Entryway furniture ideas start with what lands by the door every day: keys, mail, a bag, coats and too many shoes. Without a place for them, it all ends up on the floor or the nearest chair.
These 17 entries are real homes, built, hacked or styled by the people who own them. Most need one thing more than the rest. That might be a spot to drop keys, a seat for putting on shoes, or closed storage when there is no coat closet.
1. A Carved Console Table Under A Gold Mirror
Built from: Off-the-shelf lumber, with a CNC-carved front apron
Look: Balinese-inspired, whitewashed
Time: One weekend for the table, almost 5 hours to carve the apron
Difficulty: Intermediate to advanced
Jen Woodhouse looked for an entryway console for over a year and never found one that inspired her, so she built a Balinese-inspired one. The frame is plain lumber with simple joinery. The front apron and two curved wings were cut on a CNC machine, with the flowers left raised.
A plain apron works without one. Under an arched gold mirror on blue grasscloth, it is the whole entry.
2. A One-Sheet Plywood Console Against A Navy Wall
Built from: One sheet of plywood
Cost: Less than $50
Wall: Sherwin-Williams In the Navy
Difficulty: Beginner to intermediate
Jen built this console from a single sheet of plywood for Kreg’s One Sheet contest. The rounded openings keep the plain wood from looking boxy. A round brass mirror, a glass lamp and two wire baskets underneath make it a full drop spot.
Get the tutorial: 13 Japandi Entryway Ideas for a Quiet, Welcoming Arrival
3. A Waterfall Console Built For Under $100
Built from: 2×4 frames and laminated pine panels
Cost: Under $100 in lumber
Stain: Her own mix of Varathane Natural, Golden Oak and a splash of Weathered Gray
Difficulty: Beginner-friendly
The top of this console runs straight down the sides in one “waterfall” edge, joined with 45-degree cuts. Shanty 2 Chic first built it as a writing desk for a college-aged daughter, then styled it as a console for an entryway, the back of a couch or a tight corner.
The honey tone comes from the stain mix and a clear coat. Three framed prints on clips and a woven basket underneath keep it simple.
4. A Dark Wood Console In A Dining Room That Doubles As The Entry
Piece: East Bluff Woven Drawer Console in Brown, Studio McGee for Target
Room: A dining room that doubles as the entry
Drawers hold: Sunglasses, keys, a dog leash and gloves
Build: None, styling only
Liz Fourez’s dining room is also her entryway, so she pushed the table toward the outside wall to make room for a console. The dark wood piece has woven drawer fronts and antique gold handles, and two woven baskets on the lower shelf hold umbrellas and scarves. On top: stacked books, faux branches, a platter for mail and keys, and a large black ceramic lamp.
See the full project: 25 Entryway Decor Ideas That Make a Stunning First Impression
5. A Black Console, Two Mirrors And A Coat Tree In A New Foyer
Piece: A slim black console and large baskets from Target
Mirrors: Two DIY Anthropologie-dupe mirrors, later swapped for a Goodwill frame
Door: Painted black on both sides
Bigger job: Closing in an open arch to make the foyer
This foyer got its own wall when they closed in the open arch to the old formal sitting room, now her office. That gave the entry a new wall for a slim black console, with baskets underneath and a black coat tree beside it. The two mirrors came first. A large Goodwill frame with changeable art has since replaced them.
Cabinets And Mirrors
6. A Secondhand Cabinet Gel-Stained For Under $40
Piece: A secondhand cabinet
Finish: Minwax gel stain in Coffee
Cost: Less than $40, about 6 hours plus drying
Trim: HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams Willowleaf, semigloss
Lauren’s colonial foyer got its refresh without new furniture. A secondhand cabinet went dark with gel stain, and the stair risers, trim and back of the front door went green. A ceramic table lamp, a smoked glass vase of tall faux stems and an antique-style red wool rug came from Lowe’s for $300 or less. An antique gold mirror hangs by the stairs.
7. A Thrifted Scalloped Mirror Over A Wood Chest
Mirror: Wood with a scalloped bottom, from Goodwill
Under it: A wood chest of drawers
Walls: Sage green, with box and crown moulding
Room: An entry open to the living room
Dani Koch’s entry opens straight into the living room. She gave it eight weeks in the One Room Challenge, with sage green paint, box and crown moulding and a DIY bronze door handle.
The wavy wood mirror was a Goodwill find. Below it, the wood chest holds an orchid in a lavender pot she spray-painted cherry red to try the “unexpected red” idea.
Benches, Hall Trees And Built-Ins
8. An Upholstered Bench With Leather Straps
Built from: 2x4s and a 3/4 in plywood top
Seat: 1 in foam, batting and striped fabric, fixed in place
Finish: Early American water-based stain and two coats of water-based poly
Nicole found a bench she loved but could not justify buying, so she made her own. The legs and mitred top frame are 2x4s ripped narrower. The top is upholstered and fixed in place rather than a loose cushion, because of the kids. Leather straps stapled around the legs are only for looks. Under wooden peg hooks on white board-and-batten, the blue-and-white stripe looks fresh.
Get the tutorial:13 Smart Entryway Storage Ideas to Organize Your Space
9. An Old Door Turned Into A Hall Tree With A Shoe Box
Built from: An old door from their garage, leftover tongue-and-groove and casing
Storage: A box with a hinged lid for shoes
Finish: Maison Blanche lime paint in White Pepper and white wax
Difficulty: Intermediate
Liz Marie’s tri-level house barely has an entryway. Jose cut an old door from their garage square at the bottom and built a box on the front from leftover tongue-and-groove. The top of the box lifts, and shoes hide inside. A shelf on Home Depot corbels and World Market hooks finish it. Everything else came from things they already had.
10. An IKEA Hemnes TV Unit Turned Mudroom Bench
Started as: An IKEA Hemnes TV unit and two Hemnes wall shelves
Seat: Butcher block on a frame screwed into studs
Paint: Benjamin Moore Providence Blue, satin
Hooks: Six triple hooks on board-and-batten
April Hoff’s mudroom had an alcove with an unused counter and overflowing cabinets. Both came out, and an IKEA Hemnes TV unit went in as the bench, with shoe slots and drawers. Two stacked Hemnes shelves above are screwed into studs.
The TV unit is rated to 110 lb, so they built a frame into the studs on three sides to carry the butcher-block seat, cut by a local cabinet maker.
Get the tutorial: 18 IKEA Interior Design Ideas for a Modern Home Refresh
11. A Built-In Mudroom Bench With Arched Cubbies
Built from: Primed plywood cubbies, 6 in MDF shiplap and 1×2 pine trim
Paint: Sherwin-Williams Iron Ore
Bench: 3/4 in birch plywood, stained Varathane Special Walnut
Difficulty: Intermediate to advanced
Angela built this for her kids where a small shoe rack and wall hooks used to be. She chose open dividers instead of locker doors so they would actually use it. The four arches across the top trim board were drawn with a flexible ruler.
Brass double hooks hang in each section, with knobs on the side wall for small bags and a nameplate for each person. The caulking and sanding alone took 11 hours.
Shoe Storage
12. Two IKEA EKET Cabinets Turned Into One Shoe Cabinet
Started as: Two IKEA EKET cabinets
Depth: Enough for size 11 shoes
Paint: Benjamin Moore English Manor, with Edgecomb Gray trim on the doors
Feet: 2 in furniture feet on a plywood bottom
Erin Zubot wanted shoe storage by the basement door her husband always uses. Two EKET cabinets pushed together were the exact size for the spot, with shoe organizers inside. She joined them with construction adhesive and screws, added an MDF top and trim, and painted it a deep red-brown with brass knobs.
She calls EKET the hardest IKEA piece she has assembled and would use a BESTA next time.
13. A Closed-Off Doorway Turned Into A Shoe Niche
Space: An old pantry doorway, drywalled in to a 12 in deep niche
Shelves: Two bamboo shoe shelves, angled
Top: A pine stair tread cut to size
Wall: Behr Patio Stone
Carli’s first shoe bench failed. Shoes got lost inside, and the seat turned into a catch-all.
The new spot is an old doorway into the pantry. Two stacking bamboo shoe shelves from the basement were the exact width, so she took them apart, built a face frame and angled the shelves so shoes do not stick out. The upper half is now a drop zone with a lamp and baskets.
14. Metal Shoe Cabinets Framed To Look Built-In Behind A Door
Started as: Two metal shoe cabinets
Base: 2x4s, with a 1×6 top and baseboard around it
Paint: Krylon Fusion All-in-One in matte Clamshell
Spot: Behind the door
Kristen worked out that shoe storage would fit behind the door. Two metal shoe cabinets sit on a base of 2x4s with baseboard around it, so the unit looks built in. MDF strips glued on as frames turn the plain flip drawers into six paneled fronts in a pale grey-green.
Hooks And Shelves
15. Shaker Paneling With A Shelf And Hooks Behind The Front Door
Wall: 118 x 170 cm
Built from: 6 mm MDF panels and strips, with a 10 mm top rail
Shelf: Natural wood on brass triangle brackets
Difficulty: Beginner, with the MDF cut at the store
Their standing coat rack broke, and guests had nowhere to hang coats. Jayne Westerholt’s answer was the wall behind the front door. MDF backing panels went up with adhesive, then strips on top, all sealed, caulked and painted. A wood shelf sits on the top rail, with three double hooks screwed underneath. She tried a bench in front of it and liked it.
Get the tutorial: 15 Stunning Wall Wood Paneling Ideas for Every Room – Transform Your Space
16. Shiplap, A Ledge And Pegs In A Narrow Entry Hall
Hall: Long, narrow and builder-grade
Wall: Vertical shiplap on the lower half
Shelf: A ledge of 1x4s
Time: One weekend
This long, narrow entry hall is in a house Newbuild Newlyweds are flipping, so they kept it plain for buyers to add their own style.
Vertical shiplap covers the lower half, nailed into studs. A simple ledge of 1x4s sits on top, and pegs underneath take bags, jackets, hats and keys. There is no floor piece at all, which leaves the hall clear to walk through.
Tall Closed Storage When There Is No Closet
17. An IKEA PAX Wardrobe As A Coat Closet
Started as: An IKEA PAX wardrobe, almost 94 in tall
Inside: A shoe rack, non-slip hangers, a key tray and lidded bins
Trim: Mitred 1×3 base trim in bright white semi-gloss
Door: Rust-Oleum Door + Trim in Rustic Pewter
The side door Liz Fourez’s family actually uses has no closet, so a PAX wardrobe became one. Their 1949 house is not level, so a 1×2 wedged under the front and a shim straighten it, and base trim hides the gap.
Extra-long gold handles, black wall hooks, a boot tray and a rattan umbrella holder finish the spot.
See the full project: 20 Ikea Hacks for Small Spaces That Look Expensive
