Being a forever renter means often having to adapt to your next space. There is nothing worse than walking into your home and immediately feeling the effects of being in a small space. These small entryway ideas will make you forget you’re making do in a small space and you’ll walk into your apartment every day without feeling stressed! Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. This means if you decide to make a purchase using my links I receive a small commission at no cost to you.
Updated: May 9, 2026
In this post I will share 9 tried and true small entryway ideas that I use to get the most out of my small space. First off, measure your space so you know what items you can fit where, even if you think an area is too small to put storage or organization pieces in. Nowadays, there are so many options that I am able to fit organization in almost any space. Next, list the items you need a place for in your entryway such as coats, shoes, bags, outwear, umbrellas etc. Once you have that, be sure all of these items will have a designated place in your entryway. My small entryway ideas will help you to do just that!
This post is all about small entryway ideas.
1. Use all possible real estate
There is no such thing as dead space, I don’t care how dinky it is. Most of us, whether we live in a house or an apartment, did not have the luxury of picking out our entryway. Therefore, likely our space is not ideal. That having been said, don’t allow anything even close to the door go unused. If you have a staircase as you walk in, use the space at the bottom as well as at the top. If you have a hallway right at the top of the stairs, overflow your entryway into that.
I actually have three areas I use as my entryway. Just inside my door at the bottom of the stairs, which this space is TINY as you can see below. Tiny as it is, I am able to house the jackets and shoes we are currently using day to day right next to the door. Then I use the small landing at the top of the stairs. At the top of the stairs, I have a step up into and small space that my rooms are off of. I opted to use this weird space as the rest of my entryway area, so we can come and go organized. We placed our items accordingly so it makes sense to grab them on the way out and put them away on they way in.
2. Hooks
Wall hooks are great for small spaces. You can place 1-2 hooks per family member right next to the door no matter how small of a space you have and at least you have your most used jackets for the season ready to grab on your way out. You could also use hooks for hats and keys. I have also seen people place double rows of hooks for added storage. This is especially smart if you have kiddos because it allows for lower hooks so they can hang up their own coats and backpacks.
Tip: place a basket on a hook and this can be used for things like umbrellas, hats, gloves, scarves, reusable bags, face masks etc.
3. Bench
This is not a must have for me as we are just two people without kids. Right now, I do have a multipurpose piece which includes a bench. But even a plain bench can be helpful if you have kids or people who like to sit to put their shoes on. My recommendation would be to take advantage of the space above and below the bench if it is a stand alone bench.
Above the bench, place a shelf with hooks where you can place baskets on the shelf with any items you need to store. Hang your coats and bags on the hooks. Good options for this are IKEA hat racks such as the TJUSIG Hat Rack or the HEMNES Hat Rack. Under the bench add shoe storage or baskets. You can really personalize it. Just don’t let areas around the bench turn into wasted space.
4. Multipurpose pieces
This is a no-brainer in a small space. If your furniture can check numerous boxes you’ll get more out of your space. Often times, you can find coat racks with hooks, seating and shelving all in one piece. Another option is a bench with shelving underneath. Again, IKEA is a great place to find these all in one pieces. You can find ones for a decent sized space, but also ones for narrow spaces as well, great for studio apartments or people who live alone. Mine pictured below is the most economical option they had offering that much storage at the time I wrote this post. It is the NIPÅSEN Coat rack and bench with shoe storage.
As you can see, I also opted to snag the NORDRANA Baskets to hang on the hooks. This allows a place to toss our winter gear, face masks, or anything else we may need to grab on our way out. I will say, these baskets are now discontinued, but another great option is the MÄVINN Storage basket – jute
If possible, when finding shoe storage, opt for something that has a small table top to place trays or something to toss your keys or odds and ends in.
5. Wall mount what you can
This is similar to using vertical space. The more you can use your walls, the less crowded the space will feel because you free up floor space. We already talked about hooks, shelving, and hanging baskets on the hooks. These are all great ways to use wall space. You can often find wall mounted racks and shoe storage. I say if you’re a renter, when you see any type of wall mounted entryway storage it may be worth grabbing or considering.
6. Shoe storage
This is a key piece to organizing your small entryway. Shoes can take up SO much space. To be honest, all three of our entryway areas have a place for shoes. Inside the door at the bottom of the stairs, we have a boot tray for wet shoes and a shoe rack we placed above the tray so we can have two rows for shoes we wear daily near the door. Our IKEA coat rack (mentioned above) has two shelves under the bench where we place shoes. And finally, we have the HEMNES Shoe Cabinet mounted on the wall in the small hallway next to the stairs. This allows us a place to have a good amount of shoes and small basket where we keep sunglasses and odds and ends. The HEMNES Shoe Cabinet is now discontinued but the one that seems to have replaced it is the GULLABERG Shoe Cabinet with 4 compartments. They also have a GULLABERG Shoe Cabinet with 2 compartments
IKEA shoe cabinets that mount to the wall are great because they are super slim and have a nice, thin console-like table.
Tip: I have also seen a mother build IKEA shoe cabinets into their slim entryway that packed a huge punch! Check out her post and YouTube video here!
7. Baskets and bins
Baskets and bins are a great way to keep the entryway looking neat. You can fit tons of items into them while maintaining a put together look. It helps to keep things organized so all in the family know where everything goes. When you walk in the door, you can feel good about being home. A basket is a great place to keep umbrellas, slippers, shoes, hats, gloves, etc.
8. A place for the mail and a catch all place
We all know when we walk in house we toss the mail on the first open table we see. Often this looks sloppy and it is just in the way. Having a designated place for the mail will prevent this. A wall mounted mail holder works great or a mail basket.
Another specific bin or basket to be sure you have is a random catch all basket. Sometimes we all have items you just cannot plan on having. Rather than have them clutter up your space, give them a home until you can sort through things. If you have kids make sure to give each member of the family a catch all area. Hooks with baskets or bags are a great way to do this without taking up prime real estate.
We have a very odd ledge on the floor of our hallway. It was totally useless because it is not deep enough for a typical basket or shoes. I bumped into a long rectangle basket at Marshall’s or Home Goods that is perfect for that ledge. It has two compartments. So we use one side for paper and mail and the other side for our catch all area. I think it was narrow because you’re supposed to hang it from hooks on a wall. But sometimes, using things in a different way than they’re intended for can help you make use of an odd area of your space.
9. Make sure everything has a place
Now that you’re done, make a sweep over the area and make sure you have accounted for everything and they have their place. You can now tweak whatever you need to. Also as life changes, you may want to make changes to your setup, and that’s okay. Renters are usually pretty good at adapting when needed!
Those were my 9 small entryway ideas
I hope you found some ideas you can use to maximize your small entryway. Once you feel good about your setup, you can add decor to the area to give it some personality. But that is a whole post in it of itself! Thank you for being here and supporting my blog!
This post was all about small entryway ideas.
