Friendly and Functional Entries

This entry is modest, but doesn't feel small or stuffy. With two wide drawers and a shelf of baskets beneath (perfect for gloves and mittens), a small demilune cabinet offers a surprising amount of storage capacity. A freestanding coatrack adds a bit of vintage charm to the space while a collage of photographs instills personality.

Want to dress up a simple entry like this for the holidays? Simply switch out the plant for a poinsettia and drape some garland over the photo frame. Voila! Instant Season's Greetings!

Even if your entry space has modest proportions, you can make it attractive and functional. Here, an old bergere, covered in saucy pink flame stitch, offers comfy seating while a small demilune table does double duty as accent and drop zone. A basket underneath stores gloves and scarves. Sconces on either side of a large mirror ensure ample lighting.

Don't let the lack of a front closet keep you from storing things close to the front door where they're needed. In this front entry, a console table, skirted in sumptuous tomato-red silk, makes a stylish statement below a gilt mirror. Beneath its folds, shelving and bins can hold boots, gloves, scarves, even pet leashes and toys.

Country charm greets visitors in this rustic entry. Re-milled pine flooring is fashioned into a coatrack with a shelf above to store a basket full of necessities and showcase a pretty painting. An old bench sits against the wall under the rack for drop-offs and seating.

A wooden piece of architectural salvage takes this entryway from cluttered to customized. Leave the texture of the piece in its original state or paint it to suit your decor, then add a towel bar. Hang S-hooks from the bar to catch purses, backpacks, hats, jackets, and reusable shopping bags. Get organized with buckets to gather small items such as sunscreen, pet leashes, or gardening tools.

Admit it—stuff will congregate at the front door and foot of the stairs no matter how hard you try to retrain your family. Embrace the inevitable and plan your storage solutions accordingly. Add hooks at kid height to walls adjoining the staircase and build drawers into the understairs space. A few strategically placed baskets let you whisk away clutter before guests arrive.

A gracious welcome awaits guests in this beautiful entryway. The large and inviting space offers a spot to drop keys or mail while still greeting visitors with an eye-catching focal display. Comfortable chairs flanking the front door provide seating for removing shoes or boots.

To keep your entry free of clutter, place a console table and a row of hooks near the door to keep personal items off the floor. Choose a table with drawers or shelving for baskets so you can assign spots for each family member and still have room for guests.

Even if you can spare only a few inches of floor space in an entryway, you can make the most of the wall immediately inside the door. Join tower-style bookcases to mimic the look of custom built-ins. Set a wall cabinet on the floor as a seat and connect the towers with a shelf and wall-mount hooks. Install file bins to sort incoming and outgoing mail and hang a mirror for a quick primp before heading out the door.

A symmetrical arrangement of built-ins converts an entry into a welcoming and comfortable space for arrival or departure, and is cozy enough for prolonged conversation. The benches offer ample storage inside for bags, cold weather garb, and sporting equipment.

If the essentials of everyday life are cluttering your home's entryway, outfit the space with hardworking storage details. Ready-to-assemble base drawers, locker-style cabinets, and a partial wall with hooks enhance the style of the space, while bins, boxes, and slide-out wire drawers boost function. Baseboards and crown molding seamlessly integrate the cabinetry with the walls. Cushioned bench seating on the base cabinets creates a perch for dressing.

This inviting entry bench began life as a stately sideboard. With its legs removed and an upholstered seat added, the piece nestles into a windowed niche and neatly holds scarves, hats, gloves, picnic blankets, and other outdoor textiles.

A freestanding wooden bench offers a surprisingly ample amount of storage space for a tidy, if compact, entry. A series of storage baskets tuck snugly underneath to corral clutter, while a small table provides space for a lamp and drop area for keys. The plump row of pillows on the bench makes this area a cozy place to get ready for outdoor weather.

A skinny bookcase flipped on its side is augmented with wheels to make a mobile piece of furniture for the front entry. Outfitted with a cushion and pillows, it introduces an inviting spot to slip on shoes and stash pet supplies. Pair the bench with a few decorative hooks to hang jackets and bags. Vary the level of the hooks to accommodate younger and shorter members of the family.

This inviting entry offers quintessentially cottage style, from the front Dutch door to the bright and breezy color scheme—and shows that entries don't have to be "grand" to be welcoming. The restful blue-and-white palette is augmented by the warmth of woven elements such as the door shade. A painting over the storage cabinet visually balances the hat rack tucked into the stairwell. The defining elements here could all be picked up at a garage sale or discount store.

Simple changes to an old dresser yield an entry cabinet with period appeal and modern storage capabilities. Inside one drawer, a power strip provides a spot to charge phones and other electronic devices for grab-and-go convenience. Large drawers hold outdoor gear, and a cubby for sorting mail or dropping off books is created by removing a drawer and mounting metal shelf brackets to the bottom of the cabinet.

Keep your entry clutter-free with stackable rolling bins. Assign one to each member of the family to drop off bags, shoes, and sports equipment. Dress up the fronts of stock bins with painted stencils to create a patchwork of color and pattern.

Removing doors and adding shelves turns a microscopic entry closet into a locker-style catchall to gather gear for the entire family. Old swim baskets with tea-towel liners stow off-season supplies on a top shelf, while hooks attached to the back wall transform large sections into lockers for coats and bags. Stainless-steel baking trays on the floor collect drips from shoes and boots.

Wall space on each side of the door keeps this entry attractive and orderly. The tall stair-stepped cabinet lends style to the area with both open and closed cubes for display as well as concealed storage. A lidded basket under the table on the opposite side provides a place for shoes and outerwear. Above the table, a shadowbox houses keys and a repurposed ladle gathers loose change.

If your entry and living room are one and the same, divide the space with easy-to-assemble cabinetry. This nifty closet/room divider neatly organizes living room space into a hardworking entry. There's room for hanging coats and storing gear on one side and attractive display and storage space on the other.

This entry system doesn't leave organization to chance. Labels on hooks, baskets, and cubbies ensure that everything goes where it belongs. Closed upper cabinets store off-season gear, while boxes corral smaller items on open shelves. A bench seat opens for more storage capacity and slides neatly under the desk. At the desk, calendars and file bins keep paperwork and calendars organized.