Our entryway used to be so neat and organized. I had a cute little vintage desk that I refinished myself and a chic basket or two to hold things. But you know how it is. You have a kid. The kid has stuff. You have stuff. You live in a construction zone for months. The clutter just gets away from you.
Well, it kinda got to a breaking point for me and I decided to do something about it. Here are the three principles that kind of guided me in my organized entryway journey!
Closed Storage Is Your Friend
This is especially important to me since having a child. Some people like to say, “You have a kid. It’s okay for your house to look like they live there!” And that is a totally valid way to live and organize your house. But for me, it’s important that my home reflects the fact that I live there, too. Especially considering how important design is to me.
It’s not like I’m throwing Theo’s stuff away, I’m just putting it behind closed doors because I don’t think he cares if he can see his bike helmet or not! But seeing random piles of stuff like that everywhere I look does matter to me.
And it’s not just his stuff either. Kyler has saddle bags for his bike. We have, like, six bottles of sunscreen that are in use currently (like…how?? How did that happen??) I just don’t think it’s necessary to be looking at all of that stuff all the time. It’s visual chaos to me. I want my eyes to be able to rest when I look around my home. I want to see beautiful things.
And as cute as the baskets and vintage table were, they were just getting lost in the clutter and visual noise. So my first tip is to use closed storage wherever possible!
Opt For Sideboards Or Buffets
My second tip is closely related to the first tip. Forget console tables and traditional entryway furniture! The best way to optimize your space is to get a sideboard or buffet, you know, dining room storage! This is specifically in the case where you already have a place to hang your coats and put your shoes, such as an entryway closet. If you don’t, then a closed wardrobe system is obviously your best storage bet.
But for those of you with entryway closets like we have, the best place to browse for that additional piece of furniture to maximize your storage potential is actually the dining room section! Sideboards and buffets often have multiple tiers of shelving inside closed cabinets and maybe even some drawers, too, which is so useful for organizing smaller items. We ended up getting this one from Wayfair, which perfectly fit our little nook by the stairs.
If you have a very long, open entryway, you could also check out the media consoles/units, but there’s always so much unused vertical space in homes that I think getting taller storage that takes up less square footage is a better use of most people’s spaces. Unless you live in a huge house, of course! And ultimately, the right piece of furniture for you will depend a lot on what it is you’re trying to store.
Use Baskets And Trays
This might seem obvious, but I feel like often when furniture comes with drawers or shelves, people tend to just toss things in there without any kind of system. Even if it’s just a flat surface, like a table, we all just end up throwing our stuff on top without thinking about it. Maybe this works for you, in which case, please feel free to ignore this tip, but I feel like having something like a small basket, bin or tray to corral smaller items makes life so much easier when it comes to finding things.
And they don’t even have to match or be attractive if you’ve followed my closed storage advice! If they’re hidden away inside a cabinet, it doesn’t matter what they look like, just that they fit nicely on the shelf with the door closed.
Now when it comes to tabletops, you may feel like you want to use a nicer tray or something similar, but again, that is up to you! Bonus points if it’s also closed storage, although I find that just laying things down in the tray hides it all enough to my satisfaction.
Bonus tip: styling the tabletop part of the sideboard is not only fun, but really the cherry on top of an incredibly satisfying organization transformation. Obviously, you can style with whatever you want! Art, books, knick knacks, plants, and practical elements too, like clocks.
I am so incredibly happy with how this entryway transformation turned out! I love looking over at the entryway now. It’s so visually satisfying, beautiful even! And it’s especially meaningful to me because we’re living in a construction zone currently. The clutter and chaos was really starting to get to me. So getting this one little corner of the house under control has done amazing things for my mental and emotional well-being!
Sideboard – Wayfair
Planter – sold out
Books, painting – thrifted
Bookends, vase, bust – Homesense
Clock – Cloudnola
Tray – Draper James
xoxo
