7 Storage Ideas to Maximize Your Small Hallway

Typically, the hallway is the central hub of activity in any household. Use the space to its fullest potential with these 7 storage ideas.

Today I am sharing how I made the most of my home’s small entryway with some clever organizing ideas that maximize my under the stairs storage and totally saved my sanity.

My entryway is small and it doesn’t have any built-in storage. I also have an open staircase that is right next to the front door. I used to just drop stuff under that staircase all the time, but it was an unsightly side and definitely not a welcoming space to enter my house. My hallway is also narrow and too small for an entryway table or console. But I definitely needed storage space for loose items and things you put in a mudroom.

To create a ton of organization and storage space in my small hallway and maximize the use of the space under the stairs I came up with a variety of solutions. I combined hooks, totes, baskets, crates, and lockers to have a custom storage solution for all my organizing needs. And the real gem is: it even looks great and is a perfect match to my home decor style.

Can you tell I am smitten with this latest project?

how it looked BEFORE the makeover

For the longest of time, the empty space under my open stairs was the dumping ground for all things I didn’t have a home for. I dumped my vacuum cleaner, recyclable trash, shopping bags, shoes, halfway finished projects, coats, winter accessories, summer totes and so much more in my hallway. It was a mess and a complete eyesore. Not at all an inviting first view of my home.

An intervention was needed. After finally finishing the big painting job in this room, (all walls, ceiling, baseboards, and the whole staircase got a fresh coat of paint) I got to work.

how our entry hallway looks NOW

This picture is taken from the exact same position as the one above. Major difference isn’t it?

I love how the use of the wicker baskets, the vintage hooks and crates, and the subtle touches of beach stripes gives this corner a coastal and beach cottage vibe. It fits in perfectly with other rooms in my home like my boho beach guest room, and my coastal white living room.

I took the following steps to go from Total Chaos to Organizing Zen.

To an Organized Hallway in 7 steps

1. I made an inventory of what I really needed to store in my hallway.
2. I measured and surveyed the available space
3. I gathered storage containers that I already had
4. I made an inventory of what I still needed and hunted our version of Craigslist for them
5. I gave the second hand items a little makeover to make them fit in with my design vision
6. I put it all together
7. I put away all my stuff and things in their designated spot
8. I rejoiced and danced and smiled every time I got a glimpse of my now highly organized and pretty looking hallway
9. I was energized and inspired and started to plot more organizing projects in the hallway and elsewhere
10. 10. My to-do list was even longer after I finished the project than it was before. Story of my DIY life? 

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I really managed to make the most of my small hallway. It now serves the following functions: pantry, cleaning closet, coat rack, recyclables station, outdoor accessories organizer, toilet and kitchen paper stash keeper, and wine bar?

If you like how I created so much storage space using everyday items you surely will love all the organization ideas in my attic craft room too. I surely maximized an odd space with a sloped ceiling too.

When I did my other little home organizing project for this hallway: my DIY Keychain Organizer, I made sure that it would fit right in with this corner since they are so close. Did I succeed? Go see for yourself: my DIY Entryway Key Holder.

Let me show you in some more detail how I did it.

This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience (which means if you make a purchase after clicking a link I will earn a small commission but it won’t cost you a penny more)! Read my full disclosure policy.

How to maximize storage in a small hallway

If you have a small hallway like me, but want to add lots of storage space, you have several options. Here are the seven tricks and solutions I used to maximize the use of my narrow entryway and create enough space to store all my essentials in there.

Enjoy my hallway storage ideas!

1 Coordinate a colour theme

I love organizing my home and creating clever solutions for keeping the clutter at bay. I love it, even more, when my storage ideas are pretty and actually add to my decor. I think I succeeded well with my narrow hallway organizing project. I kept everything light and airy by emphasizing my love for white interiors. I grounded the entrance by using lots of natural materials like wicker, wood, and straw.

For a touch of color in this space, I opted for navy blue. This color emphasizes the coastal feel that the wicker and straw give especially because I used some navy striped fabric.

I love how open this space now feels while at the same time packing a lot of storage options.

This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience (which means if you make a purchase after clicking a link I will earn a small commission but it won’t cost you a penny more)! Read my full disclosure policy.

2 Utilise space under the stairs

The biggest empty space in this hallway is the area under the open stairs. I truly maximized that tiny space to hold a lot of the things that need to be kept close to the entry.

First of course is my designated space for coats and jackets. I added some nice vintage coat hooks to a simple white painted board and mounted that to the wall.

There are only five wall hooks, so I am automatically forced to put away the coats that are no longer in daily use and only keep the ones that are in season.

(similar) products:
Pretty women’s rain coat
wall hooks with numbers

3 Simplify storage with wall mounted open baskets

On the little wall next to the coat hooks I added two open baskets. I used some washers and screws to attach them to the wall. By hanging the baskets directly on the wall I saved floor space and I didn’t need a closet or shelves to put the baskets on. The top one is for him, the bottom one is for her. We use it to stash our scarves, hats, gloves, and such in winter. In summer these baskets will be so useful for caps, summer scarves, beach totes etc.

similar) products:
seagrass basket with handles

4 Keep the foyer tidy with concealed storage units

I definitely needed a concealed place to store a lot of unsightly items as well. My kitchen is fairly small too and my house does not have a pantry or utility closet, so I needed to come up with some entry storage that could fill that gap.

After some measuring, I realized that the old IKEA PS locker closets would fit perfectly in that corner next to the door to the living room. I stalked and hunted on our version of Craigslist for weeks until I scored four lockers. I gave them a fresh coat of white spray paint because they had yellowed a lot (learn all about my spray painting tips). These particular IKEA PS lockers are no longer available but they have similar-looking ones in their collection now. I am just very happy with my second-hand score.

When you are sitting on my couch in the living room you can glimpse these lockers and the under the stairs area through that glass door on the left. I am so happy that you’ll have something nice to look at, instead of a big mess.

Similar products:
Seagrass belly baskets
White locker cabinets
Striped rug

Now one of these lockers houses my vacuum cleaner and the others function mainly as my kitchen pantry. I also store some cleaning supplies in them and one shelf is dedicated for wine and other drinks. It is amazing how much these lockers can contain.

You want a peek inside those lockers, don’t you?! I understand. I love to see inside other people’s closets and drawers too. And what would a good organizing post be without a sneak peek behind closed doors?

So here you go. Look at how much you can put away inside these small locker cabinets. It truly is a great piece of furniture for a

5 Organize Items in totes

My recyclables station consists of three parts. First are the glass and plastic bottles that need to go back to the grocery store because there is a deposit attached to them. I keep those in the burlap tote. I added a hook just for that tote that is totally hidden by the coats. When we go grocery shopping we just grab that tote and we are off, it acts as a shopping bag on the home trip.

The striped beach tote is lined inside with water-resistant material. Which makes it perfect for keeping glass recyclables that do tend to leak from time to time. Whenever it is full I grab it and make a small walk to the glass waste container around the corner.

Those beachy stripes are right up my alley. I love me some coastal decorating and I have done a ton of beach-style decorating through the years.

—- Little aside. This picture will of course totally ruin my good reputation here on the internet. But even with this visible evidence to the contrary, I’d like to state that we are not wine lushes nor big drinkers in this house. This image was shot right after Christmas and New Year’s…… ? —–

6 Go High

My stash of paper towels and toilet paper rolls is nicely hidden away in those baskets on top of the lockers. I am just about tall enough to grab them myself from up there. I can see inside of those baskets as I walk up the stairs, so I can always check if my stash needs to be replenished. Very handy indeed.

7 Go Low

Then finally an old crate got some wheels and is now the perfect spot for our waste paper collection. I am always on the hunt for the perfect cardboard box to fit in there so I can take out the paper easily when it is time for it. So far I have been lucky every time…..

This crate is standing beneath the lower part of the staircase. That’s why I added wheels to it. I can simply drag it towards me when I need to stash away paper, instead of crawling under the stairs and hitting my head every time.

I love using old crates for adding a bit of organization to my home, like when I stacked crates for added shelf space and styling opportunities.

Similar Products:
Striped beach tote
Burlap tote
Wooden crate with caster wheels

DIY Entryway Storage Ideas

And that concludes my little tour of my small hallway and all the storage ideas I have packed in that space.

I love how I managed to fit in so much organizing potential in my narrow entryway. And I am super stoked that it looks so nice too. You can’t even tell how many small items, trash, and unsightly stuff is hidden away in those pretty containers, and storage units.

PS if you are interested in utilizing awkward spaces for organizing all your things. I came up with the perfect solution for creating tons of additional storage on a leftover bit of landing on the attic in my old home. It was a tiny space under a sloped ceiling but I made it work.

WANT TO REMEMBER THIS? SAVE THESE SMALL HALLWAY ORGANIZING IDEAS TO YOUR FAVORITE ORGANIZING PINTEREST BOARD!

Of course, I like the fact that it all looks good and fits in with my decorating style even better…

Tell me! Did I succeed in a pretty amazing makeover? Do you like my storage solutions? Did you see anything useful for your own home? I’d love to know!!!

Just shows that:

organizing effectively can both be functional and pretty at the same time!