Hallway Runners

Leave about a hand's width of floor along each wall and a little more at each end: most hallways take a runner 2 to 2.6 ft wide, in short or medium pile. A grid or lengthwise lines lead the eye down the hall. An L-shaped hall takes two runners that meet at the corner, each measured to its own leg.

Short where doors open over it or traffic is heavy; medium for a wide hall where you want more give. Shag fails here: the walking line flattens while the edges stay high. Width and length come first, and hallway runner sizes and ideas set them out.

At a far end against a wall or a window, yes; by the front door or under a swinging door, leave them off, since they curl and catch on shoes.

Mid-toned, all-over patterns: small tiles or a carved relief in one deep color hide grit and wear between vacuums. Keep a pale runner for a quiet upstairs corridor.