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An Ideal Home writer says she made the entrance of her 22-square-metre studio more useful with four small, renter-friendly changes: a storage stool, a compact side table, a tray for keys and a framed print. The account is a personal home-improvement report, not a product test or evidence that the changes will suit every small flat.
An Ideal Home writer says she used four small, renter-friendly additions to create a more functional entrance in her 22-square-metre studio flat, which has no hallway. The changes—seating with storage, a compact table, a key tray and wall art—addressed practical problems including where to put boots and keys, while visually marking the entrance as a separate area.
The writer, Sara Hesikova, said she had done little to improve the entrance during her first year in the flat because other home projects took priority. After living with the space and identifying what was missing, she made the entrance area a focus the following month. She described the work as easy additions rather than major renovations and said the choices were suitable for her rented home.
Her first purchase was a striped storage ottoman from Habitat. It gives her a place to sit while putting on or taking off shoes and stores two pairs of boots that would not fit in the over-the-door shoe organisers she uses for most of her footwear. The stool therefore addressed both a seating need and a lack of storage near the entrance.
For a surface by the door, Hesikova found a vintage wooden plant stand on Facebook Marketplace. She uses it for a key tray and a small rechargeable lamp. She said having a lamp within reach means she no longer has to switch on the main light when she comes home in the evening. The tray was already among her belongings; she placed it on the table as a dedicated spot for keys.
To distinguish the entrance visually, she hung an A2 poster of the film Amélie in a wooden frame, attached to the wall with Command strips. She said the red in the print adds colour to an area otherwise dominated by blue and white, though she may move the poster elsewhere later. The writer also clarified that some features in her before-and-after images—including shelving and repainting the door and skirting boards—were completed earlier, not as part of these four changes.
Small Changes, More Useful Entrances
The account illustrates how people in small, open-plan homes can assign a practical purpose to an entrance even when there is no separate hallway. Here, the changes respond to ordinary routines: sitting to put on shoes, storing bulky footwear, keeping keys in one place and having nearby lighting.
For renters, the approach also shows how furnishings and removable wall fixings can change how a space works without major construction. The writer’s experience is personal rather than a measured comparison: she reports that the arrangement works for her, but does not provide cost totals, dimensions for the furniture or evidence that the same setup will fit other studios.
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A Year of Living Without a Hallway
Hesikova’s account in Ideal Home describes a home project prompted by experience rather than a planned renovation. She said the entrance remained largely unaddressed during her first year in the flat, while other rooms and projects took precedence. Living in the space helped her identify specific frustrations, including having nowhere to sit and nowhere suitable for two larger pairs of boots.
The writer had already made other changes to the entrance area. She said she installed shelving after moving in and repainted the door and skirting boards from matt black, first to white and later to a sky-blue shade. Those earlier updates matter when comparing the published photographs: the difference shown is not solely the result of the four additions described in the report.
“I did very little to make the entrance area of the space more functional than it’d been when I’d moved in”
— Sara Hesikova, writing for Ideal Home
Costs, Fit and Longer-Term Plans
The report does not give a total cost for the four changes or specify the measurements of the nook and furniture, so readers cannot tell from the account alone whether the same pieces would fit another entrance. It also does not compare the arrangement with other storage options or assess how well it performs over time.
Some choices may change: Hesikova said she was undecided about painting the plant stand and might move the poster above the bed or into the bathroom. The article presents her current setup and preferences; it does not establish a standard solution for studio flats or indicate that every item is available at the same price.
The Setup May Still Change
Hesikova has not set out a further project or deadline. She said the poster’s location is provisional and that she has not decided whether to paint the plant stand. For now, the reported arrangement is in use, with the ottoman providing seating and boot storage and the stand serving as a place for keys and a lamp.
Any later changes would depend on how she chooses to use the space. The article offers no further update on the layout, its cost or whether the writer has moved the artwork.
Key Questions
What four changes did the writer make?
She added a storage ottoman, placed a compact side table by the door, used a small tray as a key dish and hung a framed film poster to mark the entrance visually.
Why did she choose a storage stool?
It gave her somewhere to sit while putting on shoes and a place to store two pairs of boots that did not fit in her existing shoe organisers.
How did she attach the wall print?
She framed an A2 Amélie poster and attached it to the wall with Command strips, according to her account. She said she may move it to another room later.
Were all the changes made after she decided to create an entryway?
No. Hesikova said the shelving and the repainting of the door and skirting boards had been done earlier. Those changes were already present in the photos and were not part of the four additions she describes.
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