Entry Way Storage

image courtesy of Pottery Barn

Several years ago I fell in love with the Pottery Barn entryway storage systems. We have a teeny tiny coat closet (it has about 18 inches of hanging space) plus we are a "no shoes in the house" family which is pretty common in this area.

image courtesy of Pottery Barn

However I did not fall in love with the Pottery Barn pricetag! After eyeing the pieces some more, I realized that I could find VERY similar pieces at other stores--the other stores don't have pictures as nicely styled as PB, but the furniture pieces are similar in look. (The PB pieces above are not the exact same ones that I wanted, but they do happen to be the ones that exist as knockoffs now.) Rather than spending $500 plus shipping from Pottery Barn, I spent around $150 at JC Penney. I have been thrilled with the pieces...with one notable exception...
Here is the shelf portion of my entryway. See those cubbies? I could not find baskets ANYWHERE to fit them. Everything was either too big or way too small. Crazy! (By the way, JCP now sells their shelves with baskets.)
Finally, after looking for baskets for a few years, I had a brain flash. My husband and I had shoeboxes from our Merrells (ie the shoeboxes were larger than most shoeboxes) that would fit perfectly! I cut the tops off the boxes and then covered the boxes with wrapping paper from Target.
They're still a bit short for the openings, but they are a big improvement over what we had before...or rather, what we didn't have. The wrapping paper covered boxes aren't necessarily very sturdy, but I'm the only one who pulls stuff out of them, so it works.

This is the unedited view of our entryway this weekend--camcorder, swim goggles, outgrown ballet shoes, shipping box, and all! I love the bench and it is a nearly identical knockoff of the bench Pottery Barn used to sell. (Do you like all the backpacks? I promise I have just one child who goes to school...despite the four backpacks!)

It has turned out to be a very functional space for our family and it is one that I can "pretty up" very quickly when we have company. My JC Penney pieces have held up really well...although I am tempted to switch the bench out for one with storage underneath. I used to have a big basket for shoes under the bench, but didn't put it back after we refinished our hardwoods last spring.