I would say that the transom could be the same material with the same pattern, it could be the same shape with a single lite (which would be transitional really but that's ok) or it could be rectangular with upright rectangular divided lites. The mirror idea, to me anyway, is only effective if you are doing it where you actually Couldn't or Wouldn't Want to have real windows. I think the important thing to maintain with the number of openings that are adjacent here (5?), and the number of doors to be used here (5-6?) is some sort of consistency or logic behind the choices. I think if you don't have a leaded surround right at the front, you probably should not do it on the inner doors because it adds another material. Likewise the solid doors should have some kind of pattern relationship with the other solid doors, and the doors with glazing should have some kind of pattern relationship with the other glazed doors...and ideally they should have a relationship with each other as well.

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.

I think you're giving the taper too much power. If something needs to be in a bin, that bin doesn't need to exactly fill up the whole shelf. Lots of stuff may not need to go in bins or baskets anyway. You could get 12"-deep boxes and put them on the deeper side, and leave the rest of the shelf for setting things that don't go in bins or boxes. Or, if you do need a bin that exactly fills the shelf, can't you use your plethora of woodworking tools to make your own in a trapezoidal shape? It's just an oddly shaped wooden drawer, which is itself a lidless wooden box. (I made a storage box/bin for an oddly shaped space by cutting up foam-core board and hot-gluing it together. Now and then I have to reinforce it, but it works great! I'm too lazy to make it out of wood, and I don't have a lot of experience using thinner wood like 1/4" luan or masonite, and 3/4" stock would be too heavy) You could install shelves, or you could make "pockets" to hang on the wall based on what's going to go in them (if you make your own pockets, you can make them as fat as you need for whatever you're going to put in them). I'd say: First, figure out how to put a single hanging rod on the 24"-deep side (and limit how many coats can go in there--everybody in the family gets two hangers, and any other outerwear goes in the bedroom). Or, put in one hanging rod (those Closet-Maid/Elfa wire shelves?) for long coats, and install second one halfway down the wall to convert one half of that space for jackets? My experience is that especially in winter, there are more hip-length coats than short jackets, so plan for winter, not spring or fall. Then see what sorts of other storage needs you can fulfill there--would the vacuum bit on the coats side? Can you put pockets on the side wall for gloves, hooks for umbrellas and dog leashes? Can you put a tray or basket on the floor to hold boots or shoes? Or something on the shelf above the hanging rod that would be useful for what you store there? Then stand in front of that tapered side with all the stuff you're going to put in there, and see what inspires you. Do you want shelves you can put boxes on? (You could make a small trapezoidal bookcase and bolt it to the wall, leaving space below it; or use brackets on the back wall to install tapered shelves--you can buy brackets of varying lengths.) Would pockets or baskets on the side wall be useful for stuff like cleaning supplies or shoes? Would hooks allow you to use the most shallow section for hanging the vacuum hose?

Admittedly, I'm a Southerner, and we don't tend to take our coats into people's houses -- we always take them out in the "cold weather", but we usually leave them in the car "just in case". What I'd do in this situation: - Do away with the closet /allow a little more space in that small bathroom and a little more space in that narrow entry. - Install two of those narrow Ikea shoe cabinets side-by-side (which can look pretty nice when "hacked") and above them a row of nice, substantial hooks. This'll give your guests not only a place to hang coats ( a place where they can dry out instead of being in a closet) but also a small shelf to set down their purses, sunglasses and keys. - Guests aside, you definitely need a place to store your family's out-of-season coats, and you seem to have a good-sized closet in the mudroom. With this space being fairly small, I'd consider going with all sliding doors (so you don't need to account for door swing). - I'd like to see a set of hooks for the family in the mudroom too -- a place where coats can be hung quickly (because no one ever seems to actually put a coat away in a coat closet, except when it's been washed after its season). I also suggest posting your kitchen layout for review in a new post. Agree. A peninsula would be much better in this space.