It may not feel like spring yet — but it is.
And as the temperature rises, the things you bring in and out of your home change: Instead of heavy coats and snow boots, you’ll need umbrellas and rain boots and eventually sunglasses and flip-flops.
That means your entryway – whether it’s a foyer, a closet, or just the space around your front door – needs to change, too.
“These rooms are distressed, but it’s also your first impression as you walk through the door,” he said Whittney Parkinson, an interior designer in Indianapolis. “So they have to be functional, but they also have to be beautiful.”
Striking that balance takes some effort, Ms. Parkinson said, noting that “there are a lot of small, subtle ways to make it very functional, but also big impact.”
See how she and other designers do it.
Move your winter gear
No matter how big your entry is, storage space is finite.
So, as the weather warms up, move your jackets and ski boots to deep storage: an attic, a co-op apartment storage unit, or even bins hidden under the bed.
When Ms. Parkinson designs homes for her clients, she likes to install upper cabinets that extend to the ceiling of a mudroom or entryway for just this purpose. They are difficult to access without a stool, but they keep seasonal equipment in the room where needed.
“You only need access to those tall upper storage cabinets when it’s time to change things,” he said. “But it’s really nice to be able to keep everything in one place.”
Clean up the clutter
As you move your seasonal clothes, don’t put them in storage bins unnecessarily — use this as an opportunity to get rid of things you don’t really need.
“Try to have some clarity about what you use and what you don’t,” said Regina Lark, the founder of A clear path, a professional organizing company in Los Angeles. “We have this fantastical thought, like, ‘This scarf is going to look so cute when I go out to brunch.’ Well, don’t hang it in your entryway. Keep it in a closet until you’re ready to use it.”
Going more minimalistic can make using your entryway a more pleasant experience: It’ll be easier to find what you’re looking for, and you’ll avoid the disappointment of discovering you don’t have enough space for essentials like hanging guests’ coats.
To perform an entryway reset, Dr. Lark recommended clearing out everything “and then judiciously placing things in the entryway that you’ll actually use or want as a conversation piece when someone walks in.”
Create a place for every little thing
You need places to put shoes and jackets, of course. But you should also have a plan for where to put smaller items like keys, wallets, mail, sunglasses and sunscreen.
“You want to be set up for success,” Dr. Lark said. “I do everything I can think of to increase the likelihood that I can access what I need when I need it and put things away just as effortlessly.”
One option, she suggested, is to use a series of containers for specific items on a credenza or console.
Nathan Turner, an interior designer in Los Angeles, also recommended using different kinds of containers. “Everything looks better on a tray, in a handle or in a bucket,” he said. “You try to organize things in an elegant way.”
If you prefer to keep smaller items out of sight, look for a piece of furniture with drawers.
“I usually like to incorporate a desk or chest of drawers into my closets for things like key storage, mail, loose paper,” Ms. Parkinson said. “The goal is to make this a disposal point before you enter the house so that clutter doesn’t carry over into the kitchen or other areas.”
Another good idea: an umbrella stand so you have a dedicated place for umbrellas to dry without soaking the floor.
Lighten up
For many people, pulling on the boot trays and opening heavy protective floor coverings marks the start of winter. Once you’re relatively sure that the last snowstorm has passed, be sure to remove them.
In the spring and summer, “you don’t need these heavy carpets to absorb the snowmelt,” Mr. Turner said. “So pull up those rugs and lighten things up.”
Consider summer replacements: Instead of a dark, synthetic rug with a waterproof backing, roll out a flat-weave cotton rug or one woven from natural grasses. instead of plastic boot trays, consider placing shoes on sisal mats or wooden racks.
Make storage easy
You can tidy up your entryway in early spring, but if you don’t make it easy to store things as you come and go, it’ll be messy again in no time.
That’s why many designers like to add built-in wardrobes and counters with storage drawers when designing entryways from scratch. But even if you’re not renovating, you can increase a room’s storage space.
An easy way is to add hooks or pegs to a wall. “You need hooks,” said Tova Kook, its founder TK Designan interior design company in Woodmere, NY “Because they let you grab and go.”
If you don’t have a proper foyer or mudroom, a peg rail can help you create one.
Mr. Turner placed pegs just inside a door leading to the dining room of a beach house in Malibu, California, that he shared with Eric Hughes, another designer. “We didn’t have an entrance, so this is a good example of how you can make it,” he said, adding that they also placed large galvanized metal bins on the floor to hold shoes and flip-flops.
Lauren Liess, an interior designer in Great Falls, Va., whose book “Beach Life” will be published in May, said it’s almost impossible to have too many baskets in an entryway. She puts them in cubbies and closed cabinets to keep accessories all year round. In spring and summer he adds even more, placing them directly on the floor.
“You’ll see stacks of baskets,” he said. “I definitely load these up in the warmer months.”
What does he put in them? Shoes, of course, but also toys, washing machines, flowers and vegetables she has picked in the garden — pretty much everything.
Mrs. Liess is also a fan of trunks with upholstered tops. Such a piece can serve as a counter in an entryway while providing hidden storage inside.
Style for the season
To make your entry way more than just a glorified walk-in closet, don’t forget to include artwork and accessories. This is like styling a coffee table: The items you display should change over time.
“You can go with the season,” said Brittany Hakimfar, its founder Far Studio, an interior design company in Philadelphia. “Put branches or flowers in a vase that matches the season.”
It doesn’t have to be difficult or expensive. “A lot of times when we do a photo shoot, we just go out and literally cut the branches out of the yard,” he said. “This can really add to the space.”
When choosing a few books to display, she considers the personal interests she wants to share with guests, but also pays attention to the color of the covers. “If the colors can play on the branches I’m using, that’s something I love,” he said.
She can also pull out a new piece of pottery—a sculptural accent that doubles as key storage—as well as candlesticks that can be swapped out depending on her mood.
When done right, “the entryway is one of my favorite spaces to design,” Ms. Hakimfar said, “because it really helps welcome people into your home.
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