If you have the space, you could build into the room itself, creating full or partial height wall to block the cold winter winds and give you a place for the jackets, mittens and shoes. You can actually build it if you own the place or fake it with cabinets/bookshelves.

Where do you drop things right now? Put an official "drop station" exactly where you already drop things. This way you're not changing habits, just the look of it. Where do you take off your shoes? Where do you plonk your jacket when you take it off? Where do you dump the letters? I would have hooks for coats on that big wall, boot drop below. A basket for holding mittens, hats, and boot socks... I have somewhat of a challenge myself, but I'm thinking of solving it with an Ikea rolling cart, letter dump on top, mittens and hats in the middle, trowel and gardening gloves on the bottom.

The front room seems a little tight to float everything. I realize your furniture will be a little smaller but their sofa with the console and reclining action takes up almost 1/3 of the width of the room. If you notice in the listing they changed the furniture around to make it seem less tight from different angles: the shorter sofa and patterned chair switch places. You may want to consider putting some sort of built divider right next to the front door, even if it's not solid. I am actually doing this next to my front door right now, and it's only about 15" deep, just enough to not feel like you are dumped in the front room right at the front door (my front door is also a stoop, so the sidewalk is right there. It just keeps whatever seating is there from feeling like they are sitting in the doorway.

Quite some time ago I advised someone regarding a free standing wall placed in front of their front door to create a "foyer." This is not it and this is not free standing, but creating something similar that floats directly in front of the doors would also give you useful wall space on the living room side of it. It might not even have to come all the way to the ceiling; call it a "glorified" pony wall or room divider if you will. If needed, you could make it deep enough for a closet, but that will eat up living room floor space. ...just to get your creative juices flowing...