18 Reader Space: Entry Organization Made Easy

Surprise!  We are swapping things around this week, I have a fun little project to share tomorrow for a Color Challenge I am doing with some over-the-top-talented bloggers.  SO much fun!

Today, we are talking about entryways.  Does your home have a dedicated entry?  Do you struggle with entry organization?  Reader, Aniko from Place of My Taste, recently updated her entry and I love how she literally made something from nothing.  

That is right!  Zero designated entry.  Check.  Empty wall.  Check.  Aniko designed an award winning drop zone.  Well, even if she hasn't technically won an award for it, she should!  I had to know more!

What is the main function of your space?

"Our entryway is so small and leads into our family room {playroom now} which has very bright colors.  The playroom has long yellow curtains that border with the entryway, and I tried to create something matchy with that. 

This entryway has always been full of little shoes, jackets, sweaters and my handbags all over the place.  We needed to organize this entry to help our everyday mess disappear.

The main function of the entryway is to hold incoming mail, paper from preschool, shoes, jackets, bags and everyday clutter in one super organized space, instead of other areas in our home {aka my kitchen island}."

Any superstar tips for keeping the space organized?

"To keep this space organized, we needed to get into a routine of getting everything back in place.  My boys are finally into the routine of putting their sweaters and belongings back to the baskets by themselves, even my little one.  When I get home and grab the mail from the mailbox, the first thing I do is look over it all quickly and sort it.  Trash what we don't need, and the rest goes into the wall organizer."

What did you find to be essential when organizing this space, and why?

"After having this very organized entryway in our life for a few months now, I really feel that I could not be without any of these little individual creations.  All of them are essential!

The wall organizer: It has three little sections; one for incoming mail, one for each of my boys.  My kids are two and four and they bring home lots of art from preschool.  All these art pieces are kept in here.  Each weekend we go through these art items and select the ones that will be displayed in their room.  We clean out the wall organizer weekly. 

The key holders: My husband and I finally got into the routine of placing keys back here as opposed to throwing them elsewhere.

The pin board: Oh hallelujah... I don't have to look for weekly menus and calendars from preschools anymore.  It is all out there, pinned onto this cute pin board.

The sitting bench: Perfect spot for my little ones to tie their shoes.  The two white baskets hold hats, scarves, sweaters and many more.

Sunglasses basket: I am pretty bad about losing my items.  This little basket has saved me lots of time.  All of my sunglasses are kept here and I never have to look for them anymore."


What did you do to go the extra mile and "Make it Pretty"?

"I think finding this very colorful fabric really made it!  I am so happy for my choice, I adore this fabric.  After creating the pin board using the fabric, I loved it so much I planned every other project around it.  It is so bright and happy every time that I look at it."

What items did you DIY to stay on a budget?

"I love DIY projects as well as staying on a budget.  When I was looking for entryway inspiration, I found lots of command centers and wall organizers that I really loved, but they were not within my budget.  Our wall organizer was made out of an IKEA magazine rack.  I could have put it on the wall as it is, but I opted to display it on a black and brown wood panel {only because I already had the black-brown sitting bench and black-brown shelf}, so it would match the entryway design. 

I also DIY'd the cute pin board using an old cork board. 

The key hooks were installed on a piece of wood panel which was covered with the same fabric as the sitting bench and the pin board."

How has this space impacted your life for the better?

"Our new entryway is 10x more organized than it was before, and we absolutely feel that making this step was necessary to keep up with your mess.  WE LOVE OUR ENTRYWAY!  And we love to see this organized space right at stepping into our HOME."

Isn't it phenomenal what some creativity paired with fabric can do?

• This entire project was done on a tight budget, yet looks straight out of a magazine.
• I love that this can be replicated for anyone who lacks a formal entry.  All you need is a wall and an imagination.
• The fabric Aniko selected shouts out pure happiness.
• Aniko's system is simple for her family to maintain.  I stress this time and time again here.  Pretty is fabulous, but creating something simple to use is important.  If the system becomes too complex, it is easy to let it slide.  I adore that she designed something the entire family can use and manage.
• This is another great example of making a small space function big.  It also shows the importance of utilizing vertical space.  Hooks, organizers, a bench, a memo board and wall pockets all work together in harmony on a single wall.

You can find all of the details and ooh la la photos for this superstar entryway, over on Aniko's blog here. 

How do you make your entry function big?  If you could give a fabulous award to one area in your entry, what would it be?

ATTENTION!!  Want to be featured in a Reader Space edition?  Have an awesome organizing story to share?  I am looking for projects that have made a positive impact to your life.  Please submit your story and photos here and I would heart to feature them right here, on the blog!!  Photos should be high resolution and unedited.  Please include a description of the project, including any costs, inspiration, and how it has changed your life and routine for the better!  Oh, and no worries my friends, we will NEVER judge "before" pictures because that just wouldn't be nice!  Only love goes on at this blog!