5 Inspiring Small-Space Entryways that Take Up No Space at All

published Apr 28, 2014

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(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)

If you’re working with a small space (or a teeny-weeny one), you probably don’t have a dedicated entry in your home, and you may not have room beside your door for even a narrow bench or console table. But that doesn’t mean you don’t need a place to stash your stuff right after you walk in the door. As Maxwell has so wisely observed, not giving all the various and sundry things you carry into your apartment a place to land often means they wind up all over the place, and in great disarray. So what’s a small-space dweller to do? Take inspiration from these 5 clever entryways that provide a place to stash your stuff — without taking up any floor space at all.

You can always count on New Yorkers to come up with clever solutions to problems like this one. The entry above is from an Upper West Side apartment that I spotted on Joanna Goddard’s blog. The hooks are super practical, but the picture ledge makes everything beautiful and interesting. If you love this idea but have things you want to stash (like mail) that can’t be hung up, you could add a second picture ledge a few inches below the top one and use it as a landing spot.

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)

This entry, spotted on dét Dia, also uses art to keep things interesting. Purses live on hooks below, while a small cubby mounted to the while provides a place to stash smaller items like scarves.

(Image credit: Alvhem)

Another variation on the shelves + hooks idea, this itty-bitty entry uses hooks installed underneath a shelf. It’s a clean look, gives jackets a little more room to hang than wall hooks, and makes the absolute most of available space. Alvhem via My Scandinavian Home.

(Image credit: Dekorum)

And now for something completely different: a foyer full of wall-mounted IKEA TRONES shoe storage boxes (spotted on Dekorum). These present lots of possibilities, depending on the wall space you have available. In a smaller area, a 2×2 TRONES arrangement, with wall hooks above, could provide a landing spot for shoes, coats, and even mail and keys (on top of the storage box).

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)

This is the ultimate wall hooks + shelves combo, from Bolig, via Nordic Bliss. Big hooks, up high, provide space for jackets and purses to hang, while also leaving plenty of room to stash shoes on the deep shelf below. A second shelf houses bins, great for tucking away small items for an uncluttered look. Floating both shelves above the floor means there’s space to stow even more shoes at the bottom — or you can leave the floor beneath the bottom shelf empty for a feeling of visual lightness.

Of course the entry pictured above isn’t exactly small, but this is an idea that could be easily adapted for a small space. Just because your apartment is tiny doesn’t mean all your things can’t have a home.