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Welcome to the monthly edition of Where Bloggers Live. It’s kind of like HGTV’s “Celebrities at Home,” but…Bloggers! Who doesn’t like to peek behind the scenes and see inside people’s homes? Every month a group of six bloggers share their workspaces, homes, towns, and more!

This month’s theme is Entryway/Landing Strip. That spot just inside your entry where you transition from the outside world to the inside.

entryway

How nice is it to walk into your home and NOT be faced with mess and clutter?? Ahh. So nice. I remember the time that happened.

Sigh.

Usually my entryway is a big mess of piles of things going in and out, like books, grocery bags, trash, camera stuff, electronics, etc. Once in a while I do a deep clean but clearly I do not have a system that works well for me because before you know it it’s a mess again.

So to prepare for this month’s Where Bloggers Live, I really tried to think about what my actual needs are and how to design a set-up that will work.

I was reading on ApartmentTherapy.com about thinking of your entryway as being a big filter for the outside world. Nothing should get past it that doesn’t really belong there – like dirt, mail, trash, shopping treasures, etc.

I don’t have an actual “entryway,” but I have a small corner and piece of furniture inside the front door that acts as a landing strip.

So, what systems do I (or anyone) need as soon as they set foot inside?

KEEPING DIRT OUT

  • Floor Mat: a washable one is good. Now if I just had a washing machine.
  • Shoe Spot: I’m trying so hard to follow the Asian tradition (of course I am) of taking off your shoes as soon as you walk in the door. I’m not sure why they can do it and I can’t, but I’m still trying.
  • Slippers

MANAGING ITEMS BROUGHT INSIDE

  • Coat closet, rack, or hooks on wall
  • Catchall for outdoor clothing accessories: gloves, scarf, umbrella, dog leash, etc
  • Keyholder: my keys actually stay in the lock in the door because that’s how I lock the door, and so I always know where they are
  • Change: I keep an old mason jar in one of cubbies. It’s actually full right now so I need to take it to the coin sorter. Wanna guess how much is in there?
  • Mail: this is not an issue for me as my mail goes to my landlord’s door and then they bring it downstairs (inside) and leave it on their side of a common door, and text me when I have mail. So mail IS an issue for me, but in the kitchen (where the mail door is) not the entryway.

STORING ITEMS THAT REGULARLY GO IN AND OUT

  • Camera equipment: I have multiple cameras I take with me based on what/where I’m going, so they live near the front door
  • Electronics: I am someone who likes my cell phone to be fully charged At All Times so I have quite the collection of different types of charging cables and externals, and sometimes their accompanying chargers
  • Grocery Bags: I don’t know how many other places are like this now, but there are no more plastic shopping bags to be had at stores on Long Island or the 5 boroughs. For while you could buy them for a nickel apiece but that even seems to be a thing of the past, so you need to bring your bag or tote. And I am notorious for coming home with groceries, than leaving the bags in the kitchen (not near the front door) and winding up at the market the next time, bagless. Ugh.

LIGHTING

  • I don’t have any lights that stay on while I’m out so it’s nice to have a way to turn light on right inside the front door so you’re not fumbling around in the dark.
  • What I DO have (always) is an interesting lamp that a) does not work and b) has no lampshade. Quirky nonfunctional lamps are my thing. Someday I’ll get this one repaired and a shade for it and THEN, then…well, then I’ll have a unique working lamp in my entry.

Now, my entryway is not pretty. I’ve had prettier. But in the process of creating this post I did manage to straighten it up a bit…and now my coats are hanging on actual hooks vs being thrown over the snow shovel handle (true story). So. Yay me.

Part of the “pretty” challenger is that “window” that opens to the back of my computer in the bedroom above. Yes, I could close those shutters, but then it will be claustrophobic sitting at the computer (27.5 hours/day as I do). I like feeling open to the living room and getting the LITTLE bit of light that comes in down there.

But while it may not look just as I would like, it is functional for my needs. Yawn, ha ha. Hey, we can’t all live in the pages of Architectural Digest. I have an old door with fairy lights on it, I’m good.

Be sure to visit my friends’ blogs and see how they handle the entryway situation. And Happy Lunar New Year!

Daenel at Living Outside the Stacks
Iris at Iris’ Original Ramblings
Jodie at Jodie’s Touch of Style
Leslie at Once Upon a Time Happily Ever After 
Em at Dust and Doghair