How to Organize a Small Entryway Closet Like a Pro
I’ve just started out on a mission to get my whole house organized ~ one space at a time.
I decided the beginning was the very best place to start ~ the Entryway Coat Closet.
Related posts: Find all the links for organizing a downsized home here.
Here’s ours:
Our entryway is a closet directly inside the front door and connects to the Living Room. One of the first things we did when we moved into this townhouse was convert the awkward bi-fold doors into french doors. It was a really fun project, and totally transformed both the look and function of the doors. (You can find more before pictures and the process here.) Here it is now:
(Doesn’t it totally look different??) When we made over the doors, we also gutted the closet and added hooks and a shoe shelf. It functions well, but had gotten a bit messy…
When I decided to tackle this project, I used this method that I use for any organization project:
How to organize an Entryway Closet
(or any space in your home)
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Empty the space ALL out (as in every. single. item.) and group items into categories.
This is the part of the organization process when you may feel like you are making more of a mess than you started with. Let me tell you a secret… You are!
Like my mom said, “It always has to get worse before it gets better!” (#momquote of the day)
Even though it may look like just a hot. mess. on the floor, there is actually a method to my madness.
Grouping like items with like items gives you a really good reality check. You may realize you have 5 of exactly the same item!!
2. Give each item a designation. Ask yourself, “Should it be purged (thrown or given away), relocated, or put back?”.
In this specific case, I took our out-of-season shoes and coats and put them in our bedroom closets. Some shoes were our kids’ that they no longer wore, so they were disposed of based on the condition of them.
3. Clean out the area thoroughly.
Once an area is completely emptied out, it is the perfect opportunity to give it a good clean. I vacuumed up all the dirt and washed down the walls and shelves with all purpose cleaner.
4. Organize small items into appropriate containers and label.
I already had baskets that fit perfectly on the shelves, but had never gotten around to label them. This time, I printed off some tags on my printer, cut them out with a circle cutter, and put them on some clearance tags I had in my craft closet. Now it’s nice to not be constantly getting the hats and mittens baskets mixed up!
5. Put back items so that they are easy to access for your daily lifestyle.
The baskets went back on the top shelf where we can easily access them when we need them.
Coats and shoes that we’re currently wearing on a regular basis went back on the hooks and shelves.
And my purse, my husband’s gym bag, my work lunch bag, and umbrella are all in locations that make it easy to grab and go.
My blogger friend Christina at the DIY Mommy did a YouTube collaboration on organization the other day, so I uploaded a new video of our Entryway closet to join her challenge. I had to hurry to get it finished on time, so it’s a bit unpolished… The lighting makes me look like I have a football player’s chalk under my eye, my hair needs to be fluffed in the back, and the sound effects are slightly off…
BUT, you can see our little Entryway closet in action.
Click here, or the image below to take you to the video.
Hi Rita, I love the new dark closet doors. Very chic! And a great font for your circle labels. Can you share it?
It’s “Antero”. And, thanks, Bev!:)
Nice and neat. It’s amazing how quickly it gets messy:-) Love the makeover on the door. I think I will try that on a few of my doors. Does the extra embellishments add much extra weight to the doors? Also, as much as I like hooks for bags, garden jackets and critter accessories, I find the weight of the hoodie, jacket, etc. leaves the item misshapen. Seeing as my son is grown and gone I do see the merits for kids!