The entryway is one of the most overlooked areas of our homes. We rush through it as we’re leaving for the day, and when we return home, it becomes a dumping ground for everything from junk mail to umbrellas. While many people view their foyer as an afterthought at best, it’s actually very important. As we all know, first impressions are everything.
If the space inside your front door is giving the wrong impression, there’s no better time to give it a fresh look than at the start of a new year. Try any of the following suggestions for organizing entryways, but be careful—with such a neat and attractive foyer, you may never want to leave your home again!
Have a Nice Trip: First things first: get all those loose items off the foyer floor! It looks messy and disorganized, and it can also be health hazard, causing falls and stubbed toes. There are many ways to keep things corralled, from cubbies to baskets. If you have a larger entryway, we suggest cabinets from ORG. They keep everyday items in order and, when placed behind a cabinet door, make it easy to create a clutter-free space.
Get Hooked: For those items that can’t be stashed in a drawer, a locker, a cabinet or a cubby, there are other options. Hooks in the front hall will keep coats and backpacks in their place. You can also dedicate hooks to other every day items that tend to float around the house, such as dog leashes, canvas grocery bags, and even your umbrella. Hooks can be large or small, finished metal or dark wood. It all depends on your personal style.
Fly In on the Landing Strip: If you’ve ever been late for work because you spent fifteen minutes searching for your keys or wallet, this trick is for you. A landing strip is simply a shelf or table near the front door, where you can keep all the small, essential items that don’t have a permanent home. Whether you hang your keys on a tiny hook or toss them in a decorative bowl, you’ll never have to search for them again. Add a small cork board and use it to pin reminders, notes, and outgoing mail to make your front hall even more efficient.
Organize Mail Call: Between junk mail, bills, and magazine subscriptions, the amount of paper that comes into your home (and gets lost in the shuffle) can be overwhelming. A simple filing system in your entryway can solve this problem. A wall mounted file holder is a neat and attractive way to keep paper clutter in one place, so you can easily find the latest issue of People magazine (and pay your cell phone bill on time!)
Take a Seat: A bench just inside the front door allows you to comfortably remove your shoes after a long day, and gives you a chance to transition from the outside world back to your home. ORG makes a number of benches that can be customized to fit your foyer. You can even store baskets beneath the bench to maximize storage.
We hope these suggestions have inspired you to rethink your entryway. If you’ve already resolved to organize your foyer this year, call Strickland’s Home — we’re happy to help.