Feng Shui Tips for a Long, Narrow Hallway

Feng shui is a practice developed in ancient China that looks at our environments and how they affect us energetically. Ideally, your home should be a space that supports and nurtures you. By looking at the feng shui of someone’s home, a feng shui practitioner can learn a lot about that person and their life. Feng shui also gives us the tools to make our homes into spaces that truly support us, and to make the most of situations that may be less than ideal. 

In feng shui, we pay a lot of attention to the quality of qi in a home. Qi is the life force energy that is found in everything, from people to plants to places. You can think about qi like breath: just like air flows constantly in and out of our bodies, qi is always flowing through our spaces. In general, the goal in feng shui is to have qi that moves gracefully and with ease. We want qi that collects and gathers in your home, so that you can receive the most positive energy in your life. 

However, there are some design details that can lead to qi with less ideal qualities, which makes for more challenging feng shui. A long hallway is one of these details to watch out for. When you have a long, narrow hallway, the qi can rush down the hallway very quickly and with a lot of force, rather than meandering and collecting in your home.

In feng shui, a long, narrow hallway is kind of like a freeway or a long tunnel—it gains more speed and momentum, which can create challenges in the hallway itself, as well as whatever is at the end of the hallway. For instance, if there is a bed at the end of the hallway, that bed is receiving the brunt of that energy. This can make it hard to rest. If a desk is at the end of the hallway, there can be challenges in work and career. If the front door is at the beginning or end of a long hallway, that can mean that any qi coming into your home goes straight out of your home and life, rather than flowing and cultivating in your home. 

If you do have a long hallway, then ideally we’d like to improve the feng shui of that hallway. In general, it’s always best to change the architectural details if you can. If you’re not able to renovate your hallway, which is completely understandable, there are some simple ways you can still improve the feng shui of this part of your home. Here are six of our favorites.

Hang Artwork on the Walls 

You can slow down and break up the qi or a long narrow hallway with artwork on the walls. This creates a distraction for the qi, or places where the energy can stop along the hallway. This prevents the qi from rushing straight down, and encourages it to take a slower, more meandering path. Be sure to select frames that don’t stick out too much.

Add Several Rugs or Runners

Several runners or rugs in a row on the floor can also help to slow the flow of qi. It creates the effect of a few different hallways put together, instead of one long hallway. This helps the qi to flow more slowly and gracefully through the space.

Add Lighting on the Walls

Lighting on the walls, like sconces, creates periodic focal points to slow down the qi. Feng shui practitioners often add light fixtures or make changes to the lighting in a home, because light is an easy way to manipulate the qi in a space.

Create Another Focal Point in the Hallway

This could be a piece of art, a plant, or any other focal point that you’re drawn to. This helps to slow down the qi and create a place for it to collect, so that it doesn’t rush straight down the hallway.

Hang a Feng Shui Crystal Ball From the Ceiling

One tool that feng shui practitioners use to adjust the flow of qi in a space is a feng shui crystal. In this case, we’re talking about a faceted glass ball made of crystal specifically for feng shui applications, rather than a naturally occurring crystal or gemstone.The facets of a feng shui crystal ball help slow down and disperse any rushing qi that comes in.

Hang a Mirror on the Wall

Mirrors can really open up a space energetically and visually. To create more openness in a long, narrow hallway, and create more space for qi to meander, hang a mirror on one side of the hall.