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Monday, June 25, 2012

Keeping The Entryway Organized

Do you find it difficult keeping the entryway/foyer clean and organized? This is the first space people see when they enter your home. It creates an immediate impression and usually reflects the state of the rest of the house.


If one has an entryway/foyer table, this could be where the mail can get dumped and where keys are thrown.


I had shared this space with you in my first post last year. I had purchased the bench online from Target. It was initially for the outdoors but I brought it into the house. I love the tiles on it and the spindles beneath the arms lend character.

I have repurposed the bench. It serves as an entryway table and a good size one, too.

I would like to show you how I keep this area of the house clean and organized for everyone.

I purchased this unique vintage English brass magazine holder from Phat Dog on Etsy last year. I had initally thought I would use it as an accent piece in the living room and I had it there for a few months. It has two compartments.


Although it has some discoloration and a few minor dings, it has some beautiful repoussé* work of an outdoor pub scene and I have chosen to leave it as is. It has more character untouched.

* repoussé - malleable metal decorated or embossed by hammering from the reverse side.

I also found this adorable woven basket from simply objekts, also on Etsy.


It is just 9 1/4" high (with handles) and 8" wide.

I have both items on the bench as tools for keeping mail and keys organized as they are brought in the front door.


The basket has ample room for all keys  - house and car. And I also keep my spare mini measuring tape to grab-and-go for when I am shopping for items that require measuring. A small one is lighter, naturally, and adds little weight to my already heavy bag.

The mail is placed in the magazine holder. Magazines and catalogs in the back compartment and everything else in the front.


From here I can easily discard/recycle junk mail. On occasion this has got quite full on days when we have received more than the usual amount of mail but I am getting to be more diligent with clearing the magazine holder. These two items have been worth every penny.

This is an easy way to stay organized in the entryway before these important items - mail and keys - get lost and/or add clutter to any space. The basket saves time looking for keys and the magazine holder enables some initial organization of mail before it is moved to the next location.





I love this system. As you can see, the bench has room for flowers and when I am running in-and-out of the house through the day I do leave my bag on it, too.

We have a coat closet as well as a mudroom (or mud "nook", as I sometimes refer to it) for coats and backpacks and shoes.

Staying organized saves time and of course, conserves energy.


Do you have an organized system in place for your mail and keys? I would love to hear about it.


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