Bachelor Pad: The Entry Way

The biggest improvement I’ve made in both the functionality and the mood of my apartment is creating an entry way. Apartment Therapy, which I got this and many other good ideas from, calls it a landing ramp, and for good reason. However, I prefer to think of it more as a runway, because it is both collecting things as I come in the door, as well as a providing things as I am often running out the door.

Essential Entry Way Elements:

• Coat Rack
• Surface Area
• Decorative Items

No matter the climate, everyone has a coat. Be it a rain jacket, a winter parka, or a linen sport coat, it’s coming off and going somewhere when walking in the door. If it doesn’t have a place to go, it usually ends up resting over chairs and on couches. These also happen to be the places where the guests want to sit. Putting up a simple coat rack gives the coats somewhere to live. As an added benefit, it also removes the burden of running a coat check, taking peoples coats to put in the coat closet as they enter the house.

Everyone brings stuff in and out of their home. I regularly carry breath mints, keys, sunglasses, mp3 players, bus schedules and more. Without a place to live these things end up on my counters and tables. Having a surface area as I walk in my door gives me a place to drop them as I come in and pick them up again as I walk out.

The last essential element is the decorative items in the entry way. This is the first impression guests receive as they enter my home. If the front door opens to a 35lb bag of dog food, a bag of trash waiting for a trip to the dumpster, and a broom lying in the corner, it probably isn’t the impression I want to make.

Optional Entry Way Elements:

• Storage
• Carpet
• Seating

I got the idea of using storage cubes in my entry way from spending time at local yoga studios. They almost always have walls of storage cubes for shoes when entering. This gives me a place to put my hats and mittens (it’s cold in Denver), reusable grocery bags, shoes, and bags.

Not everyone takes their shoes off in their home. I do. It keeps the place the cleaner, and as my old college suite-mate pointed out, it’s fun to feel stuff with your feet. If I’m asking guests to take off their shoes, I need to at least offer them some seating. It is as simple as having a chair or two, a bench, or dual purpose chest.

An area rug serves a few purposes. Even if it’s shoes-on kind of household, the rug in the entry way will help catch some of the dirt before it gets into the rest of the house. In addition, it also serves as a clear visual indicator of where the entry way is.

What’s in the photos above?

• Offi Ply Grid Shelf
• Vessel Squat Bench
• Flor carpet tiles
• Blik wall applications
• CB2 vase
• Container Store acrylic coat rack
• Bed Bath and Beyond storage tote and metal organizer