Create an organized small entryway that is functional yet inviting for your guests. With a few basic items your small entryway can work for you.
Tripping over shoes and jackets is not the ideal way to enter my house. I have bins for shoes but somehow they don’t seem to end up there.
My entry space is small. There is room to open our front door to enter the house and then after that you have to close the door to remove shoes and jackets. The closet door is blocked until the front door has been closed.
My space is pretty empty but I wanted to better utilize the space we have and keep necessities for coming and going easily accessible and organized.
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I recently signed up for my friend Abby Lawson’s course Impactful Habits, Organized Home.
She is well known in the blogging sphere as an organizer and always is sharing useful and helpful tips to keep your home organized.
Using her course and my own knowledge of my family’s habits I created the perfect entryway that is functional and organized.
A Place For Everything
Problem:
The first step is deciding what stays and what goes. I really had to think about what items are needed in our entry space and what things need to go or be relocated.
The first thing was to remove all the items from the entryway. Once the space was empty then I did a quick sweep and vacuum.
Solution:
From here I followed Abby’s steps in deciding what items stayed in the space. She provides a list of questions and walks you through how to decide what to keep in your entryway.
This guide was very helpful as I had a few items I decided to relocate after going through the questions.
Items that stayed in the coat closet have now been stored in bins and labeled for easy access.
Easy Access For Kids
I also needed to consider my kids using this space. If I want to maintain a clean and organized entryway then I need it to be functional for all family members.
One item that is a struggle is backpacks and bags. I used to have the kids hang backpacks and bags on a hanger in the coat closet.
But my 6 year old is not quite tall enough to reach the hangers so she was always asking for help.
I needed to find a way to make it accessible so she could hang her bag independently. Not leave it on the entry floor for me to take care of later.
Shoe Storage
Who doesn’t struggle with all the shoes strewn about the entryway or kids not being able to find a pair of shoes?
The shoe problem can be a hard one.
Problem:
For us the shoes started in baskets under the shoe bench. It wasn’t working very well. The kids would take off their shoes upon entering the house but failed to place them into their baskets.
I was always calling for them to put their shoes away. I even began taking shoes away and hiding them hoping this would help them to remember.
Solution:
As of right now the shoes situation has been moved to the garage. We now have a shoe shelf with baskets for each kiddo.
Most days we are exiting and entering the house through the garage so this has been a better solution to the shoe issue.
Before coming into the house the kids take off their shoes and place them in the baskets (most days :P)
If you have the space I suggest trying out shoe baskets or a shoe shelf in your garage. Hopefully your kiddos can now find their shoes when needed and your not tripping over them!
Hooks
Solution:
To solve the backpack problem I picked up a hook rack from Marshalls and had my husband install it in the garage.
He placed it low enough so all our kids can reach to hang their backpacks on the hooks. Now they won’t have to try and hang them on a hanger in the coat closet.
A benefit is that there is now more space in the coat closet for coats!
A Bench
Problem:
Now that the shoe and backpack problem had been solved, I still needed to consider guests who enter.
They need a place for shoes, jackets and bags or purses as well.
Solution:
I did not have to add anything in my entry space to make this happen. My shoe bench was now vacant for guests to use and I had a hook rack above the shoe bench already.
My guests have a place to sit and take shoes on and off and they can also hang their jackets and bags at the door.
The shoe bench and hook system inside my house that wasn’t working for my family’s needs was still the perfect solution for my guests needs!
Something Pretty
No entryway is complete without adding something pretty to the space.
One of the easiest ways to style the entry is with a beautiful rug. I choose this rug from Target and added rubber grip under to keep it in place.
Next to the rug I placed a tin filled with cotton stems.
Above the hook rack is a floating shelf from IKEA. Here I like to add pictures and decorations for the season.
A simple inviting sign and faux plant bring a welcoming invitation to the entry space.
So far I’m really enjoying going through Abby’s course Impactful Habits, Organized Home. It has walked me step by step, action by action to get my entry space organized and functional for my family.
While I hope that my tips have been helpful, I know that each family is different and you will have different struggles with your entryway.
Make sure you check out Abby’s course Impactful Habits, Organized Home and create your own organized entryway using her help!
