How to Organize an Entryway in a Small Space

For those of us who live in small homes or apartments, one of the biggest quandaries we face is how to organize the space we have without it looking cramped or cluttered. Especially if you have a family to consider, organizing a small space requires extra thought and planning. Your entryway is the first place you and your guests see when entering your home. It makes a statement about what the rest of your house communicates about you. Here are a few tips to help your organize a small foyer or entry, to get the most out of your space.

The first step in organizing a small entryway is to declutter. To effectively organize, you first have to remove everything that doesn't belong, declutter and donate things that are no longer needed, and make sure your entry has only items in the space for it's intended purpose. In other words, if your winter boots are still hanging out in the foyer in the middle of April, time to put them away. If junk mail is scattered on the entryway table, throw it out. Then, bring into the space, bins, boxes, or baskets to contain the various items you will be keeping there. Think about how you want you entry to function. Remember, in a small space, every square inch is at a premium, so think about just how many things you want going on.

Most people want their small entry to be a landing pad for the family, a place to drop coats and keys, a place to put the mail, and to kick off their shoes. A good idea to organize a small entry is to first, hang a shelving unit with hooks up at around chest height. This is relatively inexpensive and easy to install. On the hooks, you can hang jackets or coats, and backpacks. Then, on the shelf, you can put decorative but functional baskets to contain the items that will be stored in your small entry. I like colorful faux leather photo storage boxes with lids. One can contain incoming mail to sort, outgoing mail, keys, and papers. The photo storage boxes are great for small space organization because you can slip a printed card in the front to label what is contained inside. They are also stackable.

Then, under that place a low bench. I am not a fan of benches that have lift-top storage to organize a small entry, because having to constantly open and close it and sift through it for items can be time consuming and pinch little (or big!) fingers. Instead, I like a simple bench, even a small outside wooden bench that you stain, would be perfect to organize your small entry. Then, you can have pull out cloth bins underneath for shoes, an umbrella, gloves, hats, scarves. You can change what is inside the cloth bins seasonally. For example, during summer season, I store a small beach bag with sunscreen, hats, sunglasses and such. This is a great way to organize a small entry.

To make your small, organized entry more inviting and functional, you could even add a shelf above the initial shelving with hooks. This can contain family photos, a small plant, and a couple of more small baskets. Make sure if you add an additional shelf, it is the same color, style, and length as the shelf beneath it for continuity. In lieu of the shelf, you could also place a mirror to check your appearance before you leave and to open the space.

Organizing a small entry can be challenging, but with a little creativity and a small initial investment, you can create an entry that says, "welcome home!"