Guest Picks: Landing Strip Essentials
As your doctor will tell you, prevention is better than cure. So prevent the clutter from spreading throughout the house by installing a landing strip near your front door (or whichever door you use to enter the house).
Not everyone has the luxury of a mudroom with built-in cabinetry, but you can achieve the same functionality with a few well-chosen pieces like shelves, hooks, boxes and racks. By keeping all your daily coming-and-going essentials together, you'll be able to reduce the clutter, and your mornings will be relaxed and organized. — Alicia from Atypical Type A
Loose change, hair bands, work keys, chewing gum — it is often the smallest items that make the most mess, don't you think? Keep life's little necessities out of sight, but still close at hand, with an attractive storage box. Choose one as cute as this and no one will even notice that it conceals storage. Shh!
If there's one thing in the home that drives me crazy, it is the constant influx of mail. Left untended, it will breed on every surface within 10 meters of the front door. Keep it contained with this cute envelope letter holder until it's time for your weekly bill-paying session. It even has hooks for your keys, so it's a perfect multifunctional piece for your entryway.
Greeting cards, invitations, family photos — thank goodness not all mail is bad! Display your happy mail on this cute frame, and you'll have a smile on your face whenever you leave the house.
Greet anyone coming through your door with this super fun sign. Your family and guests alike will feel right at home.
A home's entryway is a high-traffic zone at peak times. It is no place for an artsy, abstract clock with no numbers, so keep the family on schedule with a clearly readable wall clock.
Do you dump your electronic devices from your pockets and bag onto the nearest surface only to have to move them later when you need to recharge them? By placing a recharging dock in your landing strip, you will always know where your gadgets are, and you'll always be charged and ready to go.
If you're anything like me, you're likely to remember that book you need to return to your friend or the dry cleaning that needs to be dropped off after you've already shut the door behind you. Try keeping all your outgoing things in a designated crate by the door. If you have enough space, go one step further and separate items into categories such as "to return," "to donate" and "errands."
Avoid the one-legged dance and place a bench or stool in your entryway if you have the space. Make it do double-duty, like this gorgeous ottoman that can store shoes (or hats, laptops, gym bags or basketballs).
I don't have a mirror in my entryway, which means that I inevitably have to resort to the teeny mirror in the car visor — which is not ideal when I then realize that I need to fix my hair or makeup and that my supplies are back in the house. Hang a small mirror by the door so that you can do the all-important last-minute check. Never leave the house with food in your teeth again!
Don't forget the needs of the furry family members! Hang up Rover's leash right where you need it. Makes sense, doesn't it?
While a table looks lovely in a hallway, those pesky legs do take up room (both visually and physically). So for a compact landing strip, you can't beat this floating shelf. It's no ordinary shelf: The drawers are essential for containing all the usual paraphernalia. Attach some hooks to the wall underneath, and you'll have a place for bags and scarves too.
If you're a no-shoes kind of household, does your entryway end up in a pile of shoes? Keep them tucked out of sight in this nifty shoe storage unit. Featuring no back legs and a slim design, it will fit into the narrowest of hallways.
Do you have your or your kids' library books strewn all over the house? Keep a fun literary-themed book bag by the front door, and tell the family to put their finished books in it. That way, when you're on your way to the library, all you need to do is pick up the bag — no house search required.
So you're dreaming of a fully fledged mudroom? Join the club. Most of us, though, will have to slot these facilities into a hallway, foyer, laundry or even just a corner of the living room.This fun industrial set of cubbies is perfect for containing all those morning essentials: handbags, school bags, books, lunch boxes, hats and planners. Pair it with a storage bench underneath and you have an ideal mini mudroom that will add a splash of color to the space.
Hear me out on this one. Solid-based, attractive waste paper baskets like this one make the perfect receptacles for dripping umbrellas.
Don't have the space for a full coat stand? Never fear! You are not destined to have piles of jackets draped over every surface near the door. Opt for a wall-mounted coat rack or, better yet, a compact multihook fixture like this one to keep your cold-weather gear off the floor and in one convenient place.
Things like coupons and gift cards don't belong in our wallets, but they do need to be easily accessed when leaving and returning home. Store them (along with your spare lipstick, mints and bus tickets) in this repurposed jewelry box.
While a landing strip does need to function well on a practical level, there's no reason it can't be pretty and happy as well! Frame colorful artwork that will either inspire you as you head out into the world or welcome you as you return home.Next: Step Up to a Work-of-Art Doormat
If you have a tight space, opt for a multifunctional command center rather than several single items. This smart unit provides space for notes, phones, diaries, coats and bags without that "office supplies store" look.
Q