Reader home: The 2-hour entryway reset

Plus how to get free in-person organizing help from me.

Today I have a classic before/after reveal for you. Growing up, I used to love watching HGTV and to this day can’t resist a dramatic reveal.

Here’s the backstory: I have some good friends in Portland who bought an adorable Victorian a few years ago. Our kids play together, so I’m over there a lot.

One day they included me in an ongoing couples debate—you know the kind—about whether to add a powder room in a hallway area. They thought maybe they didn’t have space becuase they use that area as an entry landing zone.

I could see a solution to this quandry and was itching to show them. Luckily, they agreed to partner with me for 2 hours one day to make this vision a reality. Here’s how it went down, including the principles we applied.

Before: The potential corner for a future bathroom was in heavy use.

Principle: One place for each type of thing

I noticed that this family had 4 different places they were putting coats, and 3 places for shoes. With my mantra of one place for each category guiding the way, it was clear how we could consolidate their entryway system and free up a lot of space.

We were able to consolidate shoes to just two spots: the entryway built-in bench for the dad and kid’s shoes, and the hallway closet for the mom’s shoes.

The entryway built-in bench opens, which is cool in theory but the cavernous space welcomes chaos. We added some tall drawer dividers to give each person their own shoe area.

I’m a fan of each family member having a specific spot for their shoes, rather than a grab-bag for the whole family where everyone has to dig through each other’s shoes. Which leads me to the next principle…

Principle: Don’t let stuff block important items