Anyone who has followed any of my blogs now or in the past may recall I have a fondness for hooks. They are one of my favorite storage and organizing tools. I am always looking for a way to store our belongings in this small house, and hooks are one of the best tricks I have up my thrifted sleeves.
After reading an article on Feng Shui that noted having a cluttered entry way was a big no-no, I set about figuring how to unburden our coat rack. Having looked at the blank area along our front stair case and envisioned hooks for a while, I knew it was time to put my plan into practice. It all started with a few dots...
Robe hooks at Home Depot were three bucks a piece and try as I might, I could not find a bulk package. Then fate intervened. I had been thinking of white, but found a pack of five black hooks that had been misplaced in a bin for a single. While I couldn't find any others in the store and didn't know the price, I knew bulk would be cheaper, so I took them to the register and did not flinch when they rang up nine bucks. Five for the price of three singles, a winner for me.
My first step in installing five of them, was to make sure they would all be even. Since they wouldn't be on a level, which would be easier to check, I devised a template using lined paper, which I cut to the angle of the stairs. That's how I placed the dots shown above.
All five lined up quite nicely. While interior decorators might not think this too chic, and television real estate professions might say that this trick just screams "Small House!" and "Lack of Storage!", this area screams "Practical!" to me. I'd already placed a shoe rack at the base of the stairs (out of view, starting in below where the hooks end). Sorry, not sorry. Multiple shoes are a reality in this snow-laden environment, and we try not to wear them in the house. A shoe rack in Western NY, is a real necessity. Then again, not necessarily -- I used a row of hooks in our mud room at the old house to hold shoes in one of our porch entry ways. See? It always comes back to hooks!
These hooks are working out great. Previously, the dog leash and my purse and lanyard of re-usable shopping bags always hung over the newel post. The other stuff was on the coat rack with about five or six jackets for TBG. I dug out extra hangers in the basement and put his stuff in the closet. He still comes home and leaves it on the rack, but I put it back in the closet. Multiple purses are necessary for walking/romping with the pup. Sometimes, I just need a small thing to carry keys and a roll of poop bags. Other times, I need a smaller cross body that will also fit my phone and wallet. The hats are for TBG, and I washed and hung this old LL Bean knapsack for him to carry lunch, etc. He always forgets to use it, but I think he'll get used to it once stores stop using plastic bags. Well, that, and I continue to bug him.
In any event, my obsession in hooks helped out. We now have plenty of space to hang outerwear when guests come over. We also aren't knocking into the bulky over-filled coat rack when we go up or come down the stairs.
Are you hooked on hooks too?
I, too, like hooks. I had a hook for over the door that had a place sticking out for hanging clothes and a hook on the end of it. When I lost my house, I did manage to tell someone to get those. The one thing I do not do is to hang my purse anywhere. I think it stresses the handles where they attach to the purse. Plus, the hanging makes permanent, large wrinkles in the leather body of the purse. I even fashioned a series of hooks on a chrome shelf behind the door. The hooks held reusable bags and were made from the hooks of metal hangers. They were out of sight.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the purse warning! I will see how I can remedy that storage situation. I used to set it on the shoe rack, but now that rack is filled with shoes. Maybe I can put a basket or small shelf between the hooks and the shoe rack. I have no more free doors for hanging more storage solutions. I found a hanging shoe back/rack on clearance today and was about to buy it when I realized that I had nothing to hang it on. I won't hang storage on front facing doors as that does create too much of a cluttered appearance.
DeleteIt's always a challenge looking for space in a small house. I have a lot of hook racks, but they are behind doors. I only carry a small purse in the summer when I'm not wearing a coat or jacket. I usually have my wallet,keys and phone in my jacket pockets. I have a lot of jackets (of different weights), because the weather here changes every 15 minutes, so I need a lot of hooks for those.
ReplyDeleteI have the same need for multiple Jackets. We probably say the same thing here as you do there... If you don't like the weather, wait 15 minutes because it's gonna change!
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