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Decorating

Welcome Your Guests With an Impeccably Organized Entryway

The entryway often becomes a dumping ground for everyone’s clothes, bags, shoes and junk as soon as they get in the front door. It’s only natural right? Wrong. Your entryway is the first thing you and your guests see when they walk into your house — don’t you want it to make the right statement?

 

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Having an organized entryway, like any part of your home, starts with honesty. How do you contribute to the mess? What are your daily habits? What works for you, and what doesn’t? Embrace the way you are, and design your entry organizational system around that. There’s no right or wrong answer.

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Organize
Mail. Are you someone who leaves their mail to pile up for days, weeks or even months on the entry console? Try this trick: Put all of your (non-urgent) mail in a pretty basket in your entryway. Instead of stressing about it during the week, save it for a lazy weekend morning, when you can sort through it over a cup of coffee.

Shoes. Stop shoes in their tracks. If you like your family to take off shoes before coming into the house, give them no excuse to pile them up in a chaotic mess. Individual cubbies or trays can help keep things tidy.

Coats. Don’t have an entry closet? No problem. Mount hooks on the wall or use a coat rack to keep clothing up and off the ground. Organize by individual, with nametags or numbers, to keep everyone’s stuff in their own basket, bin, cubby or hook.

Keep it clean. Enforce a weekly or bi-weekly entryway clean up to get rid of any unnecessary items from the entryway and put them back where they belong.

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Refresh
Keep your entryway well lit — whether you’re blessed with natural light from a window or door, or need to substitute with a well placed ceiling light or table lamp. This will serve as a wonderful welcome to our home, and also encourage your family members to keep the space looking great.

Play with color. The entryway is a perfect place to set the tone for the rest of your house. Try painting the wall behind your hall tree in one of your home’s brighter accent colors. A colorful rug or runner draws the eye down the entry hall into your home.

Use mirrors. Having a mirror near the door is a handy way to make sure everything’s in place before you head out the door. But a well placed mirror can also reflect light around a small space, making it look brighter and bigger.

Be playful with your accessories! Implement fun baskets, hooks, bins and coat racks that put a smile on your face as you come and go.

Don’t forget seating. Whether it’s a full bench or just a single chair, it’s a nice touch to have a spot for you and your guests to take off your shoes.

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Renovate
Custom design storage solutions. Build-in storage with shelves or a custom hall tree to make sure that there’s a place for everything, and everything’s in its place. Make use of hidden storage in benches and cupboards wherever possible to limit visual clutter.

Add architectural detail. Beadboard, clapboard, wainscoting, trim or molding adds a touch of sophistication.

Tired of paint? Try wallpaper! A single wall of patterned wallpaper works wonderfully in small spaces like entryways.

Leave the hallway open and clear. You want to make sure your front door can open and people are immediately drawn into the heart of your home.  Since most entryways are narrow, try to use vertical space (your walls) whenever and wherever possible.

You might also like: Refresh, Renovate and Organize Your Living Room

 

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