My floorplan has a closet off the mudroom. It isn't huge, but we do plan on having a section of it for shoe storage so we aren't hauling shoes up and down the stairs anymore. My husband and I are quasi-minimalists, so we certainly wouldn't know what to do with a 15' x 15' shoe closet! Currently all of my shoes fit on a 18" wide floor-to-ceiling section of closet, and my husband's take up slightly less space. The rest of the mudroom closet will be for hockey gear, coats, snow gear, etc. (We also live up north, in Minnesota.) An island in the mudroom would be great if you have the space! I wish we could have an island space in the master closet, specifically for packing/unpacking suitcases. My husband travels about 1 night per week for work, so his suitcase basically lives on the bedroom floor in between trips. I am sick of tripping over it!

I checked all the mudroom pics I have saved and none of them have pegs. My builder offers a "built in bench with pegs" option so I don't think it's outdated. I just don't have any pics to share. Have you seen this link? Here is a link that might be useful: mudroom pics

I have a small bench with a shelf and pegs in the mudroom, DD sits there to put her shoes on and sometimes to take off, my dad will sit there as well (can't bend over) - when she doesn't have her backpack, coat, etc. thrown there. Everyone else takes their shoes off standing up, can bend over to tie them, and hangs up coats. DS hangs his backpack on a brass hook screwed into studs behind the door - I have 2, but the top one seems to be used for coats (the wooden pegs in the shelf have gotten loose) so instead of hanging his backpack high and hers low, he hangs his low and she leaves hers (and her books, artwork from school, etc.) on the bench. I second the tall "locker" style cabinets - with hooks and shelves inside. One other thing I would like to find room for in my tiny entry-way (mudroom is also a laundry room, so just the space between the garage and kitchen doors is available) is a grab bar - my dad will sit down if there's room, but my mom tends to hang onto a door knob to take her shoes off and slip on, the kitchen door is almost always open so the door swings a little, and I don't think it's good for the hinges to have a lot of weight on them - it's a little different than just turning the knob to open or close the door, having someone leaning on the knob while standing on 1 foot, and the door wiggling back and forth. If it weren't for the fact that we live in a cold climate and sometimes do close that door for an "air lock" I'd just remove it and case the opening. It's also nice to be able to close that door and not see the shoes, backpacks and coats.

Good point, Jon. I guess what I'm looking for style-wise is NOT much embellishment and that was the idea I was trying to convey. My original concept was more like a hall tree, but after thinking about your suggestion to move around in the actual space, perhaps just a bench with shoe/boot storage underneath, and a separate coat rack mounted on the wall above would be the best solution. The salvaged wood has been kiln dried and planed, and the cabinet guy will putty the nail holes and apply a natural stain, so I think that the final effect will not be so rustic, although there are still variations in color from weathering, but we like that for "character". Thanks.