Allow me to paint a picture for you. You’re walking into your house with your hands full of groceries. Your keys and phone are lost somewhere within the midst of produce and guilty pleasure cheat day treats… And to add a cherry on top, it’s raining.

Sound familiar? Now it’s time to pause, what do you do now? In my opinion, you have two options- you can either continue through your house across freshly mopped floors and rummage through your bags for all of your belongings OR, you can create a gorgeous and versatile entryway.

Now don’t get me wrong, some of you may not mind the miniature foot shaped puddles through your home… But personally, they are my nightmare.

So, how do you fix this seemingly never-ending problem of discombobulated keys, various shoes and jackets strewn about? Well my friend, I’m glad you ask! I’m going to share with you some of my easy entryway creation tips to help you keep a beautifully organized home throughout the seasons.

Step #1 – How Much Space Do You Have?

Assessing how much space you have in your entryway is always the first step, as this will serve as the base of all your planning. But, let me first explain what I mean by “space.”

When you walk into your home, what is it like around you? Is it a wide-open area, or is it more of a narrow entryway? Do you have closets and nooks around you, or are the walls flat? This may seem like a silly and straight forward question, but it’s essential to optimizing your space year-round!

Step #2 – What All Do You Need?

Once you’ve established how much space you have, you must next ask yourself a very important question…. Are you a planner or a dumper?

Wow, wow, wow! What does this even mean? Well, when you come home, do you kick off your shoes and toss your keys, or do you enjoy having your week planned and having a place for everything?

If you’re a planner, props to you! This means you should consider items like a chalk board, calendar, shoe rack and separate hooks for keys and jackets. A clean space means a clean mind and having a place for everything you may need when walking in and out of your home is one of the best ways to stay organized no matter the season.

For you dumpers out there, more power to you! For some of us, we prefer other means of organization and just need a minimal entryway that gets the job done. For this type of entryway, incorporating items like simple hooks, benches with under storage or singular floating shelves make it easy to create a one stop shop as you go in and out of your home.

Step #3 – Optimizing Your Décor

Now for the exciting part… Decorations!!! Décor is so much fun when it comes to entryways because it’s the first thing you see when you walk in your home. But when is entryway décor too much?

Especially when it comes to decorating for each season, less is more for an entryway. The items you naturally use throughout the year serve as décor themselves! For example, seasonal colored bags, jackets, beach towels and shoes will give your entryway the pop of color you need without needing to spend money on décor.

Your entryway is mainly for organization so when it comes to décor that stays year-round, simplicity is key! I’m talking neutral baskets, earth toned benches and unique mirror accents. With simple décor like this, you’ll be able to mix and match the things you love while always having a place for your on-the-go items!

Creating an entryway should be a fun and simple way to incorporate a pop of design into a high traffic area of your home. But, what if you want a little head start in creating your dream entryway? Well then the Clayton Built® team is to the rescue! Clayton has several homes with built-in entryways for you to stay organized in a simple and beautiful manner. So, which Clayton Built® entryway will you choose?