Paint it Black - the Coat Rack

This shows the beat up finish that was on the coat rack by our front door.  It's pretty pathetic that we've lived with this for five or so years.  The thing sat in the office at one of my jobs for years and years.  When the office was closed, my boss let me take it.  It might not have been pretty, but we needed it and the price was right.  My guess is one of the guys who worked at the place made it.

Over the years, I had considered sanding and re-staining it.  Now I am glad that I was too lazy.  The black craft paint that I used as part of the kitchen island re-paint project was the perfect solution.  All I needed to do for prep, was to clean the piece off and then let it dry.  One coat was all that was required.

I found the worn and slightly tarnished brass of the hooks appealing, and didn't do a thing to them.  Each side has a double hook, and this pole provides a decent amount of storage.  Now that I've put hooks to use on the wall, and also now that I have ample hangers in the entry closet, this can be left clear to hold coats when we have guests. 

Although I leave the hooks open for guests, TBG always hangs his coat and cap on it when he gets home.  That's OK, I just move them to the closet.  Sometimes I will let them sit over night because he claims he is going to use them in the morning, but that is only true about half the time.

I plan to leave the wooden baby gate as is because it is in good condition.  We need it to block off the bottom of the stairs so the pup can't get upstairs and interrupt "Mommy-Daddy" time.  Nothing puts a damper on an intimate moment than a big clumsy dog jumping in to get some attention too....