The vestibule seemed to be jumping off the screen so I had to draw it. I'm glad it worked out. When I look at a design I automatically reach for a pen and tracing paper. People make fun of the fact that I always have a half dozen different colored felt tipped pens in my pocket and don't know how they got there. My former boss would hold his hand out palm up and I would put a pen in it. I recently left my pocket scale at a client's home and have been so miserable I ordered a half dozen of them. Sometimes it helps to draw the plan by hand with furniture, people, feature highlights and circulation arrows. Plan weaknesses will quickly become evident and solutions will sometimes seem to jump out at you when you are free of hard straight lines, dimensions and the burden of keeping what has already been drawn. It also helps to turn the sheet around and imagine walking through spaces from another direction. It doesn't have to be pretty; it's only for you. Few of these sketches are kept more than an hour and often I don't look at them when drawing the final on the computer; it's just an exercise. IMO unless you're using up a lot of tracing paper you're limited to reorganizing other people's ideas and those ideas can easily get out of proportion and not fit together as well as they originally did.

I have the same hall way, so really loved everyone's ideas! I have thought about clearing out a closet on one wall, removing the doors and putting a sleeping closet in there that stays open to the hallway to give it more width. It would only be cot sized because of the depth possibly with book shelves and a light looking like one of those European wall niches with a bed. Because I love rustic, I would layer it with a collection of wool blankets, fun pillows and maybe a pictures and/or old postcards. I have lots of guest and a child could sleep on the cot. Now, to figure out what to do with what is in the closet! What do you think of that idea? My hallway is actually the same color. I've also been thinking of running a 2 pieces of wood down the hall apart enough to hang pictures between them in an effort to make a more tidy gallery, but fear it would lengthen and skinny up the look of the hallway. If the ceiling was darker than the walls would it cause the widith to look wider? Here is a link that might be useful: Winchuck River Store

and nothing in the hallway? I do feel I need the foot trafficked areas to have rugs to protect my floors. I like the idea of a wider rug in the entry area, but I still want a runner in the hall. I guess I’m just lost on how to approach mixing and matching rugs in a contiguous area.

Looks like you have a lot of space to work with and could implement several differents ideas. Love the ones others have mentioned above. A mirror would help bounce the light around hall so it doesn't feel too dark. I would recommend a long horizontal one if possible. If you have access to an Ikea they have great options for shoe cabinets. Add a few hooks and you've got yourself a mudroom of sorts. I also agree that a narrow console table would make a nice drop spot and the sconces would help to brighten the space. A bench would make a nice addition too. It may be helpful to think of each section as a "zone". Determine how you would like each space to function, based on how you live, and then decorate accordingly. For example: Zone A: a shoe cabinet and mirror. Zone B: a bench and some wall hooks, or a coat tree. Zone C: sconces, a large framed piece or gallery wall, and a narrow console table. Our personal favorite is the hemnes one pictures below but they have lots of options to suit different styles.