The Best Coat Rack

“May I take your coat?” That phrase is a great (if decidedly old-school) way to welcome visitors into your home. It’s also what a well-designed, sturdy coat rack says without uttering a word. Even if you don’t live in a state with an especially chilly climate, chances are you still need some kind of storage close by your front entryway. Coat racks can hold hats, umbrellas, handbags and more — and if you choose well, they can do it without taking up much extra space at all.

What type of coat rack you choose has everything to do with how your entryway looks. If you’ve got a wide foyer or a nook specifically built for storage, you may want to invest in a storage unit that incorporates hooks, shelving for shoes and other drop-off items. As you might expect, such units are going to be considerably more expensive, but they can be more than worth the investment for large families that need a permanent place for school backpacks and dusty boots. Coat racks aren’t just about convenience. They’re the first line of defense against clutter for the rest of your house.

A more common option is a the stand-alone or “tree” type of coat rack. In its basic form, it’s simply a large vertical pole with some hooks near the top. If you’ve got heavier coats that need to hang there, you want that pole to have a wide base, so beware of cheaper trees that might topple over with too much weight. The fanciest stand-alone coat racks will also have an extra “crown” or smaller hooks at the top for hats, and maybe some additional way to store umbrellas near the bottom. No matter what you get, it’s going to be an obvious fixture near your front door, so choose with an eye toward design.

If you really need to maximize your space, go for a wall-mounted coat rack. The design can vary widely on these, but they’ll usually be either single hooks that you mount individually or several attached to a single panel. Either way, they’ll save you plenty of floor space — at the expense of some versatility in storage. For smaller families, that may not be a factor, and you’re sure to save money over the bulkier options.

• How high should you place your coat rack? Whether it’s a wall-mounted rack or a stand-alone tree, those hooks should be about 5 feet off the ground, or shoulder height. Feel free to adjust if the median household height is taller.
• Is your winter climate a harsh one? Make sure your hooks are up to the challenge of holding those bulky coats. That means not only choosing a stand-alone rack with a wider base, but deeper hooks so the coats are less prone to slide off.