Rack and Roll

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Do you recycle rooms as much as I do? Take the space off the kitchen which was a red carpeted, dark paneled den when I bought my house. I made it a cheery laundry room suitable for a young mom of two; then it was reborn as my office, and now, it is the mud room/hang out space for my girls to watch the plasma and park their trendy Converse shoes, hooded sweatshirts and overflowing backpacks.

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The biggest challenge, as always, is how to store the accumulation in a small, crowded space. Cool, wall mounted coat racks were a must. At Funktionalley, I located really fun Scandinavian hooks for the wall, like the OFFSIDE coat hanger by young Norwegian designer, Runa Klock (above left). The stainless steel base features five football players made of recyclable red, blue, or green plastic. They tilt and turn just like players on a fuseball table to make room for bulky clothes. The little plastic forwards are perfect for bracing the laces of muddy soccer cleats!

Another modern option that works well in a small space is the Quasimodo Q5 series by the Swedish company, De Nord (above middle). The designer, Jonas Lindvall, strove for a modern and compact solution for keeping his coats tidy, and this vertical, wood and metal combo with either two or five hooks comes in natural birch and oak as well as modern shades (orange, turquoise, black, grey). It has received several design awards and is represented at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Hang ’em side by side to keep your hang out room somewhat contained.

If you’re in the market for something more chic, the stunning Ghost Tree Antler Rack by Erich Ginder (top) is available at designpublic in white or black. It’s a wink at the antlers hung throughout the chateaux of Europe without the uncessary tagging of the deer. You can hang one in an office or entryway (they are pricey at $230 each) or pair them to hang more objects. I also love the sleek and sinuous Tree Hooked Coat Racks (above right) in black, white, green and steel at Elsewares ($75).

Luanne Bradley

Luanne Sanders Bradley is the West coast Editor at EcoSalon and currently resides in San Francisco, California.