Clutter is easily one of the most frustrating elements in any home - and it can creep up on you quickly. But as with many things, your best defense is a good offense.
The only way to truly protect yourself from being buried in a pile of clutter is to proactively prepare for it. Set yourself up with a specific place or space to store each offending item. If everything has a home, it's a lot more difficult for the mess to get out of control.
We recently worked with a client who needed help refreshing her entryway and containing piles of mail, tickets, coupons, cards, go-items such as keys + lipsticks and - of course - shoes. By focusing on her main sources of incoming clutter as well as the items she liked to have easy access to, we turned her dark, cluttered entryway into a bright + airy clutter-containment zone. Even better, we did it on a tight budget.
So, where to start?
1. File and Organize Your Mail
If you can get your mail and paperwork organized and under control - that's half the battle. For our client, we employed a few organizational tools to contain her incoming mail, outgoing mail and paperwork.
- First, we hung a wall organizer so she could separate her incoming mail into categories.
- Next, we used a napkin holder to house her outgoing mail, including bills coming due.
- Then, we added several bulletin boards and decorative mirrors with storage slots so time-sensitive mail such as Save-the-Dates + coupons have a place to go where you can see them. This is also a great spot to house mementos such as pictures + ticket stubs or small items you don't want to lose such as stamps or receipts.
- Finally, a small attractive bin to house paper recycling (not shown). This is key! If you keep the recycling bin close to where you set down your mail, you can pre-sort out junk that you never want to read before it ever starts piling on your dining room table.
2. Reserve a Spot for Your Go-Items
You'll never lose your keys again if you have a designated spot for them. For our client, we found a mail sorter with hooks for her keys. A small decorative bowl, box or jar also does the trick for keys and other items such as lipstick and/or sunglasses. We also added a few hooks to the walls (not pictured) for hats, scarves, coats, bags and umbrellas.
(To keep it clean, we recommend only keeping your in-season coats and hats in the entry, find a closet or somewhere else "more hidden" to pile on your winter layers when they're not in use.)
3. Hide Your Shoes in Plain Sight
There are a lot of great options for shoe storage these days. For our client, we went with this shallow "dresser-style" piece from IKEA because we knew she needed something with a top to place items on. There are also lots of cool, modern options that you can attach to your wall and take up even less depth into your space.
Want to add these pieces to your home? See below for our resource list:
1. We chose a calm minty blue (Benjamin Moore, Palladian Blue) for the wall color.
2. Springtime Geometry Clock by Dot & Bo.
3. The mail sorter, bulletin boards, and mirrors are all from Home Goods. If you have a little time to hunt, Home Goods is a great place to find inexpensive decor.
4. The White Lace Letter Sorter by Nate Berkus for Target is no longer available, but this snazzy gold one is!
5. Simple, Chic, Shoe Storage by IKEA.
So, how do you organize your entry? Any great tips we missed? Please share them!
Cheers!
ES + MM