How to Organize Your Entryway
Find a place for the umbrellas, shoes, scarves and other weather-related gear
The weather changes, and so do our entry needs. Here are some ideas on how to store and organize your weather-related accessories this season.
Practical fun. Even though an umbrella stand serves a basic purpose, it doesn’t need to be boring. Erin Fearins, interior designer with Fearins | Welch Interior Design (sister company of CWB Architects), updated this entry, keeping the client’s blobby, green umbrella stand in the final design. She and the client knew this functional piece was needed in the Brooklyn townhouse.
“It’s a chic way to stay organized in an entry space like this that gets a lot of action,” Fearins says. “If you don’t keep these spaces well-organized, they can turn into passages with scary piles on the floor.”
“It’s a chic way to stay organized in an entry space like this that gets a lot of action,” Fearins says. “If you don’t keep these spaces well-organized, they can turn into passages with scary piles on the floor.”
Complement the furnishings. In Florida the weather fluctuates, and the design team took that into consideration when planning this entry, says Ivonne Ronderos, principal at DKOR Interiors. An entry detail like this boot umbrella stand has a practical function, but the team also used it to tie the space together.
Umbrella stand: Z Gallerie
Find umbrella stands
Umbrella stand: Z Gallerie
Find umbrella stands
Behind closed doors. An umbrella stand can also slip inside a coat closet and join the other weather-related gear. If it really starts to rain outside, pull out the umbrella holder so everyone knows right away where to stash theirs.
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How to Tap Your Hall Closet’s Storage Potential
Create a vignette. An umbrella stand keeps the outside elements contained and helps tell the story of this North Carolina home. Heather Garrett, principal at Heather Garrett Interior Design, paired the client’s holder with a lamp and stool to create a corner vignette inside the front door. “Function turns into something also pretty,” she says.
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Decorating 101: The ABCs of Arranging Vignettes
Stash the Shoes
Off the floor. A simple tray with slats gives boots a home in this Washington, D.C.-area home. The custom shoe holder keeps the floor clear and fits perfectly underneath the coat hooks.
Off the floor. A simple tray with slats gives boots a home in this Washington, D.C.-area home. The custom shoe holder keeps the floor clear and fits perfectly underneath the coat hooks.
Sliding storage. This cubby has a drawer that slides out to hold boots big and small. It was designed so that even the adult boots can slide out of sight without getting smashed.
Get Organized: Storage Ideas for Shoes
Get Organized: Storage Ideas for Shoes
Added storage. Shoe storage doesn’t need to be built into your furniture. This crate fits right under the entry table, creating the perfect place to store boots.
Easy cleanup also makes movable storage a plus. Just tip it upside down outside or in the trash to quickly remove any debris.
Easy cleanup also makes movable storage a plus. Just tip it upside down outside or in the trash to quickly remove any debris.
Gather the Accessories
Group the gloves. A basket added to the entryway bench lets everyone drop their gloves in one place, which helps ensure none go missing. It also makes a great place to store hats and scarves.
Find decorative storage baskets
Group the gloves. A basket added to the entryway bench lets everyone drop their gloves in one place, which helps ensure none go missing. It also makes a great place to store hats and scarves.
Find decorative storage baskets
Organize high and low. This entry maximizes gear storage with two large baskets nested underneath the bench and a row of hooks along the wall. The baskets can be used for small items such as headbands and gloves; the hooks help keep scarves untangled and wrinkle-free.
Sunny skies. Don’t let gray skies — or a messy entry — get you down. The sun will shine again, which means you can also use that entryway storage for beach towels, sunglasses and flipflops.
Your turn: How do you stay organized when the weather changes outside? Tell us in the Comments.
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7 Keep-Tidy Tips for Compact Entryways
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Your turn: How do you stay organized when the weather changes outside? Tell us in the Comments.
More
7 Keep-Tidy Tips for Compact Entryways
Browse entryway furniture and storage supplies
Out of sight. The nooks and crannies of the entry work great for a tall pot that doubles as an umbrella stand. This umbrella holder fits right in the corner behind the door and sits conveniently next to the coat rack.