Entryway Inspiration

When I wrote the kitchen inspiration post a couple weeks ago, my friend, Shane, tweeted that he’d like some ideas for reorganizing his entryway.  When I mentioned this to his wife, Kelly, though, her response was, “WHAT!?!”   Not one to fuel marital strife, I gingerly stepped away from that conversation.  BUT our entry closet was actually the first thing I organized this year so it’s an area I’ve recently given some thought and attention and I decided that I would make it the latest installment of home inspiration.   You know, just in case anybody out there is interested (ahem).

Before you begin…

• Figure out where your entryway is/will be.  If you’re lucky, you might have an actual closet or maybe even a mudroom.  If not, it might the small nook by your front door or a dresser near the garage entrance.  It might be both.  If you live in a really small space, you might want to designate an area of wall space that would work well.
• Figure out what you need/want to keep in that space.  If you are short on space, your list should be short (keys, mail, coats).  If you’ve got ample room, your list can be longer to include things like shoes, umbrellas and other supplies.  For our entry closet, for example, this was my list…

  -Shoes
  -Exercise Accessories (like ear buds and Jason’s iphone armband)
  -Some cleaning stuff (vacuum, duster, broom)
  -Coats
  -Umbrellas
  -Swimming gear since we are at swimming lessons twice a week
  -Seasonal items (hats/mittens/scarves in the Winter, sunscreen/glasses in the Summer)
  -Bags (my purse, J’s workout bag)
  -Extra (vacuum bags, cleaning stuff)

  We’ve already got a spot for keys near the front door and a tray on our kitchen island to catch our mail.  Now that we’ve got Mr. Bates, I’ve had to allot some space in the entry closet for his leash and brush as well.

Now you’re ready to get to work…

• Clean out your existing entry area.  Remove anything and everything that isn’t on your list. Be ruthless.
• Now that you’ve only got the essentials, figure out a good system for each item on your list.  Do you need some hooks?  A shelf?  A dresser?  Figure out how you can make it both functional and beautiful.  It doesn’t have to be one or the other.
• Last, make it happen!  Once you’ve set up your space, use it for a few weeks and then reassess.  Is it working as you intended?  Is it staying clean and free of clutter or do you need to move things around a little?

Inspiration…

This is a beautiful example of a small entryway.  Those small drawers can hold things like keys, sunglasses, earbuds, dog leash, etc.

With ample space, there are so many options.

But with minimal space, a little creativity can go a long way.

This one looks large but it actually takes up very little space as well.  The bench and the shelf overhead aren’t very deep yet they’ve also managed to add drawers and 12 hooks.

You could go really minimal with a set up like this!

I like the use of the desk in this one.  The bag hangs from a hook on the desk and it’s the perfect landing place and sorting spot for mail and the like.

There are those drawers again.  This is a great use of vertical space.  You could try something like it if your abode isn’t that big.

With that, you should be all set, Shane everyone.  Time to get to work!

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