4 Items Professional Organizers Always Keep in Their Entryways
These tricks will make sure your entrance feels chic and clutter-free.
Never underestimate the power of an organized entryway. It’s easy to dismiss this transitional area as an afterthought, but it’s one of the most crucial area of any home.
Your entryway is often the first glimpse into your house—a clue as to what the rest of the space is like—so it’s only natural you’d want to create a tidy and stylish perception. It’s also the threshold between the great outdoors and your cozy interiors, so an entryway also needs to be a practical place to stow coats, keys, shoes, and unopened mail.
The catch? Entryways are seldom spacious, so every square inch counts. If you want your entryway to be equal parts orderly and well-appointed, help is on the way. For guidance, we asked professional organizers to share the items they always put in their foyer. Simply add these must-haves, remove any excess, and you’ll have a stylish, streamlined space in no time.
A Purse Hook
Limited square footage shouldn’t stop you from keeping belongings organized, says Georgia-based organizer Kenika Williams of Tidied By K, who focuses on “intentional optimization.”
“My everyday essentials have a designated home, which makes my entryway functional, organized, and easy to maintain on a day-to-day basis,” she says.
Case in point: A hook for her everyday bag. “I installed a wall hook for my purse, so it always has a designated home and I never have to remember where I left it,” says Williams. If you install a bag hook—and leave your keys and wallet inside—you’ll have all your stuff in one place so you can leave the house quickly.
Stylish Shoe Storage
Your shoes can track in thousands of microscopic bacteria—yuck! If you don’t want to bring that mess into your personal space, opt for a shoe-free home. A shoe tree or metal rack might be the obvious place to stash your sneakers and sandals, but there are more stylish alternatives. “I don't have a coat closet near the entrance like many larger homes do, so I added a shoe cabinet to keep my shoes organized and out of sight,” says Williams. It’s a sensible move that’s considerably more stylish than a shoe tree.
Neutral Baskets
Anyone with little kids or roommates knows how challenging it can be to keep everyone’s belongings organized. Baskets are the key to a “frictionless” foyer, according to Nicole Longo, owner of NEAT Method in Los Angeles-South Bay.
“Ideally, each family member has their own basket for a few pairs of shoes,” she explains. “These are often the biggest contributors to visual clutter and the morning scramble when they aren't thoughtfully organized.”
Bridge the gap between form and function with opaque baskets that conceal any clutter inside, suggests Longo. Bonus points if they’re a neutral color, which brings a “lightness and calmness” to the space, she adds.
Trinket Tray
Furniture isn’t mandatory in a hallway, but many people add a slim console table for style and extra storage. But if you’re going to place furniture in your hallway, create a drop zone. In fact, Williams puts a trinket dish on her aforementioned shoe cabinet for her keys and earbuds. “I have a dedicated spot to drop them as soon as I walk through the door,” she adds.
Kelsey Mulvey is a freelance journalist who has over a decade of experience in print and digital media. She covers interior design and lifestyle content for a breadth of publications, including Good Housekeeping, Country Living, House Beautiful, Veranda, and more. Her hobbies include themed spinning classes, Netflix, and nachos.
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