I can't believe that I am saying this. It is usually a big cluttered mess, but with some creativity and organization everything has it's place. I was inspired by Amanda Soule's post of some initial labeled mitten baskets and made some of my own.
Last year I made this coat tree and it worked great so this year I made one for the kids.
I used a piece of bannister for the pole (because it was so much cheaper), some old dowels and cut a circle from a piece of poplar (but a square would work too). I screwed the bottom to the post and glued the dowel in. A saw, a drill with a big bit, some glue and about $10 is all it takes. Working with wood is not as hard as I thought it would be.The best part, is that is all gets put away with the warm weather and the mud-room becomes a porch again.