An apartment door in a shared hallway doesn’t get a porch, planters or a lantern either side. But it’s the first thing you see when you come home, and a little Christmas on it makes the whole corridor nicer for the neighbors too.
The limits are mostly about the building: no damage to the door, nothing that blocks the hallway, nothing that’s a fire risk. Within those, there’s plenty you can do.
Check the rules first
Some buildings don’t allow anything on hallway doors, especially fire-rated ones. Most allow a wreath. A quick look at the lease or an email to the building manager saves taking it down later. Doormats outside are usually fine as long as they’re not a trip hazard.
The wreath
A wreath is the main event on an apartment door, and the only thing you really need.
Size. Most apartment doors are 32 to 36 inches wide. A wreath of 18 to 22 inches looks right; bigger tends to crowd the peephole and handle. I go into more detail in the wreath size guide.
Hanging it. You’ve got three options without holes:
- An over-the-door hanger (on Amazon) that hooks over the top edge. Check the door closes properly with it in place; some fire doors have a tight gap.
- A magnetic hanger (on Amazon), if the door is metal (many apartment doors are). Test with a fridge magnet.
- A heavy-duty adhesive hook (on Amazon) on a wood or painted door. Use one rated for well over the wreath’s weight.
Lights. Hallways have no outlets near the door, so a pre-lit wreath with batteries (on Amazon) is the easy answer. One with a timer turns on for six hours each evening and saves the batteries. A lit wreath in a dim corridor is lovely to come home to.
A ribbon
A big bow at the top or bottom of the wreath, in velvet wired ribbon (on Amazon), makes a plain wreath look finished. Wired ribbon holds its shape, so it doesn’t droop by mid-December. Red is classic, but deep green, burgundy or plain cream on a green wreath look just as nice.
You can also hang the wreath from a long ribbon looped over the top of the door instead of a hanger, which looks good on doors with a high clearance.
A doormat
A Christmas doormat (on Amazon) is the other thing that makes a shared hallway feel like home. Pick one that’s no wider than your door so it doesn’t stick out into the corridor. Plaid, a simple tree, or just a dark coir mat with a seasonal border all work.
Things to skip
- Garland around the door frame. It needs a lot of hooks on the wall, and it often isn’t allowed in common areas.
- Plug-in anything. No outlet, and cords across a hallway are a trip hazard.
- Big standing decorations like porch trees or lanterns. They block the corridor.
- Real candles. Never in a shared hallway.
The inside of the door
The inside is all yours. A second, smaller wreath on the inside face, a few hooks for stockings, or a strand of battery fairy lights around the frame mean you see something Christmassy every time you leave as well as when you come home.
Taking it down
Adhesive hooks come off cleanly if you pull the tab straight down along the door, slowly. Keep the wreath in a wreath storage bag so it’s still in shape next year.