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Have you ever noticed that there are spaces around you that just attract mess and clutter? Like the tabletop by the door that’s strewn with keys, sunglasses, mail and who even knows what else. But not to worry, we all have that spot. Today we’re tackling it with entryway organization ideas to clear up that front door clutter.
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The Secret
Ok, you’ve heard it before but the easiest way to stop the mess and clutter is to set up systems for organization in your home.
That’s right.
You need specific places for things to go and a flow to follow regarding regular occurrences in your home. These flows help you form habits that keep you using the organization systems that you set up.
Once these habits are established, your home will ALWAYS be more organized and clean.
So let’s get started on how to set this up with entryway organization ideas.
The Entryway Organization Ideas
The entryway to your house is so important.
It’s the first thing you see when you get home and it’s the last thing you see when you leave. These first and last impressions have an impact on how you feel about your house. Check out this post on the impact of a cluttered space here.
In order to make yourself and guests feel good when they enter we need to make sure your entryway in organized.
How you do it will change depending on the size of your space but there are three major things that you’ll want to have solutions for.
As soon as you walk in the door shoes and coats come off, bags get set down and a pile of stuff gets dumped. What we need here is a place for all of these things.
First things first,
How do I store shoes by my front door?
Unless you live in a TV show, we all take off our shoes when we enter a home. So the first thing that you need in your entryway is a place to put those shoes when you first get in the door.
For this I have a few ideas depending on if you have a full mudroom, a small entryway or no entry way at all.
For those of you lucky enough to have a good amount of space in your entryway, I love the idea of having a bench with shoe storage underneath (check out this option for under $50).
These are great because you have room for everyone in the family to each have their regular pair tucked away and you’ll still have a bit of space for visitors.
If you have a small space then you can have your shoe storage do double duty by using a console. This console holds around 12 pairs of shoes AND gives you space for a drop dish – which we’ll take about in a second.
Finally, you could use something as simple as a shoe mat that can sit under a wall-mounted coat rack, a great option if you live in an area where it gets wet or snowy. Try out a pretty mat like this one.
*Bonus Tip*
Don’t keep more shoes at your entrance than absolutely necessary. Keep it to a limit of one pair of shoes out per person and you’ll have a ton of space and with no visual clutter.
In my own house we have a shoe mat where each of us can leave one pair of shoes then we have a large shoe rack in our hall closet where our other pairs live. Seasonal shoes, extra pairs, rain boots etc. all stay there until needed.
I also have an under bed storage bin dedicated to my dress shoes.
Where do all our coats go?
Another category we need space for but can quickly overwhelm an entranceway is coats, especially of the winter variety.
In my opinion there are 3 real solutions for what to do with them.
The first is recycling the shoe bonus tip. Limit every one in the family to only one coat in the entryway. It opens up so much space!
Second, try out a wall-mounted coat rack. I always think that using wall space where you can is the best option.
I love something like this.
In my entrance way we actually have two tiers of coat racks. One for adults and one for the kids. We hang up our coats there and the kids hang their school bags as well.
The last option is having more of a traditional standing coat rack. This is my least favourite option since it does take up some space but if you have the room and like a more mid-century home vibe it can definitely work.
If you want a multi-purpose piece you can take a look at this one which has space for coats, shoes and has a bench to boot.
*Bonus Tip*
Add a basket for winter accessories like mitts and hats. You can tuck this away or have it in the open as long as it’s not overflowing.
What about our pockets of knick-knacks?
This is my favourite tip to keep things organized when you’re first getting home.
There’s usually one spot in your entry way that collects clutter. It could be the top of your console table, a bench, a chair, or the foot of the stairs. No matter where it is we’ve got to stop the chaos from accumulating there.
I have found that the easiest way to do this is by implementing a drop dish system.
There are tons of options, so choose one that matches your home decor. I love this wooden one, this glass one and this beautiful copper one.
This system allows you to empty your pockets or drop what’s in your hands without things going all over the place. It’s perfect for keys, sunglasses and other small things that you often take with you. This dish can also be a good spot to put things that you need to remember to take with you when leaving the house.
I actually keep a drop dish in my bedroom as well.
My partner had this habit of taking everything out of his pockets at night and just dumping it all on his night side table. Where it would stay…. indefinitely.
In order to stop this, I have a drop dish and a small basket on a shelf by our door where he can put his keys, wallet, phone and whatever else. In the basket, he puts work expense receipts so that he can get them filed at the end of the month.
*Bonus Tip*
The last thing that I would recommend having in your entryway is a mail organizer. This is even more important if you have kids and school mail bags.
A mail organizer where the little ones can put their mail bags will make it easy for you to get communication from school and keep on top of homework and events.
If there is a spot to put mail that needs attention as well all the better.
How do I keep my entryway organized?
After you have these solutions in place the job then becomes keeping up with forming the habits. As long as you stay on top of only having one coat and one pair of shoes at the front door it won’t be cluttered.
If you make sure to use your drop dish you’ll be so much less likely to loose things that you need when leaving the house.
As soon as you form the habit and see the difference it makes, it’ll be impossible to go back.
A tour of how I use these entryway organization ideas
I have a very small, almost non existent, entryway.
Since it’s small, organization ideas are key.
Since we don’t have a lot of space only the essentials are right in the entry way.
We have a simple wall-mounted coat rack for us taller folk and a kids height one for the girls to hang their coats and bags when they get home from school.
This little table and basket houses a few items we typically drop as soon as we come in the door. Mittens and hats go in the basket and things that need to leave the house get put on the table beside it. Often that’s library books that need to be returned or mail that needs to be sent.
As far as shoe storage we only keep one pair of shoes per person out at a time and usually it ends up just being mine since everyone else is out of the house for the day.
Since it’s only up to 4 pairs of shoes out at a time, we have a small mat that we keep out.
Just down the front door we have this little nook. I absolutely love the functionality that it provided as a drop space for us. In the drawers I keep sunscreen, extra sunglasses, gift cards, coupons, notepads. All sorts of stuff.
But on top are only a few things; a pair of speakers, a library book that’s going to be moved to beside the door and a drop dish.
In my drop dish are my keys, sunglasses, wireless headphones and our family gym pass. All things that I take with me routinely when leaving the house.
What do you think?
Most of the time the simple entryway organization ideas are what really work!
Would have loved to see pictures