5 Ways to Design a Calm and Healthy Entryway

Your entryway is the first thing you see when you come home, and it helps define the mood you will be in upon entering your home.  If you have a messy, cluttered entryway, you're going to be agitated by the clutter and carry that agitation into your home.  If you have a clean, ordered entryway, you will take a sigh of relief and enter your home at ease.  

Your entryway is also the first line of defense to protect your family and create healthy indoor air quality.  Read on to discover 5 key ways to set up your entryway for a calm and healthy home and family.

1) Drop Zone

No matter how much I try to consolidate, I always seem to walk into my house with my arms full.  If you are anything like me, then you need a drop zone - a place to unload everything you are carrying and quickly put it away.  This is the key to eliminating clutter and keeping your entryway organized. 

2) Large Shoe and Coat Storage

This might seem obvious, but there will always be more shoes and coats than you think is possible at your door so you need a way to find them a home and alleviate the clutter.  If you do not have room for a coat closet at your entry, there are other ways to neatly store the endless amounts of shoes and coats that accumulate at the entry.

3) Entrance Mats

Place entrance mats at the exterior and indoor of your door to stop harmful pollutants from being carried into your house through your shoes.  It is amazing how many nasty chemicals and forms of bacteria can be attached to the dirt in your shoes.  And once the pollutants are on the loose inside your home they will attach themselves to airborne dust which carries the pollutants throughout your home.  

4) Seating

Provide a bench or chair to allow people to sit to remove their shoes upon entering.  Some dirt is persistent and won't come off when scraping the feet, so removing your shoes will eliminate any dirt from being tracked through the house. 

Seating is a convenient way for everyone to easily put on and take off their shoes. They are helpful in keeping kids off the ground in your entryway so you don't have to trip over them to get to your own shoes, and it keeps them away from the pollutants on the floor.

5) Water and Slip Resistant Flooring

The floor of your entryway is bound to get wet.  Choosing the right flooring for your entryway will keep your family safe from slips and falls and discourage mold growth.  Porcelain and ceramic tile are the best earth-friendly options for preventing accidents and discouraging mold growth in the floor.  Be sure to choose a tile that has a high coefficient of friction to make sure it does not get slippery when wet.

Final Thoughts:

Whether you are building a new home or making over your existing home, you can implement these strategies now to start creating a calm and healthy entryway.  Make your entryway the first step to creating your home retreat.  Take action and try out some of these tips, and let me know how it goes!