Regardless of the size and shape of your hall, it’s a space you use every day to enter and exit the home. In an ideal world, it would be smart, tidy and organised; not only to make a good impression on visitors and feel welcoming when you come through the door, but also to ensure your every day items are always within easy reach, so you can leave the house on time and stress-free.
If you often find yourself in a rush and unable to lay your hands on your sunglasses, umbrella, car keys, shoes etc. then creating an organised entry should be high on your priority list! To give you some inspiration, I’ve been browsing the hall furniture and storage collections at Wooden Furniture Store and picked out four wonderfully stylish and functional solutions to ensure your entrance space is streamlined to perfection:
Shoe Storage
Discarded around the house, wedged under beds or sofas – how much time do you waste looking for one half of a pair of shoes? It’s not just kids that manage to lose their shoes, either – we all do it sometimes, especially when we don’t have a dedicated place to store them. Apart from your ‘going out’ shoes, they’re not always the prettiest of items to have lying around so it’s worth investing in a shoe storage cupboard that hides them from view and keeps them organised and free from dust. Wooden Furniture Store has a really excellent range of shoe storage options, from tall towers that take up less floor space to chic cupboards that will actually enhance and accentuate your hallway. My favourite pieces are these:
Top left, we have the quirky reclaimed Coastal Chic Shoe Cupboard – with four shelves and a handy drawer, it’s perfect for a home with original style. Top right is the chic Signature Grey Shoe Storage Cupboard that holds 12 pairs of shoes and 4 boots. The Shiro Walnut Shoe Cupboard (bottom left) is a solid, rustic looking and characterful shoe cupboard with a generous amount of storage, holding up to 20 pairs. Meanwhile, the Mobel Oak Shoe Cupboard would grace any home with its classic style, helping you to get beautifully organised with four shoe shelves and one normal shelf for other belongings. Finally, the tall and handsome Heyford Rough Sawn Oak Cupboard provides the ultimate in generous storage – no wonder it’s a best seller, able to hold an impressive 28 pairs of shoes – perfect for large families or shoe hoarders!
Console Table
I personally love to see a console table in a hallway – with their slender profiles, they always manage to look elegant and welcoming. Practical, too, they often have handy drawers for keys, phones and tablets, loose change etc. Some have an additional lower shelf, too. Having that extra surface in the hall is helpful for displaying decorative items, a vase of flowers, a lamp etc. but also for leaving mail, newspapers etc. I think a console is quite a grown up piece of furniture, bringing a little bit of an sophistication into your home. These are my stand out console tables from Wooden Furniture Store:
I love industrial pieces of furniture, which is why I like the handcrafted Kuba console table (top left) so much, with its natural oiled wood base and metal top featuring rivet details. The Nine Schools Qing Oyster Grey small console table (top right) is a classic design for those seeking a more refined style, but it also offers a good deal of storage with four drawers and a cupboard. The black and gilt large console table would work well for those who love a deliciously dark interior, while the Urban Chic console table (middle) is great for a smaller space with its more petite proportions, yet still offering two handy drawers. Finally, I like the Hulstone Industrial console table, made from reclaimed rough sawn pine which has been given a grey wash and matte black metal. Very chic!
Bench
A solid lidded chest or bench is a real asset to any home’s entrance as it can be used for a multitude of things – shoes, school or PE bags, swimming gear and sportswear, scarves, hats etc. It can be really indispensable both in terms of helping you get organised and looking gorgeous. But it can also can be a place to sit and put your shoes on. I’ve rounded up these great examples:
Top left, we have the exquisite Nine Schools Oriental Decorated trunk, ideal for a petite hallway that lacks storage and needs a nice element of design. For larger spaces, you might want to consider the Signature Grey Hallway bench which offers a contemporary twist and generous trunk style storage. The Mobel oak shoe bench with hidden storage (bottom left) is a super multi-tasker, combining a compact size that offers shoe and regular storage, with a handy bench surface to sit on. I also love the colourful hues of the reclaimed timber used in the fabulous Urban Chic Storage Monks Bench – what a wonderfully crafted piece that provides ample storage and useful seating, ideal in a larger hallway. Similarly, the Mayan Walnut Monks Bench is an asset in a bigger hall – it would look beautiful as a bench alone, but the fact you can also store 10 pairs of shoes in it is an added bonus!
Wall Storage
When floor space is tight, it pays to think outside of the box and instead of floor-standing solutions, why not opt for handy wall storage? You can’t beat a good ‘pigeon hole’ style unit with many compartments to place letters for school, books for the library, gifts and greetings cards to deliver etc. Or you can simply use the recesses to display decorative items. The Mobel Oak Reversible Wall Rack above is a stunning piece, or you can choose the smaller Amelie Oak Wall Shelf with Hanging Pegs if your wall space is limited. Even a tiny entrance hall should be able to accommodate a small shelf or coat rack; something like the Searle Wall Shelf or Mobel Oak Wall Mounted Coat Rack.
So as you can see, it’s possible to swap mess and chaos for streamlined, organised bliss, simply by adding a few well thought out items to your hallway! Not only will you make a good impression, but hopefully leave for work or appointments without forgetting anything.
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© Copyright 2018 Antonia, All rights Reserved. Written For: Tidylife
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