Guide
Entryway storage ideas, by the space you have
Organized by measurement rather than by mood, because an idea that needs a foyer is not an idea if you have a corridor.
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Start with what the space allows
Under 30 inches of hallway width, everything goes on the wall. At 36 inches you can add one piece up to 12 inches deep. At 42 inches you can have a cabinet and a bench. The ideas below are sorted by that budget rather than by style.
Ideas that cost no floor at all
- A hook rail at 60 to 65 inches for adults, with a second at 40 inches if children need their own. Costs nothing but two fixings.
- A wall-mounted shoe rack. Projects four to six inches, holds six to eight pairs, and works in a hallway that will take no furniture.
- A floating shelf at about 48 inches for keys and post, with hooks underneath. One board doing two jobs.
- A mirror opposite the door. Adds no storage and makes a narrow hall read as wider, which is worth more than it sounds.
- An over-door hook rail for the coats worn today, which keeps the wall rail for the rest.
The wall-mounted shoe rack is the one people skip and should not. It is the cheapest thing on this list, it solves the problem that actually makes a hallway feel narrow — shoes at ankle height that you step around — and it works in a corridor where no cabinet will fit.
Ideas for 12 inches of depth
- A slim flip-drawer cabinet at 9.4 inches. Twelve to twenty-eight pairs hidden, and a top for keys.
- A narrow bench at 11.2 to 11.8 inches. Somewhere to sit, plus two or three open tiers underneath.
- A low console-height cabinet at 32 to 40 inches tall, with a mirror above. Storage and a surface from one footprint.
- A bench at one end of the hall and a cabinet at the other, since the depth budget is per point rather than for the whole corridor.
That last one is the idea most worth taking away. Two shallow pieces spread along a hallway cost you far less than one deeper piece in the middle, because the middle is where you actually walk.
Ideas for a hallway over 42 inches
- A hall tree, which does coats, shoes and a seat from 28 to 39 inches of wall.
- A cubby bench with a rail above it, which stores three to four times what a hall tree does if you have the width.
- A tall nine-tier cabinet against a return wall, for a household with more shoes than anywhere to put them.
- A bench with a basket under each end, which is the cheapest way to give each person a place that is theirs.
The two ideas worth skipping
A console table in a narrow hall spends the same depth as a shoe cabinet and stores nothing. If the problem is shoes on the floor, a cabinet at the same depth solves it and still gives you a top for keys.
And a closed storage ottoman where wet shoes go. It is tidy for a fortnight and then it smells, for the reason set out in our ventilation guide: a sealed box keeps the moisture in.
The picks in full
Every pick, with the numbers behind it
Top pick
Halls under 40 inchesHOOBRO Narrow Shoe Cabinet with 2 Flip Drawers (WT21SC01)
Nine and a half inches deep with two flip drawers and shelves that move to three heights — the cabinet for a hall that cannot spare a foot.
Key dimensions
- Width
- 31.5 in (80 cm)
- Depth
- 9.4 in (24 cm)
- Height
- 40.5 in (103 cm)
- Depth band
- Ultra-slim
Footprint 31.5 x 9.4 x 40.5 in (80 x 24 x 103 cm). Tilted or on-edge storage only.
Full specification
Source: Published 9.4 D x 31.5 W x 40.5 H in, 12-16 pairs, 44 lb top / 22 lb per internal shelf, 42.8 lb product weight, HOOBRO WT21SC01 listing.
What the specs support
- 9.4 in (24 cm) deep leaves 26 in of walking room in a code-minimum 36 in hall
- Three shelf heights is the most adjustment of any cabinet here
- 44 lb top rating means it can hold keys, post and a lamp, not just look flat
- Open bottom shelf for the pair you are actually wearing today
Limitations
- At 9.4 in deep shoes sit tilted, so a men's 12 is at the edge of what fits
- 42.8 lb is heavy for a wall-adjacent cabinet you may want to move
- Flip drawers hold shoes on edge, which crushes soft uppers over time
Skip this if
The household wears size 12 or larger. At this depth large shoes sit at a steep angle and the drawer front fouls.
Who it is forA genuinely narrow hall, corridor or apartment entry where a 12 in cabinet would make the walkway unusable.
Pick 2
Damp entriesSONGMICS 3-Tier Bamboo Shoe Rack Bench (ULBS04H)
Bamboo rather than laminated board, 264 lb rated, and the only bench here offered in three widths so you can match the wall you actually have.
Key dimensions
- Width
- 27.6 in (70 cm)
- Depth
- 11.3 in (29 cm)
- Height
- 17.8 in (45 cm)
- Seat height
- 17.8 in (45 cm)
- Depth band
- Slim
Footprint 27.6 x 11.3 x 17.8 in (70 x 29 x 45 cm). Most shoes flat, larger sizes at an angle.
Full specification
Source: Published widths (50 / 70 / 90 cm), 11.3 in depth, 17.8 in height and 264 lb load, SONGMICS ULBS04H listing.
What the specs support
- Bamboo handles entryway humidity better than a particleboard carcass
- 11.3 in (29 cm) is the shallowest bench in this roundup
- Three published widths — 19.7, 27.6 and 35.4 in — so you can size to the wall
- Open tiers, so nothing traps moisture against a wet sole
Limitations
- 264 lb sits between the two steel-framed benches here
- No back or arms, so it is a perch rather than a place to sit and wait
- Bamboo marks if road salt is left on it over a winter
Skip this if
Your entry takes serious winter boots. At 11.3 in (29 cm) deep the tiers hold shoes, not knee-high boots stood upright.
Who it is forA humid or coastal entry, or anyone who wants the shallowest possible bench that is still a bench.
Pick 3
Most entrywaysVASAGLE Hall Tree with Bench, 2 Fabric Drawers and 10 Hooks (UHSR429)
A 220 lb seat, ten rated hooks and under twelve inches of depth — the completest published spec sheet of any hall tree here.
Key dimensions
- Width
- 31.7 in (81 cm)
- Depth
- 11.8 in (30 cm)
- Height
- 71.5 in (182 cm)
- Seat height
- 17.7 in (45 cm)
- Depth band
- Slim
Footprint 31.7 x 11.8 x 71.5 in (81 x 30 x 182 cm). Most shoes flat, larger sizes at an angle.
Full specification
Source: Published 11.8 D x 31.7 W x 71.5 H in, 220 lb seat capacity and 11 lb per hook, VASAGLE UHSR429B01 listing.
What the specs support
- Publishes both a seat rating and a per-hook rating, which most makers do not
- 11.8 in (30 cm) deep is shallow for a piece with a usable seat
- Ten hooks is enough for a family of four in winter
- Fabric drawers come out to be emptied and shaken
Limitations
- 11 lb per hook means a soaked winter coat is close to the limit
- 71.5 in (182 cm) tall — it must be fixed to the wall
- Fabric drawers hold hats and gloves, not muddy boots
Skip this if
You hang heavy wet outerwear. At 11 lb a hook, a waxed jacket carrying rain is at the published limit.
Who it is forA standard entryway that needs coats, shoes and a seat from one 32 in run of wall.
Pick 4
Most pairs per square footHOOBRO Tall Shoe Cabinet, 9 Tier (BG24SC01)
Twenty-four cubbies plus a tall compartment stacked into 12.4 in of depth — the best pairs-per-square-foot figure on this site.
Key dimensions
- Width
- 29.5 in (75 cm)
- Depth
- 12.4 in (31 cm)
- Height
- 59 in (150 cm)
- Depth band
- Standard
Footprint 29.5 x 12.4 x 59 in (75 x 31 x 150 cm). Adult shoes flat, heel to toe.
Full specification
Source: Published 29.5 W x 12.4 D x 59 H in, 24 cubes plus 1 large compartment, 3 hooks, 2.2 lb per cube, HOOBRO BG24SC01 listing.
What the specs support
- 24 cubes in 2.5 sq ft of floor is the densest storage here
- 12.4 in (31 cm) of depth takes an adult shoe flat rather than tilted
- The tall compartment is sized for boots the cubes cannot take
- Three hooks turn it into a partial hall tree
Limitations
- 2.2 lb per cube is a shoe, and only a shoe
- At 59 in (150 cm) tall it wants anchoring in a house with children
- Internal cube sizes are unpublished, so a size 13 is a gamble
Skip this if
You wanted somewhere to sit. This is 59 in of vertical storage with no seat at any point.
Who it is forA household with more shoes than wall, where going up is the only direction left.
Frequently asked
Questions people actually ask
What are good entryway storage ideas for a small space?
Wall-mounted first: a hook rail and a wall-mounted shoe rack cost no floor area at all. Then a slim shoe cabinet at 9.4 inches deep if the hallway is 36 inches or wider.
How do you add storage to a hallway with no room?
Go on the wall. A hook rail and a wall-mounted shoe rack projecting four to six inches solve the two real problems — coats and shoes on the floor — without narrowing the corridor.
Is a console table a good idea in an entryway?
Only in a wide one. In a narrow hall it spends the same depth as a shoe cabinet and stores nothing; a cabinet solves the actual problem and still gives you a surface.
Where should the mirror go in an entryway?
Opposite the door if you can. It adds no storage but makes a narrow hall read as wider, and it is the last-look-before-leaving surface a hallway usually lacks.
Sources
Where these figures came from
- International Residential Code minimum hallway width — 36 in minimum for a residential hallway; 36 to 42 in typical, 42 to 48 in comfortable.
- Coat hook height reference — 60 to 65 in for adults, 66 in builder standard, 36 to 42 in for children, 54 to 60 in in an entryway or mudroom, and 24 to 30 in above a bench seat.
- Open against closed shoe storage — Open designs promote airflow which reduces moisture and odor buildup; closed cabinets trap moisture, creating the conditions bacteria need.
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