As the first room in the house, they set the tone and welcome everyone - yet still need to accommodate all the stuff that we bring in and out every day. Explore our must have hallway furniture below...

A ‘table’

This ‘surface’ essentially gives you a home for keys, post and anything on its way in and out of the house. After that, it’s all about storage. It always is. The more you have, the tidier life will be. So this ‘surface’ can be a variety of things…

A console table, potboard, or even a bookcase
In a very narrow space, a console (from just 33cm deep) works best. (For teeny spaces even a little bookcase can do a great job.) Choose a console with a lower shelf where lovely willow open baskets can provide invaluable storage for gloves, hats, scarves, even footwear. A potboard gives you essentially the same look as a console table but is deeper so can take deeper baskets that will hold more.

A sideboard or chest of drawers
This has the same ‘footprint’ as a potboard but offers much more storage. Choose drawers or cupboards depending on what you’ll be storing. Drawers are brilliant for gloves, hats and scarves; cupboards work well for shoes; a combination of both is great.

An open-shelved dresser
This does everything the other options do and much more. The open shelves give you the room to add lots of personality to your porch in the form of happy photos, quirky mementoes and welcoming seasonal displays. You also now have the perfect place to hang up keys on cup hooks so no-one ever loses them again. One point to mention: if you have an original picture rail, make sure the dresser you choose will sit comfortably beneath it; gaps behind furniture are de-stabilising and look messy.

The longest coat rack that will fit

You can never have too many pegs in the porch as we all switch between at least two or three coats depending on what we’re up to. Avoid installing the rack in the narrowest part of the porch where passing by will involve being ambushed by outerwear. If there are little ones in the family, install a second rack at their height, to the side of the other one if there’s room, below it if there isn’t. Our brilliant Suffolk coat rack is available in 3ft, 4ft and 6ft, and in any one of our 30 paint colours, and its charming pegs are perfect for coats, hats, bags and dog leads. Always leave a few handsome wooden hangers there, as best coats and suit jackets need the extra care, and wet coats need a chance to dry.

A large mirror

Mirrors are great decorating tools because they create the illusion of space and light, both of which are much needed in a porch. It’s also an essential for that final last glance at your appearance before you leave the house. Again, if you have an original picture rail, this will affect the size of mirror you have room to hang.

A handy seat where shoes can be popped on and off

A bench, like our fabulous oak Arundel, is a brilliant option in a narrow porch or hallway; it looks stunning and is so easy to quickly perch on. A long, skinny footstool can also work well, or a low ottoman (great for some extra storage) or even our neat little Stratton step stool.

Finally, nice-to-do but not essential, take a good look at the lighting. A real statement light is a lovely touch in a porch and does make a great first impression. But our favourite, if there’s a power socket, is a lamp (or a pair of them) on the table to provide the friendly pools of soft light that make a welcome really warm.