HALL CLOSET

A closet near the front door—even a relatively small one—is the holy grail of entryway organization. It makes it easy to control clutter and leave some space free for your guests’ things as well. But there are even more ways to make the most of this behind-closed-doors space.

curate the contents

A coat closet shouldn’t be a shove-all. It’s the most “public” of your closets, after all, and should be presentable. If yours has gotten out of hand, give it a thorough purge.

• Be realistic. Those items taking up valuable real estate on the top shelf? If they haven’t been touched for six months or more, move them to longer-term storage or get rid of them. Even taking the items out and looking at them might inspire you to put them to good use.
• Reevaluate your system to determine what works and what doesn’t. For instance, if your spouse has yet to ever place his jacket on a hanger, it might be time to assign him a coat hook. Ditto for the kids.
• Rotate the items by season. In spring, store away the winter coats and accessories, replacing them with raincoats, sun hats, and sunblock.

think vertically

• Maximize your space’s full potential—use top-to-bottom storage.
• Place baskets on the closet’s highest shelf to gather up smaller items or those that see only occasional use, such as umbrellas and rain hats, and add a label or tag so everyone knows what’s where; or use mesh baskets or wire bins to easily identify contents.
• Group hanging coats and jackets by wearer or by weight, using only sturdy wooden—never plastic or flimsy paper-covered wire—hangers.
• If space allows, put a multi-cubby storage unit (such as the stackable one shown on page 95) down below for housing shoes, sorted by person or type; a unit like this also provides a low shelf for other items you need here, like a basket with the dog’s leash and toys, and some old towels for drying off wet arrivals.
• Utilize door space: Add a basket per person for mail, if you don’t have room in the entryway. Same for hanging a small mirror for last-minute touch-ups.

Martha Must

Always be sure to let wet coats, hats, and footwear dry outside the closet to avoid dirtying or dampening dry items. I have wall hooks and boot trays inside every entrance for this purpose.