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How to Use Accent Furniture to Create an Entryway Launchpad You’ll Love

The key to an organized home is to have a place for everything and everything in its place. But for a lot of us, the entryway can quickly become cluttered by backpacks, coats, shoes and the like. If your foyer, garage or mudroom looks like a disheveled minefield of discarded personal belongings, it may be time to set up an entryway launchpad using any of a few key pieces of accent furniture.

What Is an Entryway Launchpad?

Think of any rocket getting ready to be sent up into space. It rests on a launchpad, a dedicated structure to support it as it gears up for flight. The entryway launchpad is this structure’s equivalent for your home. It’s a dedicated space designed to get your family ready for blastoff – or at least ready for school and work.

Any efficient launchpad (like the bench shown above) will feature spots to store backpacks, coats and shoes, as well as keys, homework, lunch boxes, and so forth. Basically, it’s a place to drop your things when you walk through the door, as well as a central location that contains everything you need before leaving in the morning. Equally important, the launchpad keeps all of these items from creating clutter on counters, on the kitchen table and anywhere else they tend to collect.

Thinking about creating your own launchpad? Here are some tips and tricks that can help you not only organize your entryway, but also streamline your morning routine as well.

Choose the Right Accent Furniture

To create a launchpad, you don’t need conventional entryway furniture – although you can certainly find a storage bench or cubbies that do the trick. Maybe you want to get creative with other furniture pieces, for instance a bookcase with electric fireplace like the one pictured below. Bookcases make great launchpads, because they give your family room to store textbooks, as well as a place to set up letter sorters and file trays. Plus, with an integrated cabinet, you can designate out-of-sight shoe storage. And with so many design styles to choose from, bookcases are sure to complement almost any décor.

Where can I find accent furniture that is multifunctional?
You can even find a bookcase with a built-in fireplace like the one above to help create your perfect entryway launchpad.

Another piece of accent furniture that can double as a storage center is a console table. With a space-saving design, console tables are perfect for tight entryways, especially hallways. Look for console tables with power outlets, so you can create a charging center for your portable electronics, from laptops to smartphones to tablets. Just like with bookcases, you’ll have room to put home mail organizers, books and other items your family needs for the day.

Where can I find accent furniture with USB charging?
Console tables with integrated USB power ports, like the one pictured above, make it easy to charge your devices on your entryway launchpad.

Create a Launchpad for Each Family Member

Once you’ve chosen one or multiple pieces of furniture for your launchpad, you’ll need to delineate a space for each and every family member. Doing so creates a designated area that contains what each person needs when leaving the house. This helps ensure that the kids’ homework doesn’t end up in mom’s bag in place of the documents she needs for a big meeting and vice versa.

For the kids, consider installing hooks on your wall to get backpacks up off the floor, or better yet, get a hall tree that incorporates this idea. School-age children may also need a space to keep their lunchboxes, permission slips, books, sports equipment and outdoor gear, like coats and mittens. For adults, a launchpad will typically include a place to hang keys, purses and coats, a charging station and a letter sorter.

To keep everything neat and organized, think about adding hooks and pegs, cubbies and color-coded baskets to each individual’s launchpad. This will help corral everyone’s belongings to prevent accidental mix-ups.

Make It Easy to Use

What good is a launchpad if your family doesn’t use it? When creating a launchpad in your foyer, mudroom, kitchen, garage, hallway or any other room of your home, it’s important to make it easy for your family to utilize the launchpad, so that they actually take advantage of it. Which is why almost any piece of accent furniture can become a launchpad you’ll love – even TV stands can fit the bill with abundant storage that is often a mix of hidden and open storage.  

Can a TV stand be accent furniture that works in the entryway?
A TV stand like the one pictured above can be a stylish and functional way to create an entryway launchpad.

The launchpad should be located in the most-frequented entryway. As your family members come home, the first thing they should do is sort their belongings into their individual launchpads. Smaller children will need an easily accessible place to hang up their jackets and backpacks. Adults, on the other hand, will have an easier time reaching hooks high on the wall – which also keeps things, like keys, out of the reach of your little ones.

Launchpads can also serve as the hub for all your family operations. Want to get more use out of it? Add a family calendar that lists important events, project deadlines, dates of quizzes and appointments. When settling in for the night or leaving in the morning, your family can check the calendar to stay apprised of that week’s goings-on. A chore chart will also make a handy addition to your launchpad, so everyone knows exactly what they’re responsible for to keep the home running smoothly.

Take Your Entryway from Chaotic to Systematic with the Right Accent Furniture

Transform a disorganized entryway into a well-thought-out launchpad with the help of Twin Star Home™. We create a large assortment of home furnishings, including hall trees, storage ottomans, entryway tables, bookcases, TV stands, and storage cabinets – that can all elevate the look and functionality of your home.

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