I Asked Home Stagers for Basically Free Entryway Hacks — Here Are Their 4 Genius Ideas

I may interview home stagers and real estate pros regularly for my work, but I would never say I’m an expert in home or interior design. But there’s one small spot in my home that I’m particularly proud of how I have it arranged: the entryway of the Cape Cod-style home I share with my husband and our dog. So it was with terror that I sent photos of said spot to two home stagers — one who also happens to specialize in home organization, no less — and awaited their feedback. 

Spoiler alert: I didn’t do half bad with my design choices! But there’s always room for improvement, and I’m thrilled to say that I was able to pull it off for free. Here’s how Ana Cvetkovic, principal of Rowhome Design, a Philadelphia-based home staging and interior design firm, and Angela O’Brien, professional organizer and founder of Dallas-based Your Space Reclaimed, walked me through my new and improved entryway.

Both stagers thought my entryway had a lot going for it. Here’s what got their stamp of approval.

Kudos to my husband, who bought this trunk somewhere online years ago when I moved into his loft apartment. When we later moved into our house, I thought it would be perfect by our front door, and I was right; even Cvetkovic deemed it a “cool trunk.” It’s more slender than a sideboard or dresser would be, which are other options O’Brien and I bandied about for functional storage, and it does have a cool, functional aesthetic. The top lifts up for storage — currently, we’ve got our old tax returns in there. (Note to self: Open it up and throw some stuff out.)

Cvetkovic loves plants, so she liked my choice of greenery. She also liked my little collection of books, although she recommended that I swap out any “controversial” titles if I were selling my home. Good call — with the exception of a hardbound anthology of Jane Austen, the other books there definitely show where we stand politically at Chez Zito. She recommended swapping them for travel books and maybe an interior design coffee table book. The point is to depersonalize decor when staging to sell, but Cvetkovic notes that books can also double as “aspirational” decor.

I picked up this mirror at my local HomeGoods. To be honest, it is a bit too glam for my liking, especially against the more industrial-looking trunk. But it works for the space: Both stagers approved having a mirror in the entryway. Cvetkovic said it’s always nice to have a place to take a look at yourself before heading out the door — exactly my intention for putting it there. But when staging a home, it’s got an even more important function: “A help buyers picture themselves living in a home,” she says. A mirror also helps the space look a bit bigger because it reflects light, she adds. 

I was all ears on how to improve the look of my entryway, especially if I could do it on a budget. Turns out, I would hardly spend any money to change up the look of the space.

Less is more, O’Brien reminded me when she suggested that I move the brown bin from the side of the trunk. And that’s even before she knew what was in it: It currently houses my dog’s leash and rolls of poop bags. I know from talking to enough home stagers that it’s always a good idea to erase proof of pets when selling your home, so removing this bin would actually serve two purposes — decluttering the space and, if we put the home on the market, making it more appealing to buyers.

I appreciate O’Brien for telling me about a type of coat rack that I didn’t know existed: a vertical wall rack with arms that fold flat when not in use. She said I could always install one on the left side of the door if I wanted a place to put my dog’s leash, for example. However, she did note that this design move would be more for our personal use now, not for staging. If we were staging, we’d be removing the leash anyway and leaving an empty coat rack on the wall, to give buyers a sense of how they could use the entryway, too.

While I could always swap out the trunk for something with more covered storage, I’m not eager to go furniture shopping right now. O’Brien suggested simply getting matching storage bins for the bottom shelf. I was so tempted to go online and buy myself some new baskets. But then I remembered that I do have matching baskets inside a closet that I would reuse for this purpose. 

At first, I would have thought a brighter basket might do the trick. But when I saw how the black baskets didn’t draw attention to themselves, I was thrilled. If I were staging my home for sale, though, I think I’d keep the bottom shelf clean and empty. Again, less is more.

I’ve spared you from spying the ugly boob light hanging above the doorway.. I asked Cvetkovic her thoughts about changing it. “That’s one of the cheapest, easiest upgrades you can make that would really elevate the space,” she says. Now, when design pros say “cheap,” I’ve still learned to prepare for sticker shock, but Cvetkovic shocked me in a better way: by telling me about this beauty on IKEA that I could nab for just $35. She not only used it for her own home, but she even installed it herself. I just might order it!

I’ve often heard that when people hire a pro to stage their home, they get a bit wistful when they realize just how much potential their space actually has — or had. Since my husband and I are planning to stay put for a while, I’m glad to have gotten the opportunity to change up my home so we can enjoy it even more.