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Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!

Hi all,

I have a practical question about the hallway, and would very much appreciate creative ideas!

So, we have moved back on the ladder after a couple of years abroad and now we have two small kids. Our hallway is long and narrow, and has very little room for closet/shelves/hooks. So when we enter, especially all four of us we simply do not know where to put all our stuff: two prams, shoes, bike helmets, and in winter time hats, gloves, jackets, boots... They now end up in random places in nearby rooms where we have some temporary shelves, or on the stair post cap...

I suppose hallways are long and narrow in most houses around here, so how do people do? We are considering knocking down half the wall of the second room to put make room for a pair of closets but not sure if it is a good idea.

We are grateful for any advice. 

Cheers, Jacob

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Under stairs cupboard?

Hi, Well, for us the under-stairs cupboard does not work so well. The door to it is a half-floor down so not so practical for coats etc, but if it would be on the same level as the entrance I can see it would be a great place to store stuff.
We have also thought about opening up the under-stairs cupboard from the side, but again, because the kitchen is a half-floor down, so that opening would start a bit over the floor of the under-stairs compartment. 
Right now, we have a tumble drier there… ;) 

Great question! (I'll be interested in the answers).

How about this, granted you can't store a buggy...
Attachments:

I had this very problem some years ago. I eventually went for a solution that worked for us. I went to a shopfitting outlet. there I selected a framework which fits to the wall and allows hanging a variety of hooks, baskets, trays etc. I made it about 2M long, but it did the job. Requires a fair bit of thought, so going to the shopfitters and having a trawl thru what's available is required but you'll be amazed at the number of options available. I needed to build a solid timber frame so stuff could be easily screwed in. Lots of places online but you should be able to google one not too far away. Good luck!

Excellent suggestions from Philip. A friend has a bike hanger in her equally narrow hallway and it works a treat. One thing though, make sure that surface you install the hangers on is decorated with something tough and easily washable.

I'm really interested in this too, having exactly the same problem - Philip would you be willing to post a photo of your hallway now?

Sadly my time as that address is over....essentially sturdy hooks up top for bags and coats and tray racking low down for school bags, shoes, etc. You decide how much space is needed for walking by and select the appropriate depth of wire tray. Can look quite good but actually visiting a shopfitting outlet will show just what's available.

You won't have prams for ever so I wouldn't start doing anything structural to accommodate them.  I have friends who winch theirs down from the ceiling using what was a laundry airer mechanism.  Not so practical if you have 2 though.  For me, the way to go has been to wall mount stuff and to use those products specifically designed for hallways. Ikea in particular have lots of suitably "not so deep" units for shoes etc. and open square shelving units. I also really like those wicker baskets for stairs which are great for the hats/gloves etc.

Hi 

Thanks for all tips so far!
I am now inspired (thanks Philipp, Antoinette and others) to go for some non-deep wall-mounted solution as well. Especially attractive if you can move around hooks and baskets depending on needs. Baskets on the outside of the staircase bannister as well perhaps. 
Interesting idea with winching prams, making use of the ceiling height… :)
May I take the opportunity to ask a related question: when the whole family  comes in totally soaked after a heavy rain (quite often, this summer... ), where do you put everything to dry?
Cheers,
Jacob 
Well for me, wet coats go on the backs of the kitchen chairs as the tiled floor is easily moppable if they drip...radiators for wet shoes and smaller items

Coat rack

Hat rack

I've got something similar to the Ikea link (no idea where it came from) and I use a basket on top to store winter hats, gloves etc. I also store bike helmets, umbrellas on the shelf. Underneath that I have a basic shoe storage bench. As for wet clothing, it just gets put on or near or under radiators in various rooms, particularly the kitchen. And yy to using the understairs cupboard, especially for buggies/prams.

It's still a mess though!

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