Once upon a time, we stressed about keeping our entryway immaculate: shoes away, keys organized, no junk mail or mailers littering the console...These days, we've become much more realistic about what we can and can't expect from our less-than-perfect selves. Thanks to a lot of helpful tips from all of you readers as well as some suggestions from inspirational magazines, we've developed a loose "system" to at least keep the mess at bay during our off days...
[ Photos from Cookie Magazine ]
Above all, we've learned to just accept a certain degree of messiness. There will be multiple stacks. Probably some dust that we'll tackle over the weekend. And inevitably, there will be a pile shoes that we've kicked off in our haste to get comfortable after a work day. With that in mind, the first part of our system is to designate areas of where everything goes: the shoes are at least lined up by the door (until they eventually get put back in the closet), the junk mail gets stacked at the edge of the console nearest the kitchen (where the recycling bin is), and the bills get their own special stack near the office.
Another strategy we've employed is limiting our options. The more space we have, the more the clutter piles up. For example, we once added four baskets to put in our bookshelf / console table. After a week of being organized about its contents, it gradually melted down into glorified junk drawers. Since getting rid of them, we've become much more meticulous about editing what actually stays because it's now in full view.
The last bit to our casual system is sticking to the plan of "I'll deal with it on Sunday..." Even though we drag our feet about it occasionally, having a clean house before the week starts really does help our state of mind. (It's kind of the same with our work habits--before we start a huge project, we'll spend an hour just cleaning our desk. Well, we say it's a work habit, but some might consider it procrastinating...)
Got any tips on how to control the daily clutter? Have you had to reconcile with not having the "perfectly done" home?
© 2009 Apartment Therapy
I keep a wastebasket to catch the junkmail that makes it up to the apartment with me (much of it goes directly into the recycling bin in the lobby) and try to empty it once a week.
However shoes never come off or land in the entryway - they belong on their designated shelf in the wardrobe in the bedroom.
view bepsf's profile
I am a messy person and will never live in a spotless house. That's just a part of me I've accepted. But one thing that I've gotten in the habit of doing is picking things up to put away in the room I'm headed into. So if I'm headed to the kitchen from the living room, I'll pick up the glass or bowl that's sitting in the living room and put it in the sink. If I'm going from the kitchen to the bedroom, I'll grab the earrings that are sitting on the counter (as I said -- I'm messy!) and put them away in the bedroom. I figure since I'm already heading there I may as well bring a few things with me and put them away. (Yes, these are small things. But small things add up, no?!)
view laetitiae's profile
I am lucky enough to have a walk in closet right next to my front door. I have an "entry way" there with a waste basket for the junk mail, vertical file for the rest, hooks for coats and bags, and a shoe rack for kicking off shoes.
In the same closet, there is longer term shoe storage and coat storage. This makes it easy to switch out winter shoes for summer shoes, etc.
This space isn't remotely neat, but it is okay because it isn't the first thing you look at when you walk inside. I do keep it organized enough to be functional. I also keep a large bulletin board that I pin interesting looking images onto. This is a good spot to stick pictures that I like, but don't really have a place.
view yolio's profile
Totally agree on this! It's healthier to accept a bit of a mess... Does anyone know where to get the coat rack??
view barreaga's profile
I love that bench with the storage underneath! Does anyone know where i can find it?
view stella 08's profile
I was certainly accepting a messy entryway for awhile. But, I just cleaned out the corner yesterday, and boy it felt good. I'm not really sure how it accumulated, but after it was all said in done, I had rediscovered a fishing pole, barbecue grill charcoal, a kite and power steering fluid.
view adrienne breaux's profile
I've been living with the fantasy of "when everything is finally done,..." so long. I think I'll stop doing that, because stepping forward and having something to show for it is important. Things fall out of order because we're in them, we can't stop using things and let them stay in their place. Neither is it crucial to impede [life, happiness, progress, etc.] to only find true serenity in the orderliness of our material objects. I can be both ways, but things seem to go out of order too quickly in my case. There may be a tendency on the other side for things to be put back in order as a priority... I may need to become like that just to keep up. I hope not.
view K T G's profile
The bench looks like Norrebo, from IKEA.
view kpbz's profile
More entryway sample pictures (on a budget) would be appreciated.
view Doris loves art!'s profile
yeah, bench is IKEA's Norrebo
view Enamorada's profile
I am pretty much a hardass when it comes to the entryway. My SO's shoes in the middle of the floor (instead of in the basket I put there for shoes) drives me nuts. After all, it's the first thing you see when you come in, and you must pass through it to enter. Even if the rest of the apartment is somewhat messy, I feel this area needs to be minimal and neat. It's a work in progress though.
Just last night, I took apart a family "heirloom" table that had no good and yet cannot be parted with. Now that it is going into storage (to be painted or refurbished later), I have moved a bench into its place for a great shoe on/off place. I'm going to find a cushion to fit the bench to make it even more welcoming. I am lucky enough to have a entryway closet as well, but I have stuffed it with everything imaginable--that is my next project!
view ValHalla's profile
anyone know where the mirror w/ shelf came from?
view trex466's profile
I need a space for the shoes to air out first. I don't like putting them in my closet immediately after they've been worn. Yeah, they line up outside after a while, but every week I put them all back in the closet.
Unfortunately, that means we have a shoe rack in our entry way in full view...
view lolax's profile