6 Tips for Enhancing Your Entryway!
Tips for Enhancing Your Entryway!
Have you ever looked at the mess of your entryway and thought “wow, I need to do something?” What can you do to make the entryway of your home more attractive? Whether you have a mudroom or a small entrance area, there are ways you can get creative in enhancing your space.
Our entryway is pretty small and that means a lot of shoes, backpacks, and coats can congest the already small space. In winter, there are even more things to contend with – boots and shoes, coats, hats, and scarves. I guess it is safe to say that you always have a ton of everything every season when you’re a family.
Cluttered and Unorganized.
We don’t have a closet right when you walk in; rather, we have a big one when you go to the lower level. Which for kids, it’s that extra mile that they don’t want to go. So, coats often end up perched somewhere they don’t belong. The shoes often end up stacked on top of each other on our old entry mat and with wet boots. It’s not a good look. It can get messy quick. So, I decided to make a few changes.
Read on for tips on how to make your entryway more organized and dare I say, prettier and greener too!
1. Start Small and Go From There
When it comes to your entryway, you don’t have to get all dramatic; start small. Spend time decluttering, so you’re not scrambling for space. You can add a small side table, bench or shoe shelf to help get things a little more organized. Bins and cubbies work wonders in entryways for organization. They are a great place to store gloves, mittens, and hats when not in use.
2. Add a Floormat on the Outside of your Entryway
If you live in a snowy or a muddy area, you know how detrimental the elements can be to an entryway. Catching the snow or mud before it comes inside is important. The right mat can catch snow or mud before it even comes in your home.
If you opt for a Traffic Master mat like us, it is super durable and backed with recycled rubber for slip resistance. I tend to trip on flat surfaces, so having this extra slip-resistance is priceless. Not to mention, a clean and dry entryway in the after-school bustle.
3. Invest in a Good Quality Boot Tray to Trap Dirt and Wetness
One item that we have in my home (that I love) is a boot tray. If you don’t own a boot tray, you’re missing out. A boot tray can help organize the shoes that are coming in from outside. It can also provide an area for snow to melt. Snow isn’t the only thing that collects on shoes though. So, having a place for boots and shoes to rest (instead of on the floor) is a great idea.
We love our new Traffic Master Boot tray because of its quality. It’s not a floppy thin plastic tray; rather it is firm and has raised ridges on the internal base of the tray to aid drainage. Even better – it’s an eco-friendly tray made with 98% recycled materials. I like the shape too because it allows easy placement for shoes of different sizes.
4. Don’t Underestimate the Power of Hooks
One of the things we had meant to do for, well, forever was to get some hooks up in the entryway. That way, we could hang the girls’ backpacks and they don’t end up on the floor. It is such a simple little “hack” that we often don’t think of. In less than 5 minutes, the hooks were up and the clutter was off the ground. Easy enough, huh?
5. Clean At Least Once a Week
The entryway isn’t one of those places in the home that you can just set and forget. I have to set aside time each week to reorganize our small entryway. The same advice goes for any entryway or mudroom; spend time cleaning it at least once a week.
TIP: If you don’t have a closet right in your entryway, invest in a coat hanger. We opted for one that will hold all of our coats and had room for our umbrellas that were just hanging around.
Along with cleaning, you will also find me decluttering this space. The kids are responsible for putting their items away properly. It’s amazing how nice our little entryway looks when everything is put away properly.
6. Add a Pop of Pretty
I decided to add a tall vase with some flowers to give our newly functional entryway a pop of pretty. We had this vase since Darasak and I had lived in our loft and it’s been stored away. We thought we would give it some more life and bring it back into our home decor. While I am sure you can definitely find more creative ways to pretty up your space, reusing items you have stored away is a great idea. I kept it minimal because it is such a highly trafficked area that I didn’t want to re-clutter what I had just de-cluttered. Feel free to let your creativity soar with this one!
Think Green!
One thing that I have always been passionate about is finding ways to make our home not only functional, but lessening its carbon footprint at the same time. We recycle, repurpose, reduce, and reuse. Other ways we try to help our planet is to choose products that do just that. Finding Rethink Tires stemmed from wanting to keep my entryway as clean as possible. They support the creation of sustainable products from scrap tires. I like to use products that are sustainable, but also created from recycled materials. I love the idea that the products I’m using in my home are giving old rubber new life. What started out as a simple tire has transformed my entryway into something amazing!
In my home, we use the Scalloped Boot Tray that is eco-friendly and made of 98% recycled materials. The Recycled Rubber Floormat has been amazing too. It is made from recycled rubber tires, which reduces the impact on landfills. Not to mention, it has a non-slip backing to reduce movement and help prevent accidents. You wouldn’t have known if I hadn’t told you, right? When you choose recycled products from Rethink Tires, you’re choosing the following:
- Shock-absorbing
- Fire resistant
- Long-lasting
- Noise reducing
- Durable and low maintenance
- Slip-resistant
- Excellent in water run-off safety
- Cost-effective
Want to Do Your Part?
You totally can! Sustainable products made from scrap tires are transforming homes across the province. You can drop off old tires at a registered collector. Visit www.RethinkTires.ca to find a registered collector near you.
You may think that it’s just old tires but, once recycled, old tires come back in so many different shapes, sizes and forms. It is kind of cool to think about what your old tires might be transformed into.
If you’ve been looking for ways to re-vamp your entryway or mudroom, now you have some tips to get you started. If you are working on something else, kick-start your next home DIY project by checking out RethinkTires.ca to see what other sustainable recycled tire products are available.
How do you make your entryway more green and organized?
Let me know, til then–cheers m’deres!
Note: This post is sponsored by the Ontario Tire Stewardship. All thoughts and opinions are honest and my own.
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Nancy Polanco is a freelance journalist, lifestyle content creator, and editor of Whispered Inspirations. She is a proud Mom to Gabby and Michaela and partner and best friend to Darasak. Having worked as part of a health care team for almost a decade, Nancy is happy to be back to her passion. She is a contributor to the Huffington Post, TODAY’s Parents, and an Oprah Magazine Brand Ambassador.
These are great ideas! I love the baskets and the trays for the shoes. All that space is great and keeping the mess at bay is even greater.
I am totally with you.
This has been on my list for quite some time. I hate a cluttered entryway. I definitely need a boot tray. Thanks for these practical tips!
My pleasure, hope they can help you.
This post was made for me because I don’t allow shoes in the house so our entryway gets cluttered wih a weeks worthof shoes. I love those trays and want one now, so perfect and keeps the mud and water out of the house.
Us too, no shoes in the house. This would help you m’dere.
I absolutely love the Boot Tray. And I’m stealing the backpack hook idea. Backpacks usually end up on either side of the piano knobs haha!
The hooks will be a life changer, I am telling you!
What great tips. I love the idea of having a boot tray – I end up placing them on top of plastic bags and that is not attractive. And hooks – we love hooks here too!
Yes, this would totally help.
Great ideas! I love the idea of hooks at the door way for bags – I could definitely use that in my own home!
It made a world of difference for us. They are no longer on the floor.
I should definitely try implementing some ideas like these. Our entryway could use a few extra organizational pieces.
It would help, it has done wonders for us.
This is such great inspiration! I like the look of the recycled rubber floormat. We have a small entrance as well, but thankfully our closet is nearby so we store everything in there, although it often gets cluttered too.
Yes, the boot tray is so helpful.
The entryway to the house is one of the most important features of your home. It’s what people see first when they arrive. I like the idea of adding a boot tray, especially this time of year.
Yes, all year for us!
Those are some great organizing ideas. There are 8 of us so shoes by the front door makes me crazy even though we have a similar basket system as well.
That is great, the cubbies are so helpful.
The traffic master mat looks fantastic, especially since I live in the UK which is partial to temperamental weather. And it is great that the mat is slip resistant as well!
Yes!
I love this idea. It turned out really great. I know I need more organization in our entryway. There are way to many shoes/boots in ours, and there are only four people living here.
We are the same, we have to clean it every week.
I like to organize my things at home. Love the idea. I saw a similar thing (the one to put the shoes) on a store near my place here.
I hope it helps!
I have. small entrance as well and it’s best to keep tidy! Boot trays are a lifesaver during the winter, and for us down here in Florida benefit from it during the summer where it rains everyday to keep the floors dry..
OMG, yes, they would definitely help.
I love how open and fresh your entryway is! I could definitely use the storage in mine to help store some of the clutter.
Yes, what has made it better for us is the mat and boot tray.
I love that nook that you have for your entry. My entry has no walls to use for hanging things buy I do have a storage unit like yours.
It is pretty awesome! Hope it works for you.
You offer some great tips for enhancing your entryway. You really changed the look and made it better. It looks really great.
Thanks so much!
Ditto on the coat hanger suggestion! We have four kids and having hangers for coats above the backpacks always made it so much easier to get out the door on time without any of the kids forgetting critical stuff. Great tips!
Yay, glad they help!
Great ideas. I hate clutter and the bench with storage is perfect. Id prefer it in natural wood though but it looks great
For sure, it would definitely help.
These are some great ideas. Entryways are hard to decorate and keep functional at the same time.
Yes, since they are so often used.
I like all these entryway ideas. Mine has been spruced a bit so I like it for now
Awesome!
Our entryway is a mess right now!! Going to implement some of these tips to get it better organized
Awesome, I hope this helps.
Love that shoe tray idea! We are always tracking mud in. Then it hardens and falls onto my beautiful floor 🙁 This is a perfect solution!
Definitely. It has already made such a huge difference in our lives.
Hallways always get so cluttered and become a dumping ground! Thanks for sharing these ides to make it a little more presentable!
My pleasure!
What a difference that makes and not a lot of work and items put into it to help keep it organized! I love the hook ideas on the wall for the backpacks. I have been shoving ours in the closet lol. and that bench is beautiful ! Love the storage underneath
It is so simple to make it more organized, greener, and functional.
THese are great ideas to keep my entry way organized!!
Hope they help!
Thanks Nancy for sharing all the wonderful tips,I need to dress up my area!
My pleasure!
I love these ideas! I have a section for shoes right by my front door and it gets cluttered and sometimes a bit messy in that area because if it. I’ll try some of your solutions.
Awesome, hope you can get it rearranged.
These are great tips! That mat for shoes is so practical too. I don’t know why I had never thought of getting one! 🙂
They are so practical and best part of it all is that they are recycled from tires.
Great ideas here. I love that the boot tray is made from old tires. Tires can be a big issue in landfill if not reused and repurposed. Entry way looks fantastic. Backpacks are on ongoing challenge. We have closets and even so with teens they drop and run often. I am forever calling them back to hang things up or put boots away in the closet!! My entryway is not perfect but it’s better than the one we had at our old home. Here my main issue at the front door I think is the draft. I will need a screen on that front door soon. It is too close to my office so when anyone opens the door in the winter I get a blast of cold air. I have a goal to redo the laundry room though and take it more of a mud room kind of space for bags, boots etc. These trays from Rethink could work well there.
OMG, yes, it would be perfect for that area. You are right though, with teens, it is neverending.
Love the way you placed and organized everything! So functional and pretty!
Thanks so much!
Wow its amazing how little small additions can really help make a space. I definitely need more hooks to hang bags because they can easily become large bundles on the floor. Thanks for the tips!
My pleasure, hope these tips help.
Great post. You found cute but practical and non-cluttered ways to enhance your entryway/foyer.
Thanks! It is all about minimizing and being greener too.
Great ideas. Love how these tips can make your home so organized and neat.
Awesome, I am glad that they can help you.
That traffic master mat looks so amazing. I need something like that in our entryway to save our floors.
It has been so helpful for our floors.
I think the boot try is such a smart product to buy. I was looking at these just this week. I need to grab one for the back door.
Yes, they are so helpful and these are such quality made and they are made from recycled air.
These are such great tips! Our entryway has become a dumping group for everyone’s stuff and it’s so annoying since it’s the first thing people see when they drop by unexpectedly!
Yes, and it is always so messy!
I was just as Home Depot a few days ago looking for things to add to our kind of boring Entryway! This is so much help. Thanks for sharing.
My pleasure.
A bench and bins are absolutely perfect! I always like a place where I can sit down when putting on shoes. I know the shoe space can get super cluttered, so these are great tips!
Me too, I am so glad it can help.
I love the way you revamped your entryway and I definitely need a mat like that for shoes, I think it’s an essential!
So essential!