12 Wonderfully Creative Coatracks

Here in Northern California's Wine Country, fall is upon us. Crisp, cold nights are followed by hot, sun-drenched afternoons — we're often seeing 40-degree temperature shifts. Layering is the key to dressing in this climate, so on most days I start with a jacket and muffler, and strip down to a T-shirt and shorts by noon.

This makes a coatrack a necessity for me. I bet it's equally necessary for many of you — especially if you still have kiddos at home. The big challenge is taking this lowly but essential entryway item and making it a robust statement of personal style and family history.

This exuberant coatrack offers a whole new interpretation of "hall tree." Multiple stain colors and different textures add to its interest, and the scale is perfect for this wall. You could get the same effect by painting the tree on the wall and then adding hooks to the branches.


An equally arresting style statement, this coatrack has a dark color and unpretentious branches and leaves — along with a constrained scale — that give it an "I'm modern, but I don't take myself too seriously" appeal.


What a wonderful take on the ubiquitous white beadboard hall built-in! The deep eggplant color warms and tantalizes, while just the bench's and coatrack's being built in keeps this very budget friendly. If your personal style is less bold, consider doing the same thing but use a shade just a couple of ticks deeper than the surrounding walls.


Eclectic, industrial, playful — this coatrack has it all. Everyday C-clamps grip a brightly painted shelf to form hooks; the mix of accessories makes it a sensation. I want to know the story behind the squirrel!


This painted and distressed locker, with all of its wonderful imperfections, would have been perfect for my sons, who never opened anything with their hands if they could use their feet. The fact that this is an old United Airlines locker purchased off Craigslist gives it an instant story.


If you like the Shabby Chic look, this old door will make you drool. The paint has been left as found: distressed and peeling. The glass panel has been removed, saving rambunctious little hands from disaster. (As a grandmother, I really appreciate this.) The addition of hooks completes the transformation from door to adorable.


Erich Ginder Ghost Antlers - $309 White antlers make a minimalist statement, but the wood and steel table below completes the look by adding that crucial splash of color and texture.


Benches like this not only invite you to sit down; they bring a sense of history and connectedness to your home, while giving you a place to take off your shoes in comfort. The pièce de résistance in this entry is the battered — but absolutely perfect — piece of wood that has been made into a coatrack. I love how the dark wood of the pegs relates to the bench and ties these disparate pieces together.


What do you do when you need a coatrack but don't have the depth for one on your entry wall? Embed hooks into decorative tile. There is almost no limit to the styles of tile available these days, so the result can be totally personal to you.

Think how sophisticated this would be in black and white subway tile, or how rustic and charming in a countryside scene with roosters.


How about this spectacular solution to an awkward area under the stairs? The twisty branch, or perhaps it's a piece of driftwood, placed along the slanted ceiling brings an organic feel to an otherwise dead space and creates a very functional coatrack.


Kudos to this homeowner for a really creative way to manage an entryless space. Not only does this étagère serve as a pleasing room divider, it also works great as a coatrack. This would be relatively easy to custom build.


The tiny bungalow I share with my husband, Mike, comes with three strikes against it. It has no guest closet, our landlord eschews any wall color but white, and the only spot for a coatrack is part of the living room.

If you have some of these same issues, do not despair! We fashioned this coatrack from a reproduction French butcher shop sign and pine planks that we painted a buttery lemon yellow. The antique Asian chest below not only serves as extra seating when we have a crowd, but hides shoes beautifully. You can find the sign at Gershwin & Gertie and those fabulous cast iron hooks at House of Antique Hardware.

URL: 12 Wonderfully Creative Coatracks http://www.decor-ideas.org/cases-view-id-21711.html