5 Must-Have Items to Create a Functional Entryway

When optimizing space is a crucial task, it’s important that you make not only aesthetically pleasing choices, but also functional decisions when decorating. Take our home, for example… Our garage is in the back of our home, but our front entryway is where we come in every day. It’s home to bookbags/purses/shopping bags, keys, sunglasses, bags (for the dog), jackets, shoes, mail and other misc. items. So… how do I keep all of this in one small space, organized AND looking clutter-free? Here are the 5 things I added to our entryway with both function & style in mind…

1) A console table/chest with drawers: For all the miscellaneous items that we need to store in this open area, drawers and baskets are crucial. If I had an entryway that we didn’t actually enter through, I wouldn’t necessarily need the drawers and would consider a console that was without them. But for our home, a chest with drawers and baskets is really useful.

2) A rug. Again, since we enter through this area, a rug under feet is crucial. This rug we have here may be light, but with the tan and brown shades, it’s actually masked stains pretty well. It’s faded over time because it’s gotten a LOT of traction. But the look is meant to appear vintage, so the fading hasn’t bothered me. I switch rugs around frequently, but this rug has been in our kitchen (under our table), in our bathroom and now our entryway, and it’s lasted us a pretty long time. You could also consider a natural fiber rug, if you’re worried about stains, but want something light and neutral.

3) A basket for shoes. (Ours is always over-flowing. But we couldn’t function without one in this space.)

4) A mirror. I’ll be honest. I like to check myself before I walk out. Plus, mirrors create the illusion of a larger space. So this mirror serves a purpose AND I think it makes the space appear larger. This mirror is really large and rustic. I, personally, favor circular mirrors. I LUV LUV LUV circular mirrors. Whatever shape you choose, consider a variation of shapes amongst the larger items in the space. If you have a rectangular console, a nice circular mirror (or opposing shape) can give a great contrast to the space.

5) A bowl and/or tray for small storage. We put our keys in a small bowl and our sunglasses line a tray on our console table. A tray can also be used for mail or other small accessories. The bowl really becomes a catch-all for small things you don’t want to lose.

Other things you may want to consider adding to a foyer/entryway:

a bench

hooks

a coat rack

a chair

an umbrella holder

a boot tray

the right lighting (possibly a lamp on a table, as well as overhead lighting)

and DEFINITELY add some floral/greenery.

Get the look of my entryway with these options:

Here are some great options for console tables, in many different styles and budgets:

Here are several options for mirrors that I LUV:

Some other items you might consider:

Hope this has offered you some sort of inspiration! Don’t forget to share whatever has inspired you (from any of my posts) on Instagram with the hashtag #luvbecinspired! I LUV to see what you guys take away from my posts and how my designs/fashion finds have inspired you! Thanks for stopping by!