Help! Can you help us organize our foyer without making it look like a mudroom? Our house, a 1968 two-story colonial, originally had a coat closet in the foyer. The previous owners took it out, which makes the area much more spacious. This is a plus.
However, as a result there’s no easily accessible area for coats, shoes…keys and backpacks….(I have two boys, ages 5 and 7.5…)
We’ve put a small storage closet in the laundry room to hold excess outerwear, but it’s just not enough anymore….We could clean up the area with a series of IKEA-type hooks and shelves, but I don’t think that would suit the space very well. The foyer has a beautiful deep-blue tiled floor and a nice red oak staircase (walls are Benjamin Moore Linen White, by the way), so I’d like to find a solution with a more formal look.
Thanks!
Sara Shay, Maple Glen, PA
A: Outerwear IS a problem, isn’t it? Especially if you have kids. You wouldn’t believe how many of my clients have this issue – heck, I have this issue – so I’m glad you brought it up.
The first step is acknowledging that this will cost you some money. Wait – don’t click away! This will be a good investment, because it will make your current house functional and attractive AND you’ll be able to take these things with you if you move.
Consider a custom-built armoire with drawers to replace the coatrack and end table. The pieces you’ll find in stores will likely be way too big, and if the proportions are off, you might as well build that closet back in. The one in the drawing below is 30″W x 72″H x 20″D.
Here are the qualities you want:
– LEGS. This is critical; it will keep the piece feeling light. You want this to feel like a piece of furniture.
– Inside, HOOKS on the back wall of the piece, not a clothes rod with hangers. You can hang one set of hooks very high, for grown-up clothes, and the other hooks lower down for the kids’ things. This will enable you to keep the piece…
– NOT TOO DEEP. Many armoires are going to be 24″ to 30″ deep – or more. Try to stay at 18-20 .”
– SHALLOW DRAWERS so things don’t get lost.
– A LIGHTER WOOD such as maple or natural cherry that will feel less heavy than, say, walnut or cherry with a dark stain.
I just stumbled across the Delano Armoire from Room & Board. (Which looks pretty much exactly like the sketch above, which I promise you I did before the internet search. Great minds, etc.) If the dimensions work in your space, the Delano could be great; going custom enables you to get the dimensions even smaller, obviously.
We also should use the wall against the stairs. A shallow chest of drawers will store more than you think, and the top (with a tiny accent lamp on it) becomes the place to throw keys and mail. Here’s Room & Board’s Grove dresser. If the space is really small, also look for bedside tables with multiple drawers.
For shoes, a nice-looking open rack opposite the new wardrobe isn’t a bad idea. If everything else is out of sight and the shoes are kept tidy, the foyer will still feel, well, like a foyer.
You’ll still need to rotate jackets seasonally, and as for the backpacks, get the boys in the habit of marching them straight to the kitchen (to unload lunch boxes) or wherever they do their homework.
I hope this is helpful, Sara. Let me know what you decide!
