Tiny entrance ideas

[AlexaPlayBagpipes]

Does anyone have any ideas for a really tiny entrance hall.
We have an entrance which is not much larger than the internal swing of the door. It’s constantly cold and open to the stairs/upstairs hallway. The staircase is immediately in front of you fully enclosed and then a door either side.
We are blocking up the doorway behind the swing side of the front door and DH suggested to create an alcove when we do this so that we can have a (much needed) radiator.
This led me to thinking what other ideas there are that would use a door sized alcove or any clever ideas people have

If you have a tiny bit of extra depth, these slim shoe cupboards by IKEA are excellent. We have used them for all sorts of things over the years in other spaces (art supplies, music books etc) but they are great by the door for shoes, gloves, scarves etc. You can also use the top surface for masks, hand gel, keys.

www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/trones-shoe-cabinet-storage-black-80397313/

Then have lots of hooks on different levels - we have three rows at varying heights - perfect for children, school bags, coats, umbrellas.

We have folding hooks similar to these www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/klyket-folding-hook-aluminium-beige-50503598/ and they are still going strong after 10 years.

It’s never going to look super tidy with such a small space and no proper wardrobe, but you can organise the mess somewhat.

Diagramme?

Something like this - storage for coats but also hats/scarves

www.aosom.co.uk/item/homcom-80cm-entryway-cubbie-shelf-coat-hooks~833-298WT.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=google_shopping&gclsrc=aw.ds&gclid=CjwKCAjwzOqKBhAWEiwArQGwaFozjZ1vbTBV3qb-srQh0PHPFQMVjow0E42wJ9DZ0dDST-MfmCdlfRoCXdAQAvD_BwE

I'm not quite understanding your description - we need a diagram! Either a coat and shoe alcove if there is space or just shelves above the radiator, for keys, wallets, and a little display of "nice things" / plants etc

The red area is the doorway being blocked up.

House is very old so doorway to living room is thick. DH is saying there’s room for an alcove, anything we have would have to fit in the recess as the front door swings right back.

@Yellownotblue those trones boxes look ideal. As does the suggestion of just ‘nice things’. I don’t fancy a blank wall, would like it to look nice.

I should add we have a boot room at the back of the house so ample coat/shoe storage but things still get left in the tiny front entry and tripped over

Have you shut the door and not used it (put something behind it on the lounge side) for at least a month (preferably longer - though seasons) before you have decided to block it up?
Just to make sure that it isn't going to be a massive pain without it.

So if you are in the lounge and someone knocks on the door you have to walk through the kitchen and dining room. To open the door?

We have blocked the lounge off for the last 15 months. It does mean walking round.

Having multiple doorways and an odd shaped room in the lounge has really restricted us in terms of sofa size/layout hence trialling blocking the door.

Mine is like this but we cant block the door or we wouldnt be able to get into the back of the house. Best solution I saw was a door that opens outwards apparently common in other countries but not here. I also looked at heavy curtains that swing with the door for the heat.

I havent actually done either though!

@ChristopherTracy. that’s the other reason for us - constant cold coming from when front door opens.

A bit more expense but could you put a porch on the front? We have a similar setup, except we only have one door off it and the stairs in front. We have a curtain in front of the inner door as the porch itself is rubbish and we are planning on moving the front door in the near future.

@longtompot I did want a porch but our front yard is just a raised pathway with railings overlooking high street so it would not fit.

We used to live in a house with a similar entrance at both ends of the house. Keep it simple, there is nothing worse than too much stuff (eg coats) preventing you from fully opening the door, given they bulk out when multiple are hung on a hook. Same with a shoe rack... can be handy and you cam get slim ones, but ime they tend to end up overcrowded which can then be a problem.
Given you have a boot room, I'd probably just add a small set of coat hooks for visitors. Not sure I'd bother with a heater given you'll only be passing through... seems a bit inefficient.

Curtain across inside of front door?

The front door is brand new and no draughts.

It is only cold as there is no heat source in that area and the cold comes from outside each time the door is opened

Wondering how you'd run the pipes for a radiator.
In an all electric flat I put a wall mounted an infrared flat panel which looked like a mirror. Double duty and may make your hall look a bit more spacious and less of a faff than building an alcove.

@maofteens. The living room floor is coming up for some other work. The heating pipework is all under there so this can be rerouted while the floor is up and go straight up from behind the new wall/alcove

Why put a radiator in at all? Why not just hang a floor-length insulating curtain behind the front door? Then you could use the whole of the alcove for storage.

Or put underfloor heating in the entrance.

@AlexaPlayBagpipes

The front door is brand new and no draughts.

It is only cold as there is no heat source in that area and the cold comes from outside each time the door is opened

Managed to skip past this (on my phone). Then you could put a curtain across the bottom of the stairs. Only works, really, if you're not constantly up and down the stairs.

Agree about try to keep it minimalistic but functional.

We got this shoe storage:

www.amazon.co.uk/DAXTON-level-white-metal-storage/dp/B01MTIUEOT?tag=mumsnetforu03-21

Unavailable currently.Think we got it from habitat. But the point is it is slim but tall so uses vertical space, holds all our shoes, and looks unobtrusive. It is less than a doors width so you may be able to get some coat hooks to the side of it too.

Thick curtain over the front door (inside, obviously)..plus draught excluders inside other doors. These can be as simple as having them fitted to the doors themselves rather than the old fashioned ones.

Thick carpet or rugs will also help warm the space up.

Is it the hall your looking to warm or the staircase and landing? Because you could consider a curtain at the bottom of the stairs instead

We are going to warm the entrance space to prevent it constantly being several degrees colder than the other rooms hence making them cold when doors are opened.

The upstairs hallway is having several radiators fitted for the same reasons as we have to close all bedroom doors at night due to the corridors being cold.

The house is Edwardian, very steep stairs/high ceilings so essentially the centre of the house is always cold as there is no heat source and it’s periodically opened to outside when the front door opens.

There is no need for coat storage. We have plenty elsewhere and behind the door isn’t accessible as you have to step into the dining room to close the front door as the space is so tight.

We would not add curtains/rugs as it’s a tiny space with steep stairs so the focus is on making it easier to navigate/less hazards.

There’s a sunken well that the doormat sits in otherwise it would be caught in caught in the door. If anyone leaves shoes at the bottom of the stairs they have to put them on the bottom step or they are caught in the door.