we decided to stick to the basics, which seems to be our strong suit. I wanted a chunky coat rack—one that could support loads of coats and bags when friends visit, and one that looks substantial hanging on our wall—but after browsing around for an affordable option, I was disappointed by the weak selection.
That’s when we opted to DIY—or should that be DIO (do it ourselves)? It’s only a piece of wood and a few hooks, right? As it turns out, making a coat rack is super easy and allows for plenty of creativity along the way. Here’s what we did:
1. First we brainstormed designs. Matt was the brain behind ours, as he capitalized on my insistence that it be “chunky” and suggested layering two pieces of wood to gain depth.
2. Then we made a quick run to Home Depot and picked out two pieces of wood that were slightly different in width, along with five oil-rubbed coat hooks and a couple of keyhole hooks for securing our coat rack to the wall. Bonus: Because they have a huge saw in the back of the store, HD was able to cut my wood to the correct length right then and there—make sure you know your measurements! No dragging out a saw for us! When we got home we sanded down the rough edges to make each piece of wood smooth to the touch.
3. After dumping supplies all over our living room, we lined the wood up to our liking, outlined our placement in pencil for good measure, and then nailed the pieces together from the backside using a trim nail gun and wood clamps. A nail gun isn’t a requirement here, but it sped up the process for us.
4. Next we painted our coat rack a clean white using a leftover paint in our basement. I’ll admit that it’s not the most exciting choice, but I love the crisp look it brings, and it kept our cost down. We both agreed that down the road it would be fun to paint it a bolder color, and since it only requires removing the hooks, it’ll be an easy project should we decide to go that route in the future.
5. As a final touch, we screwed in our oil-rubbed coat hooks, being sure to measure the distance between them. These aren’t my dream hooks, but I really like the simple look of them, plus the fact that they hold several items at one time. I didn’t want to sacrifice function for style, and even though I held back from buying more expensive hooks like these from West Elm, I like the way it turned out—a lot!
6. Finally, the keyhole hooks were screwed into the back of our coat rack, which allowed it to mount directly to the wall. Simple as that! Note: Make sure that you mount the rack into some studs, at least two, to make it sturdy.
To complete the entryway, we tossed a hearty basket in the corner for shoes and lined a trio of favorite photos (in cheap IKEA frames) above the coat rack.
At some point, we might add a bit more detail to this area, but for now, we’re loving the additional storage space, along with the way it completes our home. The best part? Seeing about 17 coats piled on it during a weekend brunch with friends. It held up beautifully!
Looks great! I think I might replace my individual hooks with a rack with hooks. I didn't know what I liked best. One of the hooks is NOT stable and it's driving me nuts. I'll have to keep my eye out for a cheap one:) Your entryway looks really good. You defined the space really well.
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