It’s a nice entry, but you really don’t want shoes and backpacks cluttering up the floor and wall. But wait...you have a nice large closet! You should be able to store shoes and backpacks in that closet. Do adults also remove shoes? I also see a room next door with an ironing board. If the closet does not work (it should - it’s a closet!) then maybe add a bench and backpack hooks in that room. I will cross my fingers for you that the backpacks get used this fall!!

That’s a lot of shoes, how big is your family? What do you use your entry closet for? Any chance you could redo the closet space so the area stays tidy, maybe something like this...

The closet is full of coats, backpacks on the floor. Probably needs a redo. The room next door is a family room and the connecting door goes to the garage. The ironing board is by my sewing table. I could do backpacks in that room somewhere.

We are only a family of 4. Just lots of shoes. Most shoes are kept in bedrooms, but usually we allow 2 pairs per person by the front door.

In Minnesota, everyone removes shoes when entering houses, generally, adults included.

I think you need to de clutter prior to bringing more pieces into the space. Start with the closet. Coats in an entry closet should be changed out seasonally. Same with shoes - no need for snow boots right now. I am not a fan of the shadow box with the keys, and am really scratching my head over the candles and the gnome. I think we need pics of your sewing room, and we can make that a delightful retreat for you that also has storage for overflow from the entry.

I am sorry, but there is no room in the hall for any of these items. I've redesigned many closets and I can tell you, there is room in there to organize these items. It may take making some rules as to how many pairs of shoes, etc.

There also seems to be room in the sewing room.

Please remove the candles and the nome.

Here is a photo of a Cleveland mud room area I redesigned. They have one closet with 4 kids. I removed the curtain and designed an organizational area. This is a much smaller closet area than yours.

I agree with the recommendation to declutter your closet and begin utilizing that space for your day-to-day storage needs. 2 pairs of shoes each x 4 people = a potential for 16 shoes on the floor in this space, which doesn't exactly say "welcome home" at the entry.