14 Handy Hallway Organising Tips [Create A Perfect Welcome]

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Is your Hallway working well for you? If you’re not happy with it right now then you’re in luck! Here are all the hallway organising tips you need to make the space a place you love to come home to and leave home from every day.

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Hallway with coat rack and mirror with wording overlaid '15 handy hallway organising tips"

Your hallway is the first thing that anyone (including you) sees when they come into your home.

Whether you’re walking in from a hard day at work, a guest has been invited for coffee, or someone has just dropped by unexpectedly – they’ll all get at least a glimpse of this space.

No-one wants to be faced with stuff to do as soon as they walk through the door.

People don’t want to have to walk over stuff lying around, and we all just want to make life easier, right?

That’s why, if you are wanting to go through and get your entire house organised – I always suggest this being one of the rooms you tackle first.

It’s the one that will have the most direct impact on you (and others) every single day, and so making this look and work as well as it possibly can means you’ll get a boost that will more than likely give you the momentum to keep organising (remember – always start where it hurts most!).

Here are some great tips to get started in your hallway – hope they help!

Black Hallway Table With Wooden Top And White Decor

Hallway Organising Tips To Make The Space Work For You

1 – Separate Peoples Stuff

A LOT of people tend to go through a hallway. As such it makes sense to try and make every persons experience in the space as easy as possible.

Consider having a specific area for each person so they always have somewhere to put everything as soon as they come into the house, and they know exactly where to find things when they’re leaving.

This is perfect for things like school stuff, work bags, phones, keys, handbags etc..

With very young children why not colour code these so they know whose is whose.

TIP: Having a colour for each child is a brilliant idea, as this can be used in every part of the house to make them understand what’s theirs. Same colour for towels, toothbrush, storage etc…

Ideally you would have a coat hook, basket and/or drawer for every member of the household.

Do what’s possible for you given the space you have.

Then make sure you all get into the habit of hanging things up and putting them away in that space as soon as you come into the house.

That way the space will be less cluttered, more functional, and look better on a day to day basis. It will also mean that everyone is more relaxed in the Hallway because they can find what they need quickly.

2 – Create A Space For Stuff That Doesn’t Belong

We all have things in our house that aren’t in the right place – because we live in our homes and move things from place to place.

The hallway tends to be a place where we add stuff that needs taking to other places. I think we decide that if it’s in this room we’re more likely to grab it when passing, and take it to the right place.

Trouble is, we can become blind to this stuff, and it builds up.

The answer is to have a space that collects it all together, and to tackle it (put everything away) regularly.

The best idea is to have a box or a stair basket – that things can go in easily.

3 – Create Space For Guests

We all have people visiting us, and they will always have at least shoes on – but also maybe a coat / bag / other stuff too.

Do you have space for that to be stored while they’re at your house?

If not, you’re going to have clutter there.

This isn’t an issue with bigger hallways when the guests are just popping in – but it can be a huge issue if you have guests staying overnight and a small hallway.

As such it’s worth making space always available for guests to put their things so it looks neat and tidy.

You’ll feel much more like a host when you don’t have to find space out of nowhere!

One idea that we use in our own home is to have a hook on the front of our hallway cupboard door.

It’s a plastic hook that’s quite invisible to the eye as it blends with the door colour – but is the perfect spot to take peoples coats and hang them up as soon as they come through the door.

There’s also always a place to put their shoes (as we like to be a no shoe home wherever possible).

It makes the whole welcome a lot more seamless, and keeps the floor space as clear as possible.

4 – Minimise Hallway Clutter

Along the same theme as #2 – it’s also important to minimise clutter around the rest of the space.

After all – things can build up easily because we’re always bringing things into the house, right?

Are you trying to keep too much stuff in the space?

A common example of this is that everyones coats and shoes are kept in the hallway cupboard squashed in – whereas a lot of them aren’t being used throughout the year.

If you can – make a storage space elsewhere for those out of season items – to free up space in the Hallway to be able to find what you ARE wearing more quickly.

The rest could possibly be stored in peoples bedrooms, or loft space (space allowing). I like using an airtight plastic box for shoes, and a vacuum sealed bag (space saver) for coats.

The other place that makes a Hallway look cluttered is the decor. Do you have too much stuff out?

Take a really good look – and consider the pictures, accessories, even storage if there’s too much!

Minimising the amount of stuff in the space will automatically help to make the room more spacious and inviting.

5 – Choose Clever Hallway Storage Solutions

Your entryway has to work hard for you every day, and there’s a LOT of stuff going through it, or being stored in it.

As such, having great storage ideas is crucial to make it work. Increasing the storage space that you have in your hallway can be simple too. Ideas include:

Console Table. This is probably my favourite storage solution for hallway space as it’s not too deep and so proportions are perfect for this space (especially if it’s a narrow hallway). Get one with drawers (for smaller items) and a shelf underneath so you can have hidden and open storage.
Shelving – you can get shelves that have hooks underneath which are a brilliant trick for a small hallway.
Storage Baskets – perfect for adding to that shelf under the console table, adding to the shelves, or on the floor. Baskets are easier for kids as well because stuff can be thrown in them rather than placed.
Hooks – whether it be a coat rack, wall hooks, small key hooks, or a single hook – they’re such a good hallway storage idea as you can store coats and bags really easily.

6 – Shoe Storage Is Vital

If you don’t have a cupboard in your entryway where you can store shoes out of the way – there are a few storage options for shoes that can be a space saver.

#1 – Put a large basket (with or without a lid) or a shoe rack along the wall near the door if you have the space.

#2 – Have the shoes kept in the porch, just outside the main hallway. If your porch is covered then this works well for your more regularly used shoes, however, you need to be happy that they’re safe being left there.

#3 – Put an over the door shoe rack over your Hallway cupboard door on the inside. Our own cupboard is TINY – so this has been a game changer in my house.

Keeping shoes neat and tidy and out of the way will make all the difference to your hallway.

7 – Create A Place To Put Junk Mail

Junk mail is a huge cause of clutter that builds up in hallways. We all get it, and rarely read it – so getting rid of it ASAP is just sensible.

A simple solution for this is to put a waste bin near the front door so you can throw it away (ideally recycle of course) as soon as you get it.

8 – Create Key Storage

Think about if someone looked through your letterbox what they would be able to see and get hold of if they had the inclination.

The hallway is of course the obvious place to keep keys – but ideally you need to keep them out of direct sight and away from the door itself, for security.

However, you DO need to have the available to you – especially if you need to get out of the house quickly in an emergency.

TIP: It’s wise to keep a spare set of keys with someone you trust who lives locally , so that you don’t have to have keys on the outside of your property hidden under plant pots etc..

TIP: If you’re storing keys for a friend you should only label them with their initials. That way, if stolen, noone knows whose they are, just in case

Some of the best key storage options would be a simple key hook on the wall that can’t be seen from the front door, or a basket in the hallway drawer that you can just throw the keys in when you come through the door.

9 – Create A Place For Everyones Mail

Even if you don’t deal with your post here, it’s a good idea to have a small letter holder to put post into so that it doesn’t pile up and look messy.

This will also make it easier for everyone to know exactly where to look for their post – and if they’ve had any that day/week.

10 – Create Seasonal Baskets

Every season brings with it differing needs for what you need to have available and ready to go.

If you can create a basket for each season – then you can rotate them to the front of the hallway cupboard, add to a shelf, or just have one in the room at any time (with the others stored elsewhere – like the garage) – but always have the essentials on hand.

Examples of what you can include are:

Winter Basket: umbrella, torch, scarves, gloves, hats

Summer Basket: sunscreen, sunglasses, picnic blanket, sun hats

11 – Have Somewhere To Sit

You’ll want somewhere to sit in this space, to put shoes on usually, and it would be great and a bonus if it had storage inside as well to make the space work harder.

There’s nothing worse than having guests around, asking them to take off their shoes and coats, and then watching them struggle to balance, when a seat would make the job so much easier!

You could use a small chair, a stool, or a bench. I like using storage furniture (which can be a bench or a stool) as this can make it even more practical for the space with extra storage included.

12 – Create A Checking Point By The Door

Every time you leave the house you have to trust that you are looking OK. No clothes tucked in where they shouldn’t be, no makeup running etc…

It makes perfect sense to have a mirror close to the door to check yourself before you leave the house one last time.

Save the stress of having to run elsewhere in the house every time you’re not sure!

13 – Give Under The Stairs A Use

A lot of homes have plenty of space under the staircase that’s not being used to it’s best potential.

You can add in LOADS of storage to this area, which can completely transform the area.

14 – Make It Easy To Keep Floors Clean

Ensure there’s a welcome mat (inside and out ideally) to wipe feet, as this will save you a lot of time cleaning the floors.

Also – don’t be shy to ask guests to take their shoes off in your home to again save cleaning.

I personally think this is just good manners to do so, and shows people that you are proud of your home which can’t be a bad thing!

NOTE: Some people can’t take shoes off so don’t make them feel bad by asking. If you know they struggle, then that’s totally fine for them to keep theirs on. What you want to do is minimise the dirt by asking most people to take them off.

15 – Add A Box For Things To Go Out Of The House

If you DO have a cupboard and it’s big enough, you may want to add a box for things that need to be returned or given away.

Keeping it in your hallway makes sure it’s visible to you and you will remember to take it when going to that location (i.e. library books, items for charity, borrowed items from friends etc…).

Once you have a place for this sort of thing you may want to put it somewhere less visible (like the garage), but it may be worth it while you get into the habit.