Entryways are a reminder that we are transitioning from the outdoors to the inside of a home (or vice versa). It's a place where we can pause to think before we head out into the world making sure we have everything we need.
Even if you don't have the luxury of a grand vestibule, a good entryway can be whittled down to a few key elements: hooks for bags and coats, a place to put keys and cell phones, a mirror for last minute primping, and ideally a bench for plopping down groceries or for removing shoes.
Here's a roundup of some entry spaces featuring clever, easily replicated ideas.
Above: Bags hung low beneath a row of boxes maximizes the space in this hallway entry. Photograph via det Dia
Above: A narrow table proves a catch-all in the entry hall of this Danish home. Photograph via La Maison d'Anna G.
Above: A modern entryway made with plumbing pipe with wooden storage units on wheels below. Photograph via Welke. (The Brick House has a good guide to making shelves with similar plumbing pipes.)
Above: Vintage shoe trees serves as hooks and provide good visual punctuation in this entry setup. Photograph via Desire to Inspire.
Above: Stacked crates serve as both storage and shelving spotted on An Ordinary Woman.
Above: A block of wood doubles as a bench and shoe storage in this Finnish home spotted on Roadtrip in Finland.
Above: A row of hooks at child height level with a rail for hanging coats above in a Swedish home via Family Living.
Above: Not all homes have a transitional space. We like this solution from Ashley Helvey and Miles Pederson in Seattle spotted on Design Sponge. Two old stools are used as a base for this entry bench and a wooden pole straddling two hooks (with S hooks hanging from it) serves as a coat rack. For more, see our Steal This Look.
Above: Zig zag hooks on the wall provide storage in the marble floored entryway in the 1860s Brooklyn home of architect Elizabeth Roberts.
Above: A minimal hallway via Designspirationsk.
Above: A chalkboard wall for messages with coat hooks beneath spotted in a Hampstead home designed by Stiff Trevillion.
For more, check out our Coat Hook solutions.