help with keeping hallway tidy please.

[mumat39]

hello
i tried to browse through the various babysteps threads but am still not sure.

i need help with shoe storage, bikes and scooters and toy storage. And bloody post.

At the moment we have an old chest of drawers in the hallway by the front door shoes but need to reclaim that for clothes. So where/how do you all store shoes? Dp has size 10/11 shoes so we need something that will hold those but also Dc shoes. Between us we have about 16 pairs for everyday wear inc. shoes, trainers, sandals, wellies/boots.

Also under the stairs is a mess with two scooters, a bike, a space hopper plus a few other toys. Haven't really got anywhete else to put these as car boot already has 2 buggies in it. Any ideas?

Also, where do you put paperwork? I have piles of it all over the place including on chest of drawers for shoes. I have a plastic storage filing box which is at the bottom of my wardrobe and not easy to get to besides which it is full to bursting. So i would be more organised about putting stuff away i hope if it was just a bit easier.

We also have a rug by the front door to stop all of us walking too much rubbish in and esp wet feet. But the rug is also messy looking. We have a laminate floor.

It would be SO lovely to have a nice welcoming hallway that I don't have to apologise for so any advice would be great.

Many thanks in advance and apologies for any typos.

First link again

But if you must go down the IKEA route ...

Ikea hallway ideas

There's one with two white Hemnes shoe cabinets side by side, with nice things on top such as pens, calendar and a vintage looking stainless steel lamp, which would completely work under your stairs, and then they have a coat stand for the coats. This is a look you might want to consider replicating in your hall, perhaps? A big mirror in the hallway and some black frames with your favourite family photos printed up in black and white, and grouped really stylishly, might be a good way forward. Also you wouldn't have to move the radiator then.

I have decided I prefer the IKEA solution to all the others now, because apart from anything else, if you whizz up there today you could have this project complete by bedtime, and it would be pretty economical. Let us know what you decide.

Fuck me that Victorian hat stand is fab

I know, there are some beautiful things out there that are just a bit unaffordable! But it's inspiring to know what's possible.

The carpet hall runner that you linked via eBay is STUNNING! Seriously considering that for my hall now!

How about using the wall space by putting shelves above the drawers. You can put baskets, tubs etc on it. I did a project sorting outdoor gear on my blog. This was in my utility room so the colours or bins might not work in your hall way, but you can see the idea of the shelves. One of the storage tubs is actually a cardboard box wrapped in wall paper which gives a storage solution for pennies. Hope this helps

That's seriously lovely, Queen Maeve. You have done a great job there.

Hope OP is doing a rapid makeover and we get an end of day reveal!

Can I also recommend a second hand four drawer filing cabinet for under stairs storage? They hold huge amounts of stuff (winter outdoor clothes etc) and you can spray paint them to any colour / change handles etc.

Thank you! Boffin I tried to get onto your blog but I have to sign into Wordpress? Do I need to register an email or something do you know?
Would love to see a reveal of the ops work. No pressure!

Fab thread. Boffinmum you might become my new inspiration

We've not long moved into a new house and I'm valiantly fighting the advancing tide of mess and clutter. There's some good ideas here

Home page of blog

making an entrance

Icapturethe castle, your under stairs look SO neat and tidy. I'm impressed.

Queen Maeve, that looks so cool! I really want to move now so I can have a utility room!!! NOW!

BoffinMum. You really are super dooper brilliant. I was really hoping to have resolved all today and would have loved to do a reveal. So i've been talking to DP about this for a few days and when we got to IKEA he didn't agree with what I was thinking, which meant I didn't know what I was thinking either.

The under stairs space, really isn't that big. I think we'd fit the current chest under there, face on, but then we'd be left with the triangular are, so no room for the two ikea shoe storage cabinets side by side. :( That's the picture I mentioned earlier and would love to recreate that look, but with maybe different handles, maybe little crystal effect handles. I'm so pleased you've said you like the IKEA option. All the antique stuff looks lovely but the space we have is not that big and bright so I feel like anything tall would darken the area more.

Do you think this Ikea cabinet would look ok, to the left of the coat hooks where they currently are? So at the bottom of the stairs? With a nice mirror above? It has a shallow drawer that would be great for keys, bike pump, wallet, satnav and parking permits.

The space where the chest of drawers is at the moment is about 5 cm too narrow for the cabinet to go there arse Moving the radiator isn't an option. I'm not even going to ask DP about that. I can just imagine him huffing and sighing about it. Trouble is he thinks it's all fine as it is so I need to do it in a way that limits his involvement. Once it's done he'll say 'you were right, it does look better'. He's a bit of a fuddy duddy really.

Also, the wall to the right of the front door isn't very wide at all so the cabinet won't fit there. But I could move the coat hooks to where the chest of drawers is in the picture of the hallway. Or would that be a bad idea?

The chest of drawers matches the bedside tables in our bedroom so it makes sense to have it there, besides, we really need the extra storage. I really don't own that many clothes (DP has more than I do :( ) but I still have clothes that live in a laundry basket as there's nowhere else for them to go.

I'm sorry to keep bothering you with all my confusing questions.

But thank you so so much for all your help so far.

xxx

The Ikea Antonius is very similar to the Place for Everything storage system. It would go under the stairs nicely.

The TJUSIG hat rack with Komplement boxes on top are good.

This is a little childish compared to the Ikea stuff.

It's hard to be able to help more without a plan with measurements and even more photos, but I think the way forward is going to be:

1. Buy the Hemnes shoe storage cupboard, which is pretty classy. I presume from what you are saying you don't have room for two, side by side? On the top put the antique Art Nouveau post rack I found for you! and maybe another ornament or plant, or scented candles.

1. Put up a shaker style peg rail with a shelf above, centrally over the Hemnes shoe cupboard(s) if you can manage it (you may not have the height, of course). Or something like this Ebay offering, painted to match Hemnes, and with smart wooden hangers on it. Additional coat storage could be achieved with this coat stand on the other side where the chest of drawers is now if you need it, for guests and so on.

1. Now tackle the understairs area. Remove everything, give it a good clean, and remember you will only be putting back things you actually need in the hall. Get yourself the IKEA Antonius basket set, the tallest one that will fit, and set it up as I described for the chest of drawers (which clearly needs to move upstairs).

1. If possible have one basket dedicated to cleaning items and hoover accessories/bags and put the hoover to the RHS of the Antonius basket set, tidily.

1. Get something like this for wellies and mount it under the stairs somewhere sensible.

1. You might be able to fit a large basket unless the shortest end for bits and pieces.

1. Screen off the under stairs area with one of these, from the Dormy House

How does that sound?

We've got the Ikea shoe cabinet (the taller one). I didn't like the idea of having an Ikea cabinet by the front door, I would have liked an old chest of drawers or lovely shoe bench. In the end practicality won out and we went for it and I'm so pleased we did. It's actually really nice, incredibly practical (we have got about 16 pairs of shoes in it) and much harder-wearing than I expected (no dinks in it 8 months later, despite being by the front door). The top drawer is also v. useful for keys, pens, cheque book etc etc. I'm really happy with it.

YouChange, thanks for replying. The two IKEA ideas look great.

Boffin, thanks again. I'm trying to get my head around your ideas. I think I might need to go to IKEA again and just have a look at the Antonius option. I was doing more research this evening and came across these. They look great and would be brilliant and would mean a completely clutterfree entrance to the house but I'm sure they'll be way too expensive :(
Thanks again for ALL your brilliant suggestions. I am struggling to visualise how it will look.

Daisy, I really like the Hemnes cabinet and the one we've been looking at is the same as the one you have. It's good to know that it's been hardwearing, as we have a 4 and 2 year old plus a very clumsy DP. Can I ask, did you put your one on the same side as your front door opens onto? So behind the front door? That's the only place we can fit it. Also, do you have anything above it like pegs with a shelf for hats? I'm struggling to visualise what it might all look like at the bottom of the stairs, if that makes sense?

Thanks again everyone. :)

No, ours isn't behind the front door, it's on the other side. Would it not fit where your chest of drawers is currently?

We haven't got any storage above it (want to get a mirror, just haven't found one I like yet). Because the shoe cabinet is quite tall anything above it would be too high for children to reach, and I need want them to be able to get their own things. So we have a row of pegs behind the front door and then on a wall in the study which is next to the hall I have another row of pegs which are at child height and they can put school bags, coats etc on. This tends to look a bit messy, which is why I wanted it out of the hall!

Could you get a local joiner to come and give you a quote for doing some pull out storage like on your link? It would probably be loads cheaper than that company.

love this thread and all you martha stewart gurus

am in a bit of a declutter mode atm currently the shoes are slung into a wicker basket and coats hang on pegs above

looks lovely when there are hardly any coats there
looks shite atm as the hooks are straining under the weight of a million coats

OP I would seriously consider closing off the understairs bit and making it into a cupboard ...seriously don't know what I would do without mine .

Oh that Deriba is fab

The Derida is indeed very fab but if you click on my profile I have put some photos up there of what a local chippy can do for £100 to emulate the storage space without getting too technical. Plus some other hallway shots.

I know Boff, I have plans for two rooms in our house for a local chippy to do. Now I'm wondering what to do with our hallway It's a lovely space with a huge mirror and (fixed) radiator and a period arch thing that doesn't leave any wall space.

I appear to have confused the Deriba with the French philosopher of a similar name, Jacques Derrida. Only on MN would someone be so daft and up themselves, methinks.

I keep imagining our friend Jacques repeatedly popping out the tallest slidy thing now, declaring 'bonjour'.