Are you tired of hunting down your stuff before you go out in the world every morning? Or sick of the rest of your family asking you where their stuff is? Creating an organized entryway can help with this dilemma and these questions. There are a couple of easy changes you can make to turn your life, at least with respect to your entryway, into a more organized and inviting space. Please note: Where kids are concerned it’s just a theory that this will help with these constant questions. Husbands are another matter altogether.
Add a Drop Spot to Create an Organized Entryway
People have stuff… lots of stuff… that they need every day: keys, laptops, backpacks, hats. Placing a console (sometimes called sofa table) in your entryway does wonders for the organization and containment of this stuff. Place one by your front door or any primary entrance to your home. These table surfaces provide a great drop spot for our things. Add a small bowl or basket to the table for keys. Funny, but you always know where they are if you put them in the same place every time, so give them a place and your entryway will be more organized.
Organize Your Entryway by Adding Hooks
Ok, more stuff to deal with! We have coats, hats, umbrellas, dog leashes … and they need a home whilst they are not being used… even if it’s for those few hours between dusk and dawn. If you have a closet in the entryway, like I do by my front door, fantastic – just always make sure that there is enough space for the coats that live there and a few extra hangers for guests. If you don’t have a closet, like the door in from my mudroom, consider hanging hooks or buying a standing hall tree for those on-again-off-again items. It will prevent them from being consigned to the inevitable “kitchen chair drape over,” the couch or, heaven forbid, the floor. All these items neatly hung is definitely a stress reducer.
Insider Tip: Consignment stores, like Consignments Ltd., are great places to score hall tree, shelves with pegs and wall hooks for this step in organizing your entryway. They are also good sources for console tables.
Don’t Forget The Shoes When You Create an Organized Entryway
Bruce and I live in a “semi-shoeless” home. We try to remove our footwear, most of the time, as we enter the house, to limit the dirt that the soles of shoes are famous for. But what to you do to deal with these shoes as you take them off in the entryway? Because you know, if you don’t give these bad boys a home they become a giant tripping hazard or track needless dirt into the rest of your house. A couple of things work here:
- Baskets to hide the shoes away (one for every person in the house that can get tucked neatly under that console table you’ve added.
- A Boot Tray to contain them, also put under the console, perhaps.
- A Shoe Rack mounted on the inside of the closet door, for the lucky ones with entryway closets.
- Or just go barefoot forever, no matter the season. OK, I admit it, that one’s probably not going to work.
And, Finally, Add a Place To Sit
Related to the whole shoe thing is the act of putting them on and taking them off. If your entryway is large enough to accommodate one, a bench is a great addition for the “shoeing” and “unshoeing” of your family. A small chair, placed on an angle in the corner can work too. Some benches also come with built-in slots for baskets, so you can kill two “shoe birds” with just one stone.
And Now For A Little Music Before We Go…
For more from me, check out my previous blogs, like: Easy Eggroll Bowls and How To Tell a Hand-Made Persian Rug From a Machine-Made Rug.
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