Hey All! Did you catch my post on Wednesday? If you missed it you can find it here. In it, I shared the state of our current entryway and listed out the 3 biggest issues with it. I also shared the updates and design ideas we are wanting to make in the space. I mentioned that one of the biggest issues we have is with our small, non-functional closet. It’s basically a big cavernous hole that could really use some help. Today I’m sharing more about my thoughts and ideas I have for our entryway closet and the built-in storage ideas that are inspiring me right now.
entryway storage built-in ideas
Our current closet is what I would consider your standard, run of the mill closet. It is 45″ wide by 29″ deep and goes the full length of the wall up to our ceiling.
Inside, we have two wire shelves at the top and we’re able to hang our coats from the bottom shelf which acts as a rod. But that’s it. The shelves are helpful for storing our games and baskets for hats and gloves. The bottom of the second shelf acts as a rod and is adequate for hanging our coats and jackets. But where our closet falls short is in storage for shoes.
When considering a new custom piece, the three most important features will be storage for shoes and boots, seasonal accessories, and of course, storage for jackets and coats.
custom built-in vs. traditional closet
Some of you may be wondering why we want to go the route of a built-in vs. adding storage to our existing closet.
We feel like there is a lot of wasted space with the setup of our current, traditional closet. If we can remove it and replace it with a built-in, we can utilize every inch of space we do have.
By removing the walls, door, and the door header and framing needed for the door, we can gain precious inches that are much needed in this small space.
This will also allow us to build out three separate sections for each of the main functions listed above. Customizing them to meet our needs.
Storage for Shoes and boots
The first, and in my opinion the piece that will be a game-changer for us, will be the section to house our shoes.
We have a lot of shoes in this family. I don’t really consider myself a shoe girl but between my husband and myself, we seem to have quite a few.
We don’t have enough storage in our current coat closet and shoes are spilling out onto the floor in our entryway. Because of this, we also have a vintage, metal piece by our garage door that is perfect for holding shoes and holds most of them.
In our new custom built-in, I think I would like to have a couple of drawers at the bottom for storing flats and tennis shoes like in this one on Pinterest.
I really love the idea shown here with a cabinet on the side for shoes and boots. It would be a dream to do something similar in our entryway but enclosed. I don’t think we will have enough space though to implement.
I also love the adjustable shelves shown in this cabinet. Perfect for storing various types of boots. But again, I’m not sure we’ll have enough space to add what we’d need.
Built-in cabinets for seasonal accessories
The second functional section of our built-in to consider will be storage for seasonal accessories and other items.
In our existing closet, our shelves at the top have been great for storing games and baskets housing scarves, gloves, and hats. In our new built-in, I’d like to continue with storage at the top but have one or two cabinets instead of shelves.
I love the cabinets shown in this pin on Pinterest, as well as the ones shown here and here.
storage for jackets and coats
The final section of the built-in to consider is the section that will house our jackets and coats.
When you think of front closets, the first thing that comes to mind is storage for coats and the coats of guests who come to visit. And while this is an important function of our built-in, the way in which they’re stored won’t change much from what we have now.
We will still have a section in-between the cabinets above and the drawers below for hanging. Where we’ll gain efficiency though will be in creating that division between the different sections.
Because we don’t have a defined section for shoes that’s separate from our coats, right now the space below them where the shoes are is a mess. What little light we do have from above, is being blocked by all the coats creating a dark, black hole at the bottom. Shoes have been thrown in, in an unorganized manner and are hard to find in the darkness.
Creating areas for each function will allow us the ability to see everything that’s within each space and have better organization.
Style and Design
It’s important to me that this custom built-in match the look and feel of our house.
Some of the pins that have been inspiring me on Pinterest I’ve saved to my Storage board. I love the traditional, classic look of this custom built-in. The moulding detail on the doors and drawers is some of my favorite.
I also love this IKEA hack done for a mudroom. The crown and base moulding added to the piece makes it look totally custom and built-in which I love.
I’m really drawn to this one as well. The simple shaker doors seem to be a reoccurring theme on my Storage board and for good reason. It’s such a classic but modern feel and could totally work in our home.
So there you have it! My thoughts on our entryway storage built-in and the pins inspiring my designs right now. Over the next few weeks or so, I’ll be working on honing in on the look for this piece and the entryway as a whole.
Do you have a traditional closet in your entryway or a custom built-in?
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