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If you have narrow hallways in your home, you know how they can feel cramped. Fortunately, certain door styles can transform these tight spaces into more welcoming passageways. Choosing the right door can help maximize usable space, enhance the overall flow of your home, and help make the compact area feel lighter, airier, and more inviting.
While standard hinged swing doors require 9 to 10 square feet of floor space for the door to open, more strategic choices like sliding barn doors and pocket doors help save space. “A thoughtful door choice can completely change how a hallway functions—and how it feels the moment you walk through it,” says Jordan Cashman, principal designer and owner of Sage Interiors in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. “The goal is to reduce visual clutter, eliminate swing conflicts, and let light travel. In tight hallways, doors should either disappear (pocket, flush, full-height) or contribute light (glass),” she adds.
Here are some of the best door styles to choose when trying to make a confined hallway feel more open, according to experts.
Pocket Doors
Pocket doors are one of the best solutions for tight hallways, says Cashman. Typically thin and lightweight, this type of door glides on a track and tucks into a wall or divider so you can close off a room for more privacy or open it up to connect spaces.
“Because they slide neatly into the wall, they eliminate the door swing entirely—no clearance issues, no awkward pinch points,” she says. They instantly free up floor space, keep sightlines clean and uninterrupted, improve hallway flow, and can feel almost invisible when left open.
Bifold Doors
Bifold doors, which fold back into two sections, are also a smart choice for small spaces like a hallway, saysKavouklis. “The quality and door height and width are important,” advises Kavouklis. “Spend more to get better rollers so you will have fewer issues and easier operation.” They are available in many shapes and sizes to fit your needs. They are also lightweight, easy to operate, and affordable.
Full-Height Doors
“Running doors all the way up to the ceiling draws the eye vertically, which helps tight spaces feel taller and more open,” notes Cashman. This style is beneficial because it enhances ceiling height; creates a custom, architectural feel; and reduces visual breaks along the hallway wall. Help them blend in even more by painting them the same color as the wall.
BondRocketImages via Shutterstock
Sliding Barn Doors
Also called wall-mounted sliding doors, sliding barn doors are another excellent choice. They hang from a metal track above the wall, so they won’t take up any precious hallway space, says Manny Kavouklis, president of CMK Construction Inc. in Tampa, Florida.
“They’re easier to install than pocket doors but offer limited sound and light insulation, so could be better investments for closets or a home office,” says Kavouklis. Although barn doors are often associated with the classic rustic wood look, they are also available in a variety of styles with more modern features, including metal frames, glass panes, and mirrors.
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This set can create the illusion of a bigger doorway without the square footage required of a standard door.
Buy NowFlat Panel Slab Doors
It’s also possible to make a hallway feel wider and calmer by installing a simple, flat-panel slab door that is flush and has minimal casing, says Cashman. “They work because they have clean lines which means less visual noise and a seamless look that keeps the hallway feeling streamlined,” says Cashman. They essentially recede rather than interrupt the space. These door styles are great for modern or transitional homes.
Glass Panel Doors
Clear, reeded, fluted, or frosted glass doors allow natural light to travel through the hallway, making it feel brighter and more open without sacrificing privacy, explains Justin Caballero, president of Revive Design and Renovation in Tampa, Florida.
“Light is everything in narrow spaces. Once you let it flow, the hallway stops feeling like a tunnel,” says Caballero. Glass doors also maintain separation while making the hallway feel brighter and more expansive, adds Cashman. “Glass doors reduce the closed-off feeling of solid doors and add depth and visual continuity,” says Cashman.
