Entryways can quickly become dumping grounds for clutter that accumulates fast — especially if they are small, narrow, and have no storage space. Not only will this become stressful, making your entryway an impossible-to-navigate trip hazard, but it also won't provide guests with the best first impression of your abode.
Learning how to organize an entryway is an essential part of tip-top housekeeping, and one of the best additions to the space to assist you with this task will be curating a choice selection of highly functional storage pieces.
I talked to professional organizers to learn their advice for people seeking to organize an entryway that has little room for storage, and what sorts of storage pieces they would recommend to keep a small or narrow entryway well maintained for the long run. Here's what they had to say.
1. Think tall and thin
In a room where floor space is at a minimum, it's important to make the most out of your vertical space. And that means trying out different ways to use verticle storage. For instance, you may not have space in your narrow entryway for a traditional shoe rack, but you may be able to tuck one similar to the Tall Narrow Shoe Rack for an Entryway from Amazon into a corner. This will serve the same function but work better with your entryway's floor plan.
Keren Geva, owner and professional organizer at Organize-It, says, "A slim shoe rack will help keep footwear organized and clutter-free. I recommend storing only the shoes you wear daily for easy access in a smaller entryway."
I particularly like the ZUJJAFY Bamboo Vertical Shoe Rack from Amazon because it's simple yet stylish and can double up as a table to help organize your small entryway.
Price: $25.99 (on sale)
This chic wooden shoe rack will slot into any small space, providing storage for shoes or other little items. I really like how the top doubles as a table surface, ideal for a lamp or to store your keys and purse.
2. Aim for multipurpose pieces
Doubling up on your items by seeking multi-functional pieces and transforming furniture is a no-brainer when working with a small space. These versatile additions will allow you to use up one lot of floor space while gaining double the functionality.
For example, if you would like a small seat in your entryway to help put on shoes, opt for a model like the Crysania Polyester Upholstered Storage Bench from Wayfair that doubles up as a storage bench. This way, you will have the bench you want, as well as somewhere extra to store items in your entryway.
"You can use a storage bench with divided space inside to keep bags, shoes, or seasonal gear out of sight perfectly," adds Keren. Limiting your entryway furniture is one of the simple tips for a tiny entryway we gathered to help make the space both practical and pretty.
3. Organize items immediately
When seeking to organize a smaller entryway with little room for storage solutions, it's vital to follow entryway decluttering non-negotiables to keep clutter down and to place items back in their correct spaces. Otherwise, the space will rapidly become messy. To prevent clutter from accumulating in your small entryway and make your small entryway look bigger overall as it's clutter-free, seek to organize your items immediately. Don't dump them on the floor after a long day out; instead, put them in their home, whatever that looks like, or designate a special "dumping" basket in the corner to throw items into that are yet to be sorted out.
Any basket will work for this, depending on the size of your space, but I recommend placing it in a corner or underneath a table to maximize the otherwise wasted under-table space. Dana Reder, professional organizer and founder of Winnow & Bloom, uses a basket to place her mail into to avoid it from cluttering up the entryway.
"I avoid the buildup of an unread mail pile by sorting and recycling all mail immediately when I arrive home," says Dana. "To help with this, I recommend keeping a small bin for items to be reviewed or that have some follow up step, and blocking out time in your schedule to process them."
The Spectrum Diversified Steel Utility Wire Storage Basket with Curved Easy Grab Handles from Walmart and the Upright Folio Grass Handwoven - Threshold™ from Target come recommended by Dana, with the latter being a particularly good shape for storing mail.
4. Opt for off the ground
Your walls and the back of doors pose great opportunities for creating storage space in an entryway, from the potential to hang up wall hooks or install collapsible storage options such as the Wall Mounted Retractable Folding Clothes Hanger from Amazon. To neglect these as potential storage spaces would be a mistake.
Keren says, "If you're looking into hooks, install sturdy hooks for coats, bags, hats, and scarves. You can also use multi-level hooks to maximize vertical wall space."
The Umbra Flip Wall Mounted Coat Rack from Target is a great choice as you can fold the hooks away when they are not in use.
Adding a few of these to your entryway would add lots of storage. If you'd like to add hooks significantly higher up on the wall, you could keep a small, collapsible step ladder or stool tucked somewhere nearby as well. The Kingrack Non-Slip 2-Step Ladder Folding Stool from Walmart would do the trick and is very compact.
5. Prioritize items depending on need
Millie Naor, professional organizer and founder of Bella Organizers, made a great point when we were discussing storage solutions that apply to any space but even more so to a small one: "The most important thing is to understand what you have and then purchase items based on that. For example, if you have a lot of shoes, then a large shoe rack would be important. If you have more to hang, maybe add a clothing rod. If you have more things to store, more shelves would be beneficial."
If vertical, slim storage isn't your cup of tea and you'd rather fill out your limited entryway space with fewer full-size pieces, thinking of prioritizing furniture based on your lifestyle is incredibly helpful. So, if you have a million ornaments you adore seeing when entering your home, get more shelves or acquire a larger shoe storage rack if numerous pairs of shoes are an important part of your lifestyle to easily access.
Doubling up on storage here would of course still be super helpful, but it's definitely important to remember that there is no "right" way to organize your smaller entryway, even though there are good rules for an organized entryway out there if you'd benefit from some guidance. Everyone should look different as they lead different lives and require access to different items and amounts of items day-to-day. There may be items to never store in an entryway in your home that may work well in others, but that's part of the beauty of the individuality of every home.
