Tired of coats and boots being strewn all around your front hall? Consider investing in a hall tree. These furniture pieces are usually made of wood and let you hang anywhere from 2 to 10 coats from them. They are also referred to coat racks. Many hall trees have a matching bench that can be used to store boots in or to sit on while putting on shoes. Hall trees range in price from inexpensive to very expensive. In many cases it depends on the wood it is made from. A coat rack can be used in front hallways, mudrooms, or even a living room. This flexible piece of furniture can be very useful.
Another piece of furniture that can be stylish and functional is a hope chest. A hope chest is a chest or box that has been used to collect items. These chests are also called a dowry chest, glory box or a cedar chest. While these days they are often used for simple decoration or as a convenient place to store items, in the old days they had a particular purpose. Unmarried women would use them to store clothing and linen that would be used when they were married. These pieces can range in price from reasonable to very expensive if you are shopping for antiques.