apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Well the first thought I had was to color block an area on the wall to kind of pull everything together. (Maybe a darker gold than the rest of the wall, once you paint that.)

If you need more storage, maybe you can find a storage bench that can hide the shoes as well as the other stuff you need on hand. The chair looks a little lost with the bulk of the clothing on the rack and the dark mirror frame (although a darker color behind it might help with that.) A storage bench instead would reduce the visual clutter of separate shoes and you could move the chair elsewhere. (I have a brown leather upholstered trunk in my bedroom. That style might be too much visual bulk, but it sure is comfortable! Maybe something with legs...

"Maybe something with legs..." (Insert joke here)

I think your main problem is that the bang-in-the-middle focal point of this arrangement is a bunch of coats.

If you are set on only using what's visible here, then you should move that letter-holder box to under the mirror (and above the chair), and move the whole arrangement a bit to the left. At least then the coats won't be in the centre.

However if you do have a bit of money to spend I think you should get a standing coatrack so the coats take up less space visually, then get a fairly tall (chair-back height) enclosed shoe-rack, the top of which you can use to store your letters, keys and other stuff like maybe a plant. Presumably you want to keep the chair as something to sit on while you take off your shoes. And although i like that mirror I think it's too small for the entryway. I think you should replace it with a bigger mirror that would cover the width of the new enclosed shoerack and the chair combined, which will also tie those two elements together.

The chair really doesn't go.
Can you spring for the Ikea Molger for the shoes/ bench?
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/40049684

Paint the mirror (perhaps one of the colors from your hooks) and place it in the middle of your grouping.

Try to limit the jackets to 2 apiece for the two of you.

For more storage space, bedside tables can be incredibly cheap secondhand. That can be painted to blend in with the background wall, or to go along with the bright colors in the hooks. So could the shoe bench, for that matter. With so many little bits you will need to use color to unify the area.

Put away any coats or jackets that aren't used regularly. Center the shoe rack under the coat rack, or better yet, get the short, wide shoe cabinet called Sandnes from IKEA:

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/90111895

Center it below the coat rack. Whatever you use for shoe storage, aligning it with the coat rack will make those two things read as one unit, which will give a more cohesive look to your entry.

You might be able to fit some of the dog stuff into a bigger shoe storage unit, too. The Sandnes holds 8 pairs and you show 6 pairs on your current rack, so you could dedicate one whole section to dog stuff and still have room for all those shoes.

The mirror isn't necessarily too dark and heavy for the space but it looks heavy over that lightweight, white chair. Can you swap that chair out for something else in the house that has more visual weight?

Do you know what color gold you were thinking of? I ask because a while ago I wanted to paint my bedroom and thought of that exact description - "muted gold." I had a hard time finding what I was looking for though and gave up on the idea. Sorry this isn't an answer to your question...but I do second the idea of a bench with storage!

A storage bench would definitely be a great solution not only for getting shoes and doggie gear out of the way, but also would provide seating to replace the chair and have less stuff in the space. I'm planning an Ikea hack for when I move involving their over-the-fridge kitchen cabinets and a bench on top to store shoes and have a place to sit and take them off/put them on (inspired by the window bench in Kyle's kitchen http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/boston/house-tours/house-tour-kyles-jamaica-plain-gem-1-year-later-083183 )

I think it looks fine the way it is. And I'm sorry, but that's a cat butt hook.

I'm loving the pull of the pink here that I detect, more pink would pull it ALL together. the little pieces all seem to do their job, pinking them up (except for the mirror) might just do it.

A simple suggestion: grouping. Trying grouping the items you have together and allowing space between the groups. Like Spanky says, line up the shoe rack with the coats so it reads as one group. Lower the mirror a little so it reads as a separate group with the chair. Finally, create the final little group with your hook and mail organizer (maybe add another organizer to that group for additional storage). That is what I'd do differently with what you have shown. I don't think it looks awful now, though.

I'd invest in one long low credenza-like storage item or bench. then just the coat rack (with fewer coats. preferably painted a solid color) and everything else inside/on top of the storage piece.

I don't like anything 'out there' ....so I would buy a cheap armoire or something to hide everything in.

Line up the shoe rack with the coats, first of all... it's off centerness is making me twitchy. Swap out the chair for a small console table... consider something cheap from Craigslist and painting parts of it pink.

What if you just paint? Paint can define and separate the entrance area in a nice way.

http://img.skitch.com/20090526-xbxpfg7akihix9qcnfrqc6nkrk.jpg

Just a thought... Good Luck!

I know I'm the only one in the world that hates this whole landing strip idea, but my first inclination is to tell you to get rid of the whole mess.

That being said, and knowing that everyone else in the world feels this entrance mess is necessary, I would make the suggestion that, at the very least, you put some of those coats someplace else. How many people live there? Do they all need to hang every coat they own right inside the front door? Geez.

And the shoes...well, where do I start? Why are shoes kept right inside the door? Why can't people walk to a closet and take off the shoes? Anyway, at least find something to cover them up.

I agree with the person that suggested an armoire or dresser with nice drawers to hide it all.

Don't everyone yell at me. You've done it already before during these "landing strip" discussions. I just really dislike entering someone's home and fighting my way past all the junk.

I agree with Ms. Pea.

I think the problem is that while this area might be functional, everything is a totally different style. It doesn't look or feel good.

A few different ideas:

1) Get a three foot wide mirror that has three cubbies below it and then hooks for the coats. It will probably have around five hooks, you can use one for the doggie leashes and the rest for coats. Because you have a place to hang coats, doesn't mean it needs to be totally full. Put some of them away.

Beneath that, you could go with a bench with three woven/wicker type baskets. You could store the shoes in there and the bench would eliminate the need for a chair. The bench and mirror should be the same color-so if one is white, the other should be white, if one is black, the other one should be black.

2) A second idea is to have a three foot wide coat hook rack on the left and then on the right, have a dresser or bookshelf with a mirror above it. The top drawers or bookshelf could have baskets inside to store each persons stuff and the lower shelf or drawers could store shoes.

But I guess the larger issue for me is this, you state the living room/dining room area in on the right, and these are typically more formal type rooms. Why not make this area a nice foyer instead? I'd have a mirror and hand painted chest of drawers (at the very least, the three drawer chest should be of the same or similar style as the furniture in your living room) in the foyer and put the coats and shoes in the closet along with the doggie rear to hold the leashes. These things seem like they are more fitting of a back door than a formal entry. And I definitely wouldn't want the doggie rear to be the first impression for my guests.

for poo bags, I know this isn't landing strip advice, but we have a great little nylon bag that clips onto our leash. It keeps them out of the way, but handy during walks.

thanks so much to those of you who offered helpful suggestions. our rowhouse is about 100 years old, very small and we have absolutely no closets, so storage is a huge problem. i think that a storage bench would be a huge help, we could put shoes and doggie things in there to hide the clutter and the chair can go elsewhere in the house. i'll try to find a place to put the extraneous coats- it's too easy to let them pile up on those hooks when we don't have a proper closet! i also agree that painting will make a huge difference.

mochihome, thanks for the inspiration! i love that color- we have a rug in the living room area that's almost exactly the same color.

jossoco, unfortunately i don't have an actual paint color in mind. i'm hoping i'll find the right color after staring at enough paint chips!

ms. pea and 'dream' mom, it sounds like you both live in large homes with lots of closet space. it must be nice! someday i hope to have lots of closet space and then i will no longer have to offend my guests with a horrible display of (gasp!) coats and god forbid, a whimsical dog leash hook.

As your budget is very low for this area, I would like to suggest you paint your mirror frame and shoe shelf in the same red (or is it orange?) as the lovely coat rack. This will bring the whole area together. The chair could stay as it fits in perfectly colour-wise and it's a lovely piece!

I don't really think the little wooden shelf is working there... perhaps you could stretch to a small chest of drawers or nightstand which would increase your storage space for the doggy accessories. You might be able to get a yucky pine one cheaply on Ebay/Craigslist and paint it white (or the same red, but that might be overkill!) There are often nice small 50s cabinets on offer for very little money. I like the doggy rear, it's amusing.

Then as the icing on the cake, centre the shoe rack as someone suggested and perhaps try to edit the number of coats as much as your space allows, so that only the minimum being worn in the particular season are hanging there. Et voila!

Ms. Pea, I believe you are correct.

Oh, Ms. Pea. If you know everyone's yelled at you enough times, then as the adage goes--if you can't say anything nice, why say anything at all?

Ok, here is the problem that I see. You have a landing strip (emphasis on strip) that is circulation space. It's long. People walk through it. It should flow. However, instead of having something that compliments and works with that horizontal flow, you essentially have three vertical chunks of stuff. [wall cubby][coats/shoe rack][mirror/chair.]

Basically you've got visual speed bumps.

I think what you really need is something long and low that goes under the coats and extends toward the front door. You might need to move the coats to the right (away from the door) to get the right proportions. Even a couple of pine boards from Home Depot and some inexpensive shelf brackets would do the trick. I've even seen someone make old solid wood bifold closet doors into shelves. Then you could paint them something fun that would compliment the gold. As for the extra stuff that you need to store, some fabric bins or baskets that would fit on the lower shelf would be a nice way to hide everything. The upper shelf next to the coats could be home to some pictures or knick knacks.

Anchor the whole thing on the left side with a short plant in a big round pot… since all this is kind of poking out into a walkway I like to soften the ends with something round. As for the chair? Well, chairs are pretty miserable in hallways unless they have a nook :)

hi tracey. here are my thoughts on the CHEAPEST way to stylize your entry...

you wrote that 'the coat rack stays'. great. the coat rack matches the dog-leash hook, so both are fine. -but, can you move the coat rack over towards the space where mirror currently hangs? --now, you have an empty space that is book-end by the dog-hook on the left, and the cuff of the coat hanging from the last hook of your rack on the right.

a mirror goes in the middle. and since you like yours, i say keep it and paint its frame whatever color you paint the wall. bam.

mess with the heights a little and gain some uniformity between the peaks of the dog-leash hook, the mirror, and the row of coat-hooks. give this "mish-mash" space very defined constraints.

this goes for the "footprint" too. the base of the chair you have in your entryway extends much farther than the shoe rack or the loft of the coat rack. if you have a foot-stool or chair with a smaller base i would switch it out.

when you come upon a small windfall of cash you should follow apartment therapy advice for small nooks/crannies and then shop bathroom furniture for cool shelves, mirrors, storage benches, i.e. furniture for small spaces.

i like your space and i appreciate utility. form follows function. the more doors and cabinets one must open to function the greater the disruption of flow. mock minimalism is exactly that -- you already know not to hide what you need.
cheers!
clownsnack