Alvar Aalto Hanger
Vintage 1950s Finnish Mid-Century Modern Coat Racks and Stands
Metal
Vintage 1940s Finnish Scandinavian Modern Coat Racks and Stands
Metal
People Also Browsed
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Coat Racks and Stands
Brass
2010s South African Minimalist Pedestals
Hardwood
Vintage 1950s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Coat Racks and Stands
Metal, Brass
Vintage 1950s Belgian Bauhaus Coat Racks and Stands
Metal, Chrome
Vintage 1980s Scandinavian Scandinavian Modern Dining Room Sets
Beech
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Oak, Leather
Early 20th Century Austrian Art Nouveau Coat Racks and Stands
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary English Modern Desks and Writing Tables
Oak
20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Vanities
Brass
Antique Early 1900s French Art Nouveau Table Lamps
Glass, Art Glass, Stained Glass
Vintage 1960s Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Tables
Wood
2010s American Industrial Wardrobes and Armoires
Steel, Iron
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Coat Racks and Stands
Metal, Brass
Vintage 1960s Swedish Mid-Century Modern Side Chairs
Leather, Wood
Vintage 1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Coat Racks and Stands
Wood
Late 20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Coat Racks and Stands
Brass
Finding the Right Coat-racks-stands for You
Your guests might have to endure all kinds of harsh climes to get to your housewarming party, so let’s make sure their trusty overcoats and umbrellas have a home. Shop the antique and vintage coat racks and stands on 1stDibs today.
Coat racks, umbrella stands, wall-mounted hooks for outerwear — they’ve long served a practical purpose. In the days of travel by horse or foot, a guest might arrive on your doorstep bedraggled, windblown and often dripping with rain. While transportation has thankfully improved since then, a coat rack in the entryway or foyer of your home is still the beacon it was back then: It says, “Come in, where it’s dry and warm. Hang up your coat and stay a while.”
Coat stands are among history’s fairly rudimentary ideas, so it’s difficult to point to the original inventor of this eternally functional fixture, but Thomas Jefferson was said to have fashioned one of his own at Monticello. Jefferson, who would’ve made a great interior designer, placed a long wooden pole in his closet that was adorned with spokes from which his coats and other garments could be hung. The simplicity of Jefferson’s coat-tree is echoed in designs from the 18th and 19th centuries.
The timeless convenience of a wooden coat rack has endured. While there are striking Art Deco coat stands made of oak and walnut that would meet your mudroom needs well, some of the product designers behind what we now call mid-century modern coat stands turned to materials other than wood, working frequently with plastic and chrome to create unconventional alternatives. Simpler and pared-down coat stands of the mid-20th century were occasionally so interesting in form that they could pass as minimalist sculptures when not in use. Some designers, such as Jacques Adnet, helped to redefine what these classic furnishings could look like, integrating saddle leather and brass and sometimes even horseshoes for his wall hooks and racks.
Although a coat rack is undoubtedly a practical investment, we know that fun comes along with functionality. There is plenty to explore in the collection of antique, vintage and contemporary coat racks and stands on 1stDibs, so go ahead — hang up your coat and stay a while.