By Jackie Leffner
A well-organized front hall closet can make it easier to get in and out of your home, especially if you have kids. Now that it is consistently a bit colder, have you started taking out your gloves, coats, and boots? Are you now storing them in the bottom of your closet next to your sandals because you have not yet transitioned your closet? Well, here is your sign – Now is the time!
If you are anything like our professional organizers, you will take everything out of your front hall closet before putting new things in there. This will help you see everything that you have to put back into the closet and plan for organization!
Once everything is out of the closet – here are a few tips of things you can consider before putting everything back!
- Make a List – consider what you need to store in the closet when you enter and exit your home. Do you need shoe storage? Key hooks? Dog leash holder? Make sure you identify what NEEDS to be in this closet and consider if there are different homes for other items.
- Use a Variety of Storage – include a mix of open and closed cabinets, hooks, shelving, and shoe racks. Now, not everyone’s “Front Hall closet” can store all those items – but if you have a mudroom, you can also expand these tips to help you make the most of that entry space. The Container Store has some of my favorite choices when looking for pieces to help me organize!
- Use an Over-the-Door-Organizer – this is a terrific way to maximize storage space. Look for one with hooks for hanging coats and bags! This is a great solution if you are looking to really optimize your space.
- Use Baskets and Bins – These are ideals for smaller items like gloves or hats. Baskets can fit on shelves, and storage bins with lids can be stacked to maximize height.
- Add Shelving – Shelving is a good option for storing out-of-season clothing and baskets of toys or games. Although, our professional organizers could help you find places in your storage room or other non-prime real estate space for items out of season. We would highly recommend only storing “need-to-access” things in your front hall closet to reduce any clutter.
- Choose a Flexible Storage System – This can help you accommodate changing needs. Meat and Potatoes Organizing specializes in helping you create functional beautiful spaces that ensure you can continue to be successful with the organizational systems for a long time; however, we always tell people that as your life changes, your organizational needs may also change. Choosing flexible storage systems will allow you to repurpose your product and easily transition to an updated system.
- Add a Pegboard – You can add a pegboard with small hooks to hold scarves and purses. Do you have a small wall area that you are not sure what to do with it? Adding a pegboard can be a skillful use of space to give you some hooks to store light, easy items like scarves, reusable bags, or light purses.
Although guests to your home are not going to go searching through your home to compliment your front hall closet organization, it is such a critical area of the home. Having an organized front hall closet can result in easier mornings, after school time, and errands! We typically see our clients keep the following things in their front hall closets:
- Outerwear: Coats, jackets, vets, and cardigans.
- Shoes: Everyday sneakers, sandals, and boots. **Important to note that we would recommend you keep specialty shoes that you do not need every day in your personal closet or in a non-primary location.
- Accessories: Hats, gloves, and scarves.
- Daily Essentials: Bags, umbrellas, sunglasses, and a lint-roller.
For those clients that have a large front hall closet or some extra space to spare, we would recommend also adding in:
- Cleaning Supplies: purses, grocery bags, and other cleaning supplies
- Backup items: extra trash bags, umbrellas, and other items you might need.
- Off-season items: holiday decorations, winter coats, or summer beach gear.
Front hall closets are not the flashiest area of your home to organize; however, it can make one of the largest impacts. If you are still unsure of how to tackle your front hall closet, we are happy to talk through your space with you and dream with you to produce your perfect solution! So, if this still seems like a daunting task, schedule a complimentary discovery call to learn more.
