decluttered closet. The next step is to take down shelves and anything else that's in the way. One YouTuber built the entire cabinet and the drawers in their home workshop so that it's a separate — but carefully measured — insert. That is a project for a skilled woodworker, so if that isn't your talent, you might need to hire a craftsman who can create the custom build.

There is a game-changing space to use for storage that you might never have imagined, and it's available in your hallway and throughout your entire house: the area between the studs in your walls. Those spaces could become just about anything you want, from bookcases to cabinets to knick-knack displays. Because they're designed to be flush with the wall's surface, you don't lose any floor space. Another bonus is that you won't have to worry about your storage getting knocked over or needing to vacuum under it.

For homeowners with a lot of books or collectibles, the idea of adding recessed storage in just about any wall is enough to have them bouncing off those walls with excitement. The best part is that it's less complicated than it seems. Once the correct space to carve out is identified, most DIYers will build a box and shelves to fit inside that space, nail or screw it into place, then paint and trim it as desired.

Before you start sawing into your walls, consider what's behind them. If there is an outlet nearby, wires are running to and from it. Likewise, be sure there isn't any ductwork or pipes you'd have to contend with. If you wondered whether the TikTok-viral arched niches are worth cutting into your wall, you also may have figured out that insulation and/or a vapor barrier could get in the way.

Maybe your hallways aren't suited for DIY built-in storage, or this storage won't work with your time, talents, or pocketbook. Even still, there are a few creative ways to sneak in some extra storage while giving your hallway a little bit of a makeover. 

When the Great Home Ideas designer finished adding narrow console tables covered with a wood plank to give the appearance of a built-in storage unit, that wasn't the end. The creator hung a mirror, artwork, and a few other touches, quickly going from bland and jumbled to polished and useful. But to sneak in the necessary storage, they installed a length of matching wood to serve as a very narrow shelf and screwed in a handful of stylish hooks under it. It's a storage solution that could be added to any hallway, though it might not exactly look built-in. You could also turn leftover wood into a matching key shelf with hooks, or, if yours is in an interior hallway, perhaps add additional storage by building small wall shelves.

One option is a take on ideas to decorate a boring hallway by banishing the ho-hum style with something bigger than just a key shelf. Picture ledges such as the 36-inch Icona Bay floating shelves (can go almost anywhere and provide a pretty spot for any of the things that collect in your hallway or a place for a few pictures.

If you've squeezed every bit of space you can think of out of your hallway and upgraded it to super cuteness so that it's no longer bland, there might be even more you can do with the space to give it a custom DIY look. Some of the storage comes from a little creative repurposing that takes the "built-in" approach in a new direction while other storage options may lead you to an unexplored spot in your home that is begging for an extra shelf for storage. Just look up. The space above any doorway is ideal for a space-limited hallway. 

One option is to mount a lidded acrylic container like one from the 5-container set from the Freebat store over the door to house whatever you wish. It could be the ideal location for sports bobbleheads or things you rarely need but could add some fun to your hallway. Put the family's ski goggles up there along with fake snow or toss in flip-flops with seashells. Make sure everything looks intentionally decorative even though they're really just being stored out of the way.

For that final touch that truly has the look of something that has been "built" into your home, nothing beats architectural salvage pieces. For shelf brackets, try the bricks from a special building that was torn down in your hometown. Or scour antique shops and salvage dealers for colorful old keyhole covers. Mount them to a board and attach a hook near each for hallway storage like nothing else.