Hooks, wood, and brass bits.

How to make your own...

I am very excited about this one. Like I told you in previous posts, I have had so many projects stacking up on my to do list, and now they are finally getting done! I had purchased these black and white hooks from Anthropologie back in January, knowing fully that I wanted to use them to make a entry way coat hanger. I splurged on the hooks, because I absolutely loved them and couldn't get them out of my mind after seeing these same hooks on the LittleGreenNotebook blog. I also knew I wanted to mount them onto wood, going for a feel somewhat like this forest found hook. The piece of wood to mount them too was the tricky part. I wanted a worn in rustic look, which meant finding a piece of wood that was used with the right dimension to place three hooks side by side, with the right amount of spacing. Living in the city, I couldn't just go to the countryside and pick one up from the farm. So, the hooks sat in my closet for awhile. But then, thanks to my handy cousin Natalie, she gifted me an old piece of wood that had a New England Fishing Co., Seattle painted on it in faded letters and a neat fish design on it. I thought the combination of the design with the hooks would make a unique finished product, so I set off to finally make the piece.

The board was 30" long.  Matt picked up a scrap piece of cedar that he screwed into the back of the FishCo. wood piece to give it extra reinforcement. This also ensured that when the hooks were screwed in, they would have some thick wood to fasten to rather than sticking through the back of the FishCo. wood and risk splitting it. 

Four brass colored screws attached the cedar piece to the back,  with an additional 6 screws to hold each of the three hooks in place. We placed the middle hook at exactly 15" in from the sides and 2" up from the bottom. The top part of the hook goes slightly higher than the top of the wood, but the bottom curve of the hook is parallel to the bottom of the wood. The outer hooks were measured in 6" from the sides and 2" up. This placement was decided on because it looked best that way (I'm more of an eye baller rather than an 'exactly like so' builder, not sure if this is a good thing or not....)

Because this is a coat rack, people will be pulling things off and on of the hooks, making it more likely that the rack could come out of its nail fastenings or wall attachments. Matt bought some "child proof" picture hangers that actually click locked. They are hangers you would use to hang heavy picture frames, but then have a top portion that locks the piece you are hanging in place. Brilliant, right? Pictured above is the hardware that will rest in hooks on the wall (your ring hangers).

The finished project. Ready just in time for non-coat season. I'm sure it will be filled come rain and snow. Also a great place to hang canvas grocery totes, scarves, purses, umbrellas, and hats. 

If you didn't quite get the just on how to make this coat hanger from above, here is a little recap:

You will need:

• 3 hooks or knobs
• Option One (clean cut wood): 1 Piece of wood measuring about 30 inches, or measured to your preferred size depending on where you plan to hang to finished product.  Option Two (vintage wood): A piece of used wood from an old shipping box or a rustic scrap piece of wood, and an additional thick wood piece to anchor/nail the worn wood onto that is at least 1 inch shorter in both width and length than your "rustic" wood  (can be found in the scrap bin at home depot for $0.50 to $1.00) 
• Wood Screws (Amount varies depending on the screw holes in your hooks. My project consisted of 10 screws. Four to anchor each corner of the rustic wood to the scrap backing wood, and two screws for each hook. Color also varies depending on your preference. I went with 1" antique brass screws.)
• Nail and hammer (for helping with screw placement)
• Power drill (for getting those screws securely into your wood- coats and purses need support when hanging on your wall!) 
• Ring hangers (the hardware that will fasten to the back of your finished project so that you can hang it on the wall) 
• 2 Picture hangers (hardware that can hold up to 30lb. per hanger, these are what you nail into the wall)
• Measuring tape

Assembly:

• If choosing option one, you can skip down to attaching the ring hangers.
• For option two, place your rustic piece face down on your table top and center the scrap/anchor wood on the backside. Flip over and make sure the piece is still centered.
• Screw the wood pieces together at the 4 corners of the scrap wood using your drill. To give yourself visual of where to place each screw, take your hammer and nail and tap a small mark into the rustic wood where the scrap woods' corners are behind it. 
• Attach your ring hangers to the back of your wood piece, leveling it so that when you hang the finished product is sits straight.
• Now your wood is ready for the hooks. Measure the length of your wood. Find the exact middle and hold your hook/knob in place. Using your eye, or a tape measure, decide how far up from the bottom of the wood you want to place it. With your hammer and nail, tap another little marker in the hook/knobs screw hole, to make a place for your screw to rest. Screw it in place, making sure you are happy with the placement.
• When placing your left and right hooks, measure equal distance both from the side of the wood and the center hook. Also, make sure the placement from the bottom of the board to the hook's placement is the same as the center (unless your wood is very uneven of course, then just use your eye for placement). Screw in just as you did with the center hook.
• Find where you want to hang your lovely piece in your home, and hammer in your picture hangers to match the ring hangers on your piece. But out your level (or your designer eye, like I did) to finish off your placement.
• You did it! Now you need a coat to hang and maybe a tote or two.