I have always laid guests coats across my bed when we have some kind of function at home, hanging things in a closet at the entrance always ties up traffic there. I do have a coat closet but it's down the hallway to the bedrooms and our coats are in there, along with too much other stuff :)

I live in Florida so it's not a must for me. When I lived in Chicago it was definitely more important but it needs to be big enough to hold a decent amount of stuff.

Will you ever enter from the front door? Personally I like to have a closet 'near' the front door but not if it makes the entry cramped. As mentioned, a lot depends on the climate where you live, too. If I'm having a party my experience is that I hang a guests coat when they arrive but they often retrieve it on their own when leaving so I'd want that closet presentable and not the usual family jumble.

It was a must for me when we went through the design process but we also live in northern Ohio so everyone has coats the majority of the year.

I live near Chicago and have a closet near the front door but I would actually prefer a huge mudroom with a closet as no one really enters/exits through the front much. we have a pool so most of our get togethers are in the summer so the front gets used then but not much need for a closet :)

I think it depends on the size of the house and how tight the entry would be.

The houses around here are small enough in footprint that a closet for coats on the first floor at all is a rarity. But people end up cramming things that they would like nearby in the basement stairwell, so it seems many people could use a closet near the door. However, virtually all houses here are entered by the front door. If your primary entrance is at the side it would make sense to have it there

We have one by the front door in a climate that requires coats half the year; however, we've never had a guest use it. They tend to put their coats on the back of a chair. So, it's basically unused.

It would have been much more sensible to put a coat closet off our mud room/laundry room area at the garage entry. THAT would be used all the time.

For me, no closet wouldn't matter for resale.

No coat closet for me either in a cold climate. We prefer coat hooks for everyday and keep our seldom used coats in the master closets. We will have a bench in the entry hall with hooks above for guests and coat hooks for us in the vestibule from the garage. While there may be better housekeepers out there, in my experience coat closets are invariably become the place to stick stuff that doesn't get put up properly.

My coat closet will be in the large walk in pantry space. I actually think that taking the coat and walking the guest into the home is nicer than bunching everyone up in the foyer (especially if it's tight) and partially disrobing, opening doors, etc.

Putting it "on the way" somewhere lets folks spread out, etc.

I am in a 1/2 year coat area...

We have a closet in our mudroom where we keep our extra coats. We keep our current coat/jacket on the hooks in the mudroom. We don't have one in our foyer...due to the design, there really wasn't a good spot to put one. We had one in our previous house that we actually never used for guest's coats! Since our master is down it is just easiest to put coats on the bed. When we have a winter party it is usually a crowd anyway...a closet would have to be enormous to hold all the coats!

We had one in our prior home and in our present home, but...if a closet will cramp your foyer, skip it. You can have a hall tree for coats if you find you need hanging space. If guests will be removing shoes or boots, I'd give space to a bench.

The usual hall coat closet is too small for a large gathering, and the casual visitor can lay a coat on a bench. If guests have come a long way, I like to show them to a bedroom to lay their coats down...and possibly freshen up in the bathroom.

Where you DO need a closet and seating is wherever Family exits and enters the house.

I have a basement garage, so my own coats are all down the basement, some in a wardrobe and jackets on hooks. I also keep all my handbags down there in a cupboard as well. Nothing like getting down two flights of stairs and realizing one forgot to change handbags!

But I do want a coat closet near my entryway I moved the opening of mine from the front hall to a small side hall off the front hall. My front hall is so small one can't swing a cat in it, and opening yet another door to hang up guest's coats was a mess. I now take the coats, send them into the LR and then hang up their coats in the off-the-hall closet. Works very well.

I can't imagine building a North American home in the 21st Century without a closet--or two--somewhere near the front door. Hooks on the walls? Perfect for a rural farmhouse or a workman's cottage. The basement? Floors and beds, pantries? Sorry, guess I'm a snob!

I'm in Florida so a flip flop alcove will do fine.

I'm in s. texas, and I STILL want my coat closet! It's where the coats/cold weather gear, and vacuum live, especially from March-December! If it's between Dec and March, they are on hooks in the mudroom.

Thanks all! You guys were so helpful in confirming my decision. I am going to forego the front closets and stick with the mudroom/walk in closet. The family will be going in and out of the house through the mudroom. I doubt we will ever use the front door. I like what jannicone said about welcoming the guests and leading them into the house. Love that!

We're in New England. We have hooks by the front door for when it's a few guests. For larger gatherings, coats go on our bed which is on the first floor. We enter through the garage and have what I call a mud nook which has a bench and many hooks plus our pooch's crate. Works well for us.

I would prefer a very nice and sturdy hook and boot shelf alcove by the front door. Guests can easily store their things during visits. A few houses ago, we had a "snobby" home with 2 closets by the front door. Guests would have to line up to hang things and then to retrieve them before leaving. Plus, because guests used the closets, I never was able to fully use that space for storage. I would want hooks and boot shelf again in the mud entrance, plus closets near a mud room for winter storage and storage of other items like vacuums, mops, brooms, cleaning supplies, random holiday decorations, etc, etc, etc.

LOL -- I was just kidding -- please read Worthy's last line.

We just have a large coat closet in the mudroom, really no need for one near the front door as nearly everyone comes through the garage as we have a side entrance garage.

I have a coat closet in the front entry that is never opened. People prefer to use the coat rack.

In our recent remodel, we removed our foyer closet. It was only used to store the central vac. We have another closet behind it off the garage that we use for our coats. We will also add a bench and coat hooks to our side entry, mud room area that is the main guest entrance.

Living in the Midwest, our front hall closet is great for holding our winter coats in summer. In winter, our coats move to the back hall, and guests' coats go in the guest closet. (We also have beach towels, the dining room table leaves, and out-of-season front door decor in that closet.)

My parents had a home near Phoenix, and while they don't need parkas, they and their guests do need a rain jacket, umbrella, hat or cap for the sun. So their foyer closet got just as much use as their Midwest closet.

It's a two-fold answer. It depends upon where you live and if the front door is your primary entrance. If it's your primary entrance, yes. If you live in an area where the weather is cold. And, coats and shoes are removed upon entry you need a closet. If you live in a cold weather area and use a garage entrance, maybe not. The farther south you move the answer changes because the lifestyle changes. You are less likely to need it. It's a question of function before form. If you are going to use it, you need it. If you aren't going to use it, you don't need it.

I live where it's cold (Eastern Canada) and we never use the coat closet, even though our front door and our garage entry both open to the same foyer (so it's the "primary" aka only entrance). Based on the responses to this thread I think the answer on whether it will get used is more strongly correlated with preference than climate.

How often do you entertain? Old homes have formal foyers, dining rooms with a buzzer on the floor to summon the wait staff...and *cloakrooms*.

Just curious... wouldn't you need some places for coats even in Florida? I mean, it does rain there, no? (Closet, rack, hooks? And I'm not sure I want wet coats across my bed...)

We're in So Cal, and I will definitely miss my coat closet when we move.

In the new place, we had to redo it, to get bigger closet for the guest room. But I insisted on having a space carved out of the entrance from the garage side. Will be narrower than a normal closet, but still much better than nothing.

I also plan to use a double hook next to the front door-just for a random guest or a couple..:)

It's a vintage hook, a very quirky one. So I hope it will look cool, whether in use or not.

Even it being So Cal and all-I can count on my fingers the evenings when I didn't need a light jacket. Evenings are chillier when closer to the ocean..as hot as it can get during daytime, I always know to take layers with me, because it will be totally different after the sunset.

Am in Chicago area and removed my front entry coat closet. Will do something like this. Both DS and DF have similar and it works well.

Been in FL since late 80's and have always had one. In current rental home we don't. Damn sure miss it and new house that was designed has a closet under stairs in foyer. A must have for us.

If you have a one story house with "spare bedrooms" not too far from the front door then I think you can get by using those. If, on the other hand, all of the bedrooms are upstairs it is very useful to have a coat closet downstairs to keep YOUR coats -- not just guests coats.

You need a convenient place to stash guests' coats and boots ... a closet is not always the best place.

A coat rack - as shown above - will do just fine for a few guests. If it's a huge gathering, the traditional thing is to pile the coats on a bed