Living room storage

A doorway asks a lot from a piece of furniture. It needs to catch keys, mail, and the bag you drop the moment you walk in, and it needs to do it without blocking the path. Our 13 living-room storage pieces handle that narrow strip of chaos between the front door and the sofa.

The shortest unit runs 9 inches deep for a tight hallway; the longest stretches to 71 inches across a wide wall. Most sit between 30 and 36 inches tall, the right height for a lamp or a drink. Prices start at $23.99 for a simple console bench and top out at $161.99 for a full sideboard with adjustable shelves inside.

• Measure the wall first, then pick the finish.
• A bench hides shoes; a sideboard hides everything else.
• Open shelves show what you have; doors hide what you don't.