If you were to visit my house right now, it would be no secret that I’m in major nesting mode. I’m not saying the nursery is finished yet ?, I’m just saying I see EVERY place in my house that I want to be organized and updated. Though I have decided to hold off on updating our Master Bedroom for the time being (you’re welcome, Mark), I have proceeded with a few other projects because yes, I’m the person who feels SO good when things in my house are clean and organized.

Most recently my mom came over to help me complete a major — yet so simple and easy — transformation in our back entry way. I told her a few weeks ago this was on my pre-baby ToDo list and since she had a few tricks up her sleeve from her own entryway, she was totally on board with helping me complete this task. I should also note that she is precisely who I inherited my organization, everything-must-have-a-place, keep-it-clean mindset from.

Our Back Entry

To paint the picture: The back entry of our home opens directly from our attached garage. There is a small “landing place” with lockers and cabinetry to one side and a standard closet on the opposite side. A few feet forward in the hall, there is also an area called a “drop zone” that has a small counter space with upper and lower cupboards.

With a family of four (almost five) and a busy schedule, this back area always seemed to be far too messy and cluttered for my liking. We have a really good system in our kitchen for organization and it’s been my goal to institute a similar system for this back area for a while now. Alas, the transformation I had been waiting for.

Before:

Not pictured that always seemed to be sitting out or not have a home: our bag that we take to swimming lessons every week, Mark’s gym bag, my purse that doubled as a diaper bag over the summer, Mark’s shoes and Maven’s backpack. Things just always seemed to be struggling to find a good hook to hang on, shoes were pouring out into the space that we needed to walk in, the closet was a mess (with WAY too many coats) and our drop zone was literally a landing zone for everything else we brought in that didn’t have a home. (Think – shopping bags, receipts, mail, garbage, etc.) Essentially what I’d like for you to picture, it was a FAR bigger mess than what’s actually pictured. I started some organization and cleaning up in the week leading up to my mom’s assistance, which is what is shown here. I could have played up the messy drama for the photos, but just didn’t, so I hope you’ll trust me here. Though I know I do have exceptional standards of cleanliness, it was way worse than it looks.

After:

The main points of transformation were:

• First, sorting through coats and shoes to donate what we no longer use and to move not frequently used items out of this space. (I.E. summer shoes are in a rubbermaid container in our basement)
• Removing the middle shelf and hanging rack in the closet to instead install a long row of hooks against the back wall. This is mainly where Mark and I will hang our coats from now on.
• Installing two smaller set of hooks on one side of the closet to create space for hats and my bags or purses.
• Laying durable rugs in the bottom of the closet.
• Stacking shoe racks in closet on either side so that Mark + I could have space for our own shoes rather than let them sit in the landing area.
• Designating the locker and cabinet space opposite of the closet mostly for kids belongings.
• Utilizing storage bins under the locker bench for the kids’ shoes and hats/mittens/etc. + leaving space to slide in a my diaper bag.
• Clearing the bench of the locker system to leave room for the infant car seat that will so soon be used again.
• Adding bins above the locker space for additional organized storage. (I.E. one bin currently holds all of our play doh accessories that are not used every day and that I don’t want accessible to the kids at all times.)

I have to say that by removing the closet shelf and hanging rack that were installed upon our home build, our closet is completely transformed into a practical + organized space for our family. If this was just a closet where we were storing clothes or coats, the racks would have been sufficient. But because we have coats, shoes, vacuum, mops, hats, purses, daddy diaper bag — you name it — to store here, we needed a different solution. The hooks open up the space so much + make it much more likely for Mark to put his coat on one vs. where the coat ended up if he needed to put it on a hanger every night he gets home from work. ?

Also, the girls (two and three years old) both understand and take responsibility for putting their shoes in the correct bins + our three year old can reach the locker hooks to put up her coat and backpack. It’s been a great way to get our kids involved in putting their things away and also keeping track of all of those little belongings.

What your result could be:

While we all have different back entry way spaces, there are certainly elements of organization within this transformation that could work just about anywhere. It’s all how we make use of the space we have! I certainly believe that if belongings have a place to actually belong, there is a lot less clutter and mess as a result.

My favorite organizational products used in this transformation:

• Black plastic (washable) storage bins
• Coat hooks
• Shoe racks
• Durable rugs
• Woven storage bins (drop zone)

What is one piece of this transformation you can implement in your entry area? I’d love to hear!

 

XO

Note: A special THANK YOU to my mom who took the time to help me make this happen before baby! {She gets it ☺️}

Also, this post does contain affiliate links through which I would make a small commission should you choose to purchase. All items are my own recommendations.

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