I feel like a broken record when I say ‘We LOVE our house but had to compromise…’ The more I think about it, it wasn’t really compromising as much as it was getting used to new/different spaces and making them work for us. We doubled the amount of storage space in our new house, and yet it was in less than ideal locations. We have TONS of storage in our basement, but when it comes to the main floor, we have one tiny closet in our living room. So we had to get creative.

At the condo we had a super spacious closet and defined entryway right when you walked in. In our house now, we have no closet and no defined entryway. It was a problem. Like I mentioned in the last post, to live organized, everything needs a home…and I was puzzled. Where would we store our coats? What about our shoes? Winter apparel? I wanted to maximize the storage while also creating a defined space.

I began to scour Pinterest, browse Amazon, and observe others entryways. After some solid research and brainstorming, I decided we needed a bench. Not just any bench- but a bench with storage. This would allow us to store winter items in the bench and shoes underneath. Ideally, I would’ve loved some built ins- a bench with cupboards around it, BUT there was a budget AND I didn’t want something too permanent yet, as I tend to change things to suit us better the longer we live in a space. After looking at hundreds of benches (no joke), I found the perfect one while browsing Facebook Marketplace. Just look at all that storage!

I also decided we needed hooks- and lots of them. Without a closet nearby, I wanted our coats easily accessible but still organized. I fell in loooooove with this wall shelf and definitely splurged a bit- but it was so perfect for the space and the measurements worked perfectly with the bench. Ain’t she a beauty?! Get yourself one (here).

I also purchased a rubber mat off Amazon to put under the bench. It’s been a wonderful addition especially this winter. It again gives definition to the space underneath. Bonus- it was super cheap. You can find the mat (here).

However, those are not all of our shoes. Imagine that. We keep our nicer ones in our closet, the ones we use almost daily under the bench, and our extras found a nice spot in the garage- still easily accessible but not cluttering the entryway. Shelves and baskets are lifesavers for shoe storage.

Now that our coats, shoes, and winter apparel had a home, our entryway was almost complete. However, there was still a wide open space next to the front door. Again, with limited main level storage, I wanted something that was practical. I also wanted a place where we could keep the keurig (limited kitchen counter space). After some Pinteresting and idea hunting, I was leaning toward some sort of buffet piece…I fell in love with many, but they had too much ‘exposed’ storage (i.e. open shelves). I wanted something that would hide our stuff. We thought we found the perfect piece at At Home, but when we got it home, it was 2 inches too long. I was super bummed. We went back and kept searching when we landed upon this one. As much as I loved the first one found, I loved this one even more.

Our kitchen storage is limited (another post coming up) and I wanted a place that could also store our crock-pot and blender- things we use, but not daily. I also loved that this had drawers- everyone needs a place for odds and ends. Even though it’s our cabinet of random things, each thing has a home. I used organizers and shelf dividers to organize the chaos. Yes, even I have cabinets that are a mish-mash of things. It’s not the prettiest, but it is practical!

And with that, you have our entryway! What was once a blank, undefined space, now has some much needed storage and organization. One of my future projects is the space above the cabinet- right now we have a nice organizer with hooks, but that space is screaming for some attention. For now it works well and serves it’s purpose. But my wheels are already turning…

If you’re struggling with how to arrange your entryway, consider your needs. Do you need more storage? Do you need more defined areas? Do you need organization? Once you identify your need, you can begin searching for pieces or ideas that will solve your problem. Remember- give everything a home and all will be well! Up next, organized living in our kitchen!