21 Terrific Hallway Lighting Ideas That Will Brighten Up the Mood

Hallway lighting is often neglected. Many homeowners simply install one or two bulbs for the hallway and are done with it. Functionally, that works. Aesthetically? Not so much. Don’t worry. We are here to help. Here we have collected no less than 20 hallway lighting ideas to help you create terrific hallway lighting.

Just like any parts of interior design, there are just so many variations you can try to create amazing hallway lighting. From rustic, contemporary, minimalist to elegant lighting. Are you ready to get enlightened? Here are our ideas.

Plain and Simple

We call this plain and simple. The benefit of large doors and windows is the abundance of natural light entering the inside of the house. With the abundant natural light entering the hallway, you don’t need as much lighting.

When night comes, the candle lighting above lightens and warms up the hallway. Since the lighting is placed in the middle, it won’t leave any corner dark.

Lighting a hallway can be done in various ways, some of which don’t require any complex structures. Plain and simple hallway lighting works wonder, too.

Bright Day and Night

Having a large and wide entrance surely is a luxury. Unfortunately, not everyone has that luxury. Many of us have to work with a small and narrow entrance.

With a small and narrow entrance, you have fewer options. That shouldn’t discourage you from creating amazing hallway lighting, though.

One of the best hallway lighting ideas to create more vertical openings for the natural light to enter. The more natural light can enter the better.

Another idea is to install lighting with large housing like this. This allows the light to disperse, With such narrow hallway lighting, it is bright day and night.

Ambient Lighting

A long and narrow hallway requires special hallway entrance lighting. For such a hallway, you will need more lighting so there is no dark corner in the hallway. Depending on the length of the hallway, you might need two or more light bulbs.

This one is a great example of a warm entryway. Notice how the two light bulbs are encased in a sphere, allowing them to provide ambient lighting.

With dark wood flooring beneath, anyone who enters the house will feel the warmth. The mirror on the side is a nice addition as it helps to reflect the light.

Entrance Hallway Lighting Ideas

What do you think? Isn’t this a very warm and welcoming entrance? Such an entrance will surely make a lasting impression on your guests. Here, the openings for natural lighting come from the right, left, and upper sides of the door.

Above the hallway, there are two gorgeous hallway pendant lighting. There is also wall-mount candlelight on the side.

The unique lighting above and on the complement the entryway décor. This smart lighting placement brings up and highlights the warm decoration. Who wouldn’t like a warm entrance?

Speaking of the entryway, a properly designed entryway will make a great first impression. Need inspiration? Check out our entryway ideas here.

Modern Hallway Lighting

A dark corner is a no-no in a hallway. The thing is, sometimes it is difficult to cover each and every corner, especially with ceiling-bound lighting.

If that is your problem, the hallway lighting ideas you can try are installing additional lighting on both sides of the wall and add proper housing for them.

Alright, that’s the functionality. What about the looks? Wall lighting like this also makes great hallway lighting modern as well. So if you want to add a modern touch to your hallway, consider wall lighting.

Keep It Natural

Whether you enter or exit the hallway, a natural-themed hallway will make you feel fresh. Adding greeneries is an obvious move.

The lighting here stands out and at the same time, complement the whole theme of the hallway. A good example of lighting a hallway naturally.

There are several of the lighting decorations here all of which have a semi-circular housing. With such housing, the entire hallway is lit but the focus is on the ground.

Hallway Pendant Lighting

Although lighting is often neglected, it can make or break the look of a hallway. Just look at this simple yet beautiful hallway.

During the day, the natural light lightens it, putting the focus on the hallway. During the night, the focus is shifted on to the wall decoration.

What makes this hallway lighting design even more amazing is the mirror on the wall. Not only the mirror acts as a decoration, but it is also useful to reflect the light as well, making the room even brighter. Simple? Yes. Stylish? Also yes. It is among the best hallway lighting ideas if you want minimalist lighting.

Gothic Hallway Lighting

Gothic decor is known for its abundance of arches. And what complements a gothic hallway the best? The answer is, of course, gothic inspired lighting. Notice how integrated the decor of this hallway is.

The hallway lighting fixtures ceiling is not ordinary lighting, though. One of the best hallway lighting ideas to catch attention is to use unique lighting, which we can see here.

It has a unique gothic inspired design with the arches and comes in black, thus making it stands out in a hallway full of white.

Hallway Wall Lighting

There are limitless numbers of hallway lighting tips and ideas out there. What if you want to go elegant? Go ahead and try. Elegant hallway lighting looks gorgeous, too. This one here is a good example of such a simple yet elegant hallway.

The usual lighting is ceiling-bound, which limits its ability to highlight certain focal points. Wall lighting, on the other hand, is more versatile.

Notice how the wall lighting here not just lighten up the room but also highlights the focal points, maximizing the elegant looks of the hallway to the fullest.

With Led

Not all hallway needs to be decorated. Not all lighting needs to be visible, either. Some hallways are just better if the lighting is ‘invisible.’ That’s right, like this hallway. With lighting far above and one on the side, the focus is put on the design of the hallway itself.

A simple hallway with less obvious lighting like is ideal if you want to be as minimalist as possible. It is also a good choice for a hallway in between the staircase and the bedroom, too. If simplicity is what you are after, hiding the lighting is among the most-fitting hallway lighting ideas to try.

Speaking of the staircase, it is often left undecorated. Like hallway lighting, it is often seen only functionally. Don’t allow yours to be boring with these staircase ideas.

Lighting Low Ceiling

A rustic hallway wouldn’t feel and look as rustic without proper rustic hallway lighting. The bright lighting lightens up not just the hallway, but the surrounding area as well. Since the light is spread out to every direction, it doesn’t come off as too bright. It is more ambient than anything.

The bright lighting above brings a nice contrast to the darker flooring below. This creates visual balance, something that is aimed for in every decor style. The black metal base on the lighting adds more to the rustic decor.

Farmhouse Lighting

The next lighting idea in our hallway lighting ideas list is for the farmhouse hallway. The farmhouse décor often incorporates elements such as black, metal, white, barn door, and wood. The lighting base here gets the first two right.

Notice how the wood ceiling and white wall contrast with the lighting’s black metal base. This makes the lighting stands out enough without looking too obnoxious. The bonus is that the shadow from the base gives unique nuance to the hallway when the lighting is on.

Hallway with Led Lighting

Home hallway lighting mostly looks homey and often limited by shape and size. Want something extraordinary instead?

Consider this contemporary home hallway lighting. Notice how the lighting encompasses the ceiling, both sides of the wall, and the floor. Not only that, but they also have unique rectangular shapes as well.

It doesn’t feel like a hallway of a house. It feels more like you are inside the hallway of an art gallery. Contemporary design elements are not bounded by shape or size. They are freer, which is why they are among the best hallway lighting ideas if you want to be more expressive.

Chandelier Lights

Playing with black and white is certainly one of the most foolproof decor ideas. Of course, such a hallway decor is not complete without black and white lighting above.

The lighting fixture is jet black while the light bulbs are white. This completes the black and white decor of the hallway.

Better yet, these design elements work whether the lighting is on or off. The unique shapes of the fixture only make the decor better. It looks and feels artistic.

Hall Lighting Lighting

There is no such thing as the best hallway lighting that works in every décor every time. No rule says you have to have such and such lighting, either. As such, you can be as imaginative as you can. Why go for the ordinary if you can go for the extraordinary?

And this unique lighting is an excellent example of how imaginative lighting adds beauty to a modern and minimalist hallway.

The lighting here brings ambient lighting, making the hallway more beautiful during the night. During the day, they serve as decorations and focal points of the hallway.

Covered in Glass

Hallway pendant lighting comes in various shape, size, and style. This gives you limitless options for lighting a hallway.

For example, these light bulbs are covered in glass. Not only these look unique and beautiful, but they also add unique effect during the night too.

With such glass housing, the light is dispersed in every direction. Functionally, the lighting lights up the hallway without being excessive. Aesthetically, well, they just look good especially if the light bulbs are a bit dim.

Natural Hallway lighting

Unlike most of the previous hallway lighting ideas, this lighting doesn’t complement, let alone complete, the decor of the hallway.

Rather than being complementary parts, the lighting is the focal point of the hallway. A unique-shaped and colored is a must-have for a focal point, which these cages have.

Notice how different they look from the modern and minimalist hallway. The cage housing looks aged and out of the place, which allows them to get highlighted on a white ceiling.

Things get even better when the night comes. The hallway will be filled with the cage’s shadow, which adds something unique to the hallway.

Hallway Light Fixtures

A glamorous and elegant hallway deserves nothing short than an equally glamorous and elegant hallway lighting design. And that’s what this lighting is. Look how seamless it blends with the surrounding decorations.

With the hallway being mostly white, the glamorous and elegant vibe comes from the golden surfaces as well as unique shapes and motifs. The candlelight-like shapes of the bulbs only complete the whole glamorous and elegant theme.

Contrasting Touch

Contrast brings balance and prevents any design element from overwhelming the space. Speaking of the hallway, you can play with contrast using the hallway lighting as many examples here have shown. This time, however, the contrast is not as stark.

The ceiling here is white with the lighting fixture golden and lampshade blackish gray on the outside and golden tint inside.

These dual-colored lightings bring attention to the upper half of the hallway while at the same time, prevent the white of the ceiling from making the hallway looks plain and boring.

Candlelight Pendant Lighting

Hallway pendant lighting is certainly among the best hallway lighting ideas if you want to turn the lighting into a decoration that is both good-looking and functional. For a hallway with an arch like this, pendant lighting with sharp and defined lines makes a perfect match.

Notice how the shapes and colors of the hallway contrast with the hallway pendant lighting. Since the hallway has a lighter color while the lighting has a darker, the lighting gets highlighted, creating a unique and attention-grabbing focal point.