Previously: Part 1 - Hooks

Do you (or your interior design clients) want an easy way to hang up coats, scarves, bags, towels, aprons and more? Then hooks are the way to go. And rather than getting multiple single hooks, you may want a wall-mounted rack that provides those multiple hooks in a single product.

The Eames Hang-It-All is the most well-known wall-mounted coat rack, but numerous other designs are worth some attention. The Leaf hanger from Miniforms is made from laser cut sheet steel. Each hanger has three hexagons, and each of those is a different distance from the wall, making it easier to use all three at the same time.

Some hooks are designed to flip down for use—so there's nothing rough for anyone to brush against when walking by. The Knox products from LoCa are a nice example of this style.

Of course, you could go vertical as well as horizontal. Since the hooks are right on top of each other in this design, it may not work well for multiple long coats. But it could be just fine for a warm winter hat, a scarf and a coat—or various other combinations. To provide a lot of hooks in a small space, LoCa has an angled design with hooks on two sides.

Another variation on the flip-down hooks—this one going both horizontal and vertical—is the Piano coat rack from PER/USE, designed by Patrick Séha. One unusual way to use part of this rack: Tilt down a few hooks and rest a briefcase or some magazines on top of them.

Flip-down hooks aren't the only way to avoid getting stabbed by a coat rack. This is the Tattakki clothes rail from Sintesi, designed by Sam Sannia and made of ABS technopolymer. The rounded shapes help ensure end-users won't hurt themselves—or snag something on a sharp edge—so it could be a nice option if children are around.

Lacquered steel is frequently used in coat hangers, often with eye-popping colors and shapes. The Piet coat hooks from Presse Citron are obviously named after Piet Mondrian.

And for those who like representational shapes, with a bit of kitsch, there's the Mantosaure by Thomas de Lussac, made from laser cut lacquered steel.

Here's another variation on the vertical rack, for those who don't like the flip-down hooks; it's called the Wave. Notice the little shelf at the bottom, perfect for a wallet, sunglasses, etc. As with any coat rack that has hooks in a vertical row, the end-user will need to consider what gets placed on the top hooks, so these items don't interfere with seeing and reaching the items on the lower hooks—but having hooks on both sides makes it easier to use it for multiple coats and other larger items.

The Thru-block coat rack from WUDA (that's will ullman design + art) is a modular design that combines horizontal and vertical orientations. Each block has five holes drilled into it; the blocks are pegged together with dowels. The ability to change the layout to fit a given space is a real advantage to this design.

See also: Part 1 - Hooks