For the past, oh, nearly two years, our entry closet has been in pitiful shape.  With the standard single shelf and rod set up.  Basically looking like this:

In an attempt to sort shoes, I hung an Ikea sorter from the rod, but it took up a lot of space.  And we still had piles of shoes on the floor.  Well, I’d finally had enough.  And Ben must have had enough of my complaining about the shoe mess, because he added simple shelves and new trim while I painted the door.

Obviously, you can see I have yet to paint the walls, but we do have baseboard.  Just keeping it real; nothing is finished over night here.  Especially when drywall dust is involved.  Sanding the ceiling and matching the knockdown wall texture has to happen first.  Then the new crown, and finally painted walls.  Glorious, solid colored walls!

I’ll be so happy when I don’t have to look at patchy walls.  Working up the nerve/strength to deal with all the dust isn’t easy for me, especially in this open of a space.  Anyway, how about a look at the much improved storage function closet?  Okay, here we are today:

Before putting in shelves, I painted the closet Dragonfly (because I had half a gallon on hand).  Ben built three shelves from melamine sided particle board, which is highly wipe-able and holds up to water better than paint.  A low double hook holds the boys’ coats, and a higher hook keeps my purse (and usually scarf) handy.  The previous owner left a small shoe rack, which works better at the top of the closet to hold bins of hats, gloves, reusable shopping bags, and out of season shoes.

The bottom shelves were so quick to make I wish we had done it sooner.  Simple cleats along the back and sides hold the shelves in place, while still giving us the option of removal.  To maximize space, the bottom shelf sits 10 inches off the floor (where Ben’s work boots stay).  Two more shelves are 5 inches tall, so shorter shoes tuck in without wasting height.   Tall boots and bags rest on the top shelf.  After seeing an amazing entry closet in the March Martha Stewart, I’d really love to take ours to the next level with pretty bins and baskets.

Maybe I should repaint the inside of the closet a light gray instead of the dark greeny blue?  That shoe cubby is awesome, too.  What’s your favorite entry organization tip?  I love those hanging baskets to corral gloves, hats, and small items, but we don’t have room on our single door.  Would the work as well on the inside of the closet?