5 Must-Have Items for Your Entryway: What Do You Need to Have?

Hanger or wardrobe

Not every apartment is equipped with a dressing room, which means that the entrance area is where most of the outerwear is located. The wardrobe configuration depends on the size of the hallway: it can be a spacious corner wardrobe, a sliding wardrobe or an open hanger. The advantages of a large wardrobe are that all the clothes and shoes are hidden behind the facades, making the hall look tidier. To visually expand the space, it is recommended to use a mirror door. When ordering a built-in wardrobe, you should choose a product up to the ceiling: this way the structure will hold more things. Shoes are usually stored inside: this way dirt from the street does not spread throughout the apartment.

The advantage of an open hanger is that a product with wall hooks looks light and does not take up much space, but it must be kept in order and not overloaded with clothes. Ideally, if the hanger is placed in a niche. Another advantage of hooks is that you can hang keys, bags and temporarily place grocery bags on them. You can make a stylish clothes hanger with your own hands.

The photo shows a free-standing wardrobe for clothes and shoes with mirrored fronts that optically expand the space and add light.

Shoe rack

A place for storing shoes, like for clothes, can be closed, open or combined. A shoe rack can be built into a closet or stand alone. Ready-made structures can be in the form of a bench with a shelf, a box or a console with folding doors. Some apartment owners prefer non-standard options: chests, ottomans, metal baskets. The advantage of an open shoe rack is that shoes dry immediately, thereby extending their service life. But a closed system allows you to hide shoes and not spread dirt around the apartment.

Both open and closed shoe racks can serve as a bench, sitting on which it is comfortable to put on shoes, as well as a place to place bags. The surface of narrow, tall structures acts as a console on which you can place decor or store various small items.

The photo shows a hallway with a shoe rack equipped with a pull-out drawer for small items. Under the mirror there is a pouf with a lid, which serves as additional storage space.

Mirror

A mirror is an indispensable element in any hallway. The larger the reflective surface, the wider the room seems. A full-length mirror is useful before going outside, as it allows you to assess the overall picture of your image.

A mirror can be built into a combined wardrobe-hanger, fixed to the wall or the front door. In some modern interiors, a large heavy mirror is simply placed on the floor, but this option is appropriate only in spacious rooms, where the risk of hitting it is minimal, as well as in families without small children.

A small wall mirror with an interesting frame is hung mainly as a decoration, since you cannot see yourself in it at full height.

The photo shows an option for placing a mirror on the side wall of a cabinet. This technique allows you to complicate the space by visually “dissolving” the overall structure and save space on the wall.

Lighting

One ceiling chandelier in the hallway is not enough, since we block its light with our heads. The best option for a small entrance area is a wall lamp (sconce) with directional light near the mirror. In a long corridor, it is best to hang several ceiling lamps, as well as lower lighting for the dark time of day. Thanks to the abundance of light, a small hallway will seem more spacious: it will be easier to put on shoes and dress a child, it will be easier to clean and more pleasant to come home.

The photo shows a small hallway with an unusual lamp that is reflected in the mirror and doubles the amount of light.

Decor

The hallway can be made very comfortable and stylish. You should not assign a purely utilitarian role to the entrance area: after all, the corridor is part of the apartment, the interior begins with it. In addition to interesting key holders and umbrella stands, you can place photographs, souvenirs from trips, paintings and houseplants in the hallway. The decor can be a collection of stylish headwear – hats or baseball caps hanging on hooks, a bright front door or a rug.

The photo shows a hallway with a picture on the wall that visually expands the narrow space, and a composition of empty frames.