The best coat storage ideas

When it comes to your hallway, efficient storage is a must. Whether you like your home to feel light and airy or moody with dramatic wall art, we can all agree that even the most impressive décor scheme can be ruined if it’s hidden beneath mountains of coats, bags and shoes. So, finding hallway storage ideas that work for your space is integral if you want to make a good first impression.

Coat storage might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think about designing your dream hallway, but it can be the difference between a cluttered, untidy home and a tranquil, hotel-like space. And, whether your taste is minimalist, maximalist or anything in between, there are hundreds of neat coat storage ideas that will allow your hallway to show off your personality and not just your extensive jacket collection, so it’s worth taking some time to research which option will work best in your home.

If you’re in need of inspiration, we’ve compiled a list of the the best coat storage solutions on the UK market. From storage benches to leaning coat rails, read on to discover eight of the best hallway storage ideas to suit your home!

Coat storage ideas

Leaning coat rail

If you’re living in rented accommodation or you’re just not ready to commit to a more permanent form of coat storage, a leaning coat rail is a great, easy-to-install and flexible storage solution.

Thanks to the clever freestanding design of these rails, you can simply lean them against any wall and they’ll stay put, so there’s no need to fix them to the plaster with brackets and screws. As a result, these coat rails are easy to move around when you change up the look of your hallway, or you can take them with you when you move without damaging your walls.

For extra storage, keep a look out for a model which comes with a handy shelf on top – this one from Amazon (pictured above) is ideal for keeping hats and bags stored away tidily.

Hallway Bench and Coat Stand

• Buy now from Homary (£299.99)

If you’ve been looking for hallway storage ideas that are stylish as well as functional, a storage bench might be just the thing for you.

Not only can storage benches look like a design feature in their own right (we love this beautiful velvet one from Homary!) but they're totally space saving too, providing you with a place to sit, somewhere to store your shoes and somewhere to store your coats simultaneously.

All this completely eliminates the need for bulky freestanding shoe racks, separate coat storage and hallway chairs, freeing up that all important floor space for you to utilise in different ways - think show-stopping houseplants and quirky wall hangings!

Hidden mirror storage

• Buy now from La Redoute (£210)

We all know that mirrors are fantastic at making small spaces feel bigger, so if your hallway is on the cosier side, opting for a storage solution with a built in mirror can really help to create the illusion of more depth and bounce light around the space.

This wall mounted mirrored coat rack from La Redoute, for example, has everything you’ll need in one unit – a hanging rail for coats, and a shelf for shoe storage– all tucked away behind a full length mirror, making it highly practical but still aesthetically pleasing.

Decorative coat hooks

Individual decorative hooks, although small and often inexpensive, don’t just serve a practical purpose - they’re ideal for adding a bit of interest into a lacklustre hallway. They can inject some much needed personality into new build homes, give period properties a sense of quirky character, or even function as a piece of wall decor in their own right.

The Mimi hooks from Anthropologie are perfect for creating a colourful wall feature. Try arranging them in a staggered alignment, like in the picture above, for a dynamic feel!

Wardrobe

• Buy now from Cox & Cox (£3650.00)

If you don’t have the budget for specialist, built-in furniture in your hallway, a freestanding cabinet is easily the next best thing. If you have a large amount of coats and shoes that need to be stored it’s worth opting for a full sized wardrobe-style unit, but a slimline cabinet can do just as good a job of hiding away clutter if you’re short on space.

We love this decadent Toulouse Wardrobe from Cox & Cox for an opulent coat storage option. If you’ve got a spacious hallway, why not style the unit with a matching chest of drawers for a coherent look? Add a vase full of fresh flowers, a large round mirror and a trinket dish to store your keys for a welcoming display.

Traditional hallway unit

If you want to keep your hallway clutter-free and organised but don’t necessarily have the space to house a freestanding cabinet with opening doors, traditional hallway units are ideal.

These units are great if you’re the sort of person who finds yourself rushing out of the door in the morning, as thanks to their open design, you can keep coats, scarves, shoes, umbrellas and other hallway essentials all together in one easy to access space. As the units are designed to fit flat against a wall, they won’t take up too much valuable room, and you can hang things on different levels for double the storage.

Wall mounted hooks

• Buy now from Not On The High Street (£50)

You don’t have to be an interior design enthusiast to know that hallways are all about first impressions and, when styled well, they can reflect our personality whilst setting the tone for the rest of our home. If you don’t have a huge amount of wall space, however, it’s easy to assume that you’ll have to choose between a decorative wall hanging and efficient storage in order to have a space that functions well. This is where wall mounted hooks come in!

If you’ve got a small space but don’t want to compromise on style, there are so many cool, sculptural wall mounted hooks on the market that look good enough to be a piece of wall décor in their own right, and will help you to make a design feature out of your coat storage. We particularly love this one from Not On The High Street (pictured above) – it’ll give your hallway a modern country home vibe thanks to the chic combination of natural wood, soft grey paint, and black hooks.

360° coat stand

• Buy now from Wayfair (£83.99)

We all know the value of a traditional coat rack in the hall – they’re great at offering 360 degree storage, and can allow you to transform even the most awkward of corners into a storage space. If you want to take it one step further, however, you can now purchase coat racks that have sturdy built in shelves where you can store anything from bags and keys to books and hats.

This Wayfair coat stand, for example, might not look large, but it has 8 hooks, clothes rails, and three rustic-style shelves that offer enough space to house all of your coats and accessories. To up the organisation factor, you can always add pretty wicker baskets to keep electronics and leads neatly stored away, or add a houseplant to give your hallway a little lift.

Space saving coat pole

• Buy now from Wayfair (£149.99)

If your space is too small to fit a 360 degree coat stand or full-sized coat cabinet, space saving coat poles – like this one from Ebern Designs via Wayfair – offer the perfect solution for your space. Not only are they streamlined, efficient and subtle, but they’re also easily installed between floor and ceiling with no drilling required, making them perfect for rented homes or short term accommodation. To maximise storage opportunities, look out for poles that have six or more hooks so you have plenty of space for your coats, hats, scarves and tote bags.

There's a coat storage solution out there for every hallway, so we hope our ideas have been useful! If you're looking for more storage ideas, why not check out our roundup of the best quirky decorative wall hooks for more functional, decorative inspiration!