Could you add more pics so we can see where the space is in relation to the rest of the hall, front door?

My initial thought, and hopefully a cheaper solution, is just to add doors to enclose the whole space and add a transom window over the top so you’re still getting some of the light

I think it looks really smart and practical. When you look at hall storage on Houzz it looks tidy as the photos may have been taken before the whole family has come home and there’s only one coat and one pair of shoes hanging up! Yours is lived in and the shoes and coats are easily accessible. If you put everything behind doors and close it off the items may end up being dumped in front of the doors. Perhaps keep on top of the number of coats and shoes and try to have a ‘cull’ every now and then?

I think adding doors would conceal the shoe clutter but it makes the space harder to use and will require a lot of discipline. How many shoes are on the shelves at any one time? Could they not be taken upstairs and tidied up a bit? I don't store my puffer or any coats downstairs as I hate the messy effect they create. I always return my coats upstairs to a bedroom or dressing room. Closing them in although looking neater does not allow them to dry properly if damp.

I store out of season coats elsewhere - so in Winter we just have one (or possibly two) each, swapped out for anoraks in Spring. It keeps the room from being overloaded.
We keep our shoes in a shoe cabinet like this (ours was from Made) - I love everything being tidied away. And I have a blanket box to sit on which we keep scarves, bags etc in. My daughter decided to keep her books for school in the boot room too (easy access and her room is on the second floor) - I’ve put them all in a rattan lidded box on top of the shoe storage, so it’s still easy to tidy and looks nice 😊

How about hanging some fabric on a rail to hide the shoes. Everyone is doing it to hide under sink or larder storage why not in the hallway too. Will find pics

I like your setup. I have a similar setup at home just inside the front door but I have doors on the shoe storage. I also happened to have a multi hook hanger that I temporarily used in the corner and it’s still in use after many years. It has the advantage of coat mess being localised to the corner so the visual clutter is not so large with coats but has ample hooks for hanging all the coats. The disadvantage is sometimes it’s hard to find the coat you are looking for🙄. I do cull coats every now and then (usually in the cleaning frenzy before we have guests 🫢 ) and short of inventing a shoe-in-cupboard robot, shoes are inevitably lying within tripping distance of the front door unless I put them away☹️. I don’t keep shopping bags here but stash them in the boot of the car.

I agree with Isla (so annoying she’s usually right 🤗) that all houses get cluttered and what you see online is a sanitised version of reality. I’ll take an honest photo of ours when I get back home so you can see.

As promised. I add a basket in winter for the hats gloves etc.

Hi everyone, just some ideas

Really love the wood slat detailing and how it frames the window! I totally get the struggle of keeping things tidy in such a high-traffic area. A few ideas that might work without losing the natural light or starting from scratch:

Shoe Storage with Sliding or Hinged Doors

Lift-Up Bench Seat

Slim Wardrobe or Cabinets on the Sides

Would love to see what you decide it's already a great space, and with a few tweaks, it'll be even more functional!

I love the look you have with the wooden slats around the window - it prompted me to wonder about framing the entrance to the space with a slatted screen, which would draw the eye to the window, distract from the coats and still allow air to circulate and light to get through.

I think that’s a great idea Lucy.