A Hallway Drop Zone for a Flat With No Hallway
The front door opens straight into the living room, which means keys, shoes and coats had nowhere to go except the sofa. Here is the 40 cm strip of wall that fixed it.
[ADD IMAGE HERE] — Narrow entryway with a wooden bench, wall hooks and two hanging coats. Vertical shot, 1000x1500px.
Define the zone before you furnish it
An entryway is not a room, it is a habit. What makes one work is that everything you carry has an obvious place within one step of the door. If the hooks are three steps away, the coat goes on the chair instead — every single time.
Measure the wall immediately beside the door hinge. Anything from 40 cm is enough.
Hooks at two heights
- Upper rail at 165 cm for adult coats and bags.
- Lower rail at 110 cm for children, dog leads, or the small bag you grab daily.
- Two heights doubles the capacity of the same width of wall, and stops long coats covering everything hanging beneath them.
A bench you sit on and store in
A bench is what turns a row of hooks into an entryway. It gives you somewhere to put shoes on, and the space underneath holds the shoes themselves. Ours is two crates with a cushioned board across the top — 90 cm wide, 34 cm deep, which is shallow enough not to block the door swing.
Check the door swing first. Open the door fully and mark where it stops. Everything you install has to sit outside that arc, or you will be squeezing past it for years.
What to leave out
A console table, a mirror at the wrong height, and a basket for post that nobody ever empties. Small entryways fail from too much furniture, not too little. Hooks, a bench and one small tray for keys is the complete list.
What it cost
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Two hook rails | $18 |
| Two crates | $16 |
| Board and foam for the seat | $14 |
| Small ceramic tray for keys | $6 |
| Total | $54 |
Project at a glance
- Cost — $54
- Time — Two hours
- Skill — Beginner
- Wall needed — 40 cm minimum
Questions people asked
How do you make an entryway when you do not have one?
Use the wall beside the door hinge. Hooks at two heights plus a shallow bench creates the function without needing a separate space.
How high should entryway hooks be?
165 cm for the upper rail and around 110 cm for a lower one. Above 175 cm and shorter adults cannot reach comfortably.
Next project
An entryway is usually the darkest spot in a flat. The lighting fix applies here more than anywhere.