DIY Industrial Shoe and Coat Rack (Inspired by Urban Outfitters)

When I saw this industrial storage rack from Urban Outfitters I knew it was exactly what we needed for our entryway. It's got the simple, masculine, industrial look that I'm always attracted to, and it's the perfect size to store our favorite shoes and jackets.

But, I couldn't see spending $500 on something I could make myself with a few boards and pipes. Especially since, as Ryan pointed out, we'd probably have to assemble it out of the box anyway. So, this past week, Ryan and I picked up some supplies at Home Depot and put together one of our own.

The supplies cost about $200 and the whole project took about a day including shopping time and drying time. Home Depot cut the boards and pipes to our specifications. The best part was that we could customize the rack exactly how we wanted it. For example, I spray painted the connecting pieces gold to match the gold accents in our front room.

We used black iron pipe, but you could also use galvanized steal or copper for a different look, or you could spray paint the pipe another color.

Supplies
Two 3/4" thick 18"/46" boards, one cut in half crosswise (If you can't find these exact detentions, don't seat it.)
Four 10" pieces of 3/4" pipe (At Home Depot these were pre-cut pieces called "nipples.")
One 43" piece of 3/4" pipe (for the short side)
One 42" piece of 3/4" pipe (for the top rail)
One 65" piece of 3/4" pipe (for the long side – We bought this one on a separate trip, first measuring the mostly-complete rack to determine the exact length we would need.)
Ten 3/4" floor flanges
Two 3/4" iron elbows
Four large casters with locks
Screws to fit the floor flanges and the casters (Make sure they're short enough not to go through the boards.)
A power drill with a drill bit slightly smaller than your screws and a screw bit to fit your screws
A can of matte clear spray paint or another wood finish, sealer, or stain
A can of metallic gold spray paint

Instructions
Start by treating both sides of the boards with the matte clear spray paint. This will protect them somewhat from the water and mud you track in on your shoes. Spray paint the flanges and elbows on all sides with metallic gold and let dry.

Attach the casters to the underside of the long board with screws, drilling first to give the screws something to dig in to.

Starting at the bottom and working your way up, attach the 10" length of pipe with the floor flanges first to the bottom board and then to the other boards. You will need to rotate the flanges slightly so that flanges on opposite sides of the same board each have room for all their screws.

Use the final two flanges to attach the short-side pipe to the top board and the long-side pipe to the bottom board. Use the iron elbows to attach the side pipes to the top rail.

Stand back, admire your work, and Instagram the shit.

What I wore today: 11/11/2014 (Bien Fait)

 

When Ryan and I went to Mood while we were in New York (photos, video), I told him how occasionally I'll see the same textile used for wildly different products from different brands, and I like to imagine that Mood was the source for both. Two different designers, each living in New York and shopping at Mood, see the same textile and give it two separate lives, each as far reaching as the other. 

I once spotted a really lovely pattern I recognized from an Anthro top used on a Crosby record player.  These pants happen to share their fabric with an Anthro top as well. When I first saw the top, I loved the pattern, but I didn't really love the shape. I even thought that I would prefer the fabric as pants. Then, a few months later, there they were at Madewell. Thank you, Mood.

Everly ankle boots – Jeffrey Campbell, Urban Outfitters

"Delancey Slouch Trousers" – Madewell

Lace and leather shirt – Prabal Garung for Target

Necklace – J.Crew Factory

Belt – Madewell

Fall Wish List

01. Moorea Seal, 02. Madewell, 03. Madewell, 04. Urban Outfitters, 05. Amazon, 06. Moorea Seal, 07. Converse x Missoni for Nordstrom, 08. Target, 09. Moorea Seal, 10. Madewell, 11. Moorea Seal

As with home decor, I'm really excited right now about neutrals, good quality materials, and basics with a twist. I've been drawn to well-designed minimal pieces lately. Whether it be a delicate piece of gold jewelry, a great leather bag, or that perfect go-with-everything scarf, these are the pieces I continue to love and wear season after season, year after year. 

New Home Wish List

01. Anthropologie, 02. Society6, 03. Anthropologie, 04. Target, 05. Jonathan Adler, 06. IKEA, 07. Terrain, 08. Anthropologie, 09. Urban Outfitters, 10. eBay

As we settle into our new home, I'm striving to decorate in an invested and enduring way, choosing pieces and making decisions that feel sophisticated and timeless.

As with fashion, I'm often drawn to masculine things with whimsical touches. I want our home to feel industrial and luxe but with plenty of softness, humor, and warmth.

As for colors, I'm really excited about slate-y grays, woody browns, and milky whites, with pops of metallics.

What I wore today: 11/10/2013 (Roaring)

Last Sunday, we had our all-store holiday meeting. The theme was The Great Gatsby, and we were encouraged to dress up as little or as much as we wanted to suit the theme.

I usually jump at the opportunity to create a costume, but my enthusiasm for putting on fishnets and a fringy dress wavers greatly when it gets cold outside. So, instead of a full-blown flapper costume, I decided to put together a fall outfit that incorporated a 1920s silhouette with the general coziness of tights and boots. I think the ties on this dress are meant to be tide tighter to create a waist, but I like wearing it baggier for more casual 1920s-esque silhouette.

Aren't these boots the greatest? Frye made a limited-edition run back in '09, and I eBay stalked them for three years to no avail. Then the same style just showed up, out of the blue, at Urban Outfitters (where I happen to get a 40% discount!) It was a great moment in the life of a shopper.

I hadn't allowed myself to buy any brown-leather knee-high boots even though my faux-leather ones were absolutely falling apart. No, I wanted the Frye ones and I was going to hold out until I found them. I was going to drop several hundred dollars on them, wear them for the rest of my life, replace their soles when needed, and never buy another pair of brown-leather knee-high boots again. That was the plan. The plan took years of discipline, but the payoff was great.

Listen to me, "years of discipline." I make shopping sound like Kill Bill.

Green tie-waiste dress - Maeve, Anthropologie (old)

Brown tights - Pure and Good, Anthropologie

Lace-up Melissa riding boots - Frye, Urban Outfitters

Burgundy wool cloche hat - Urban Outfitters (old)

Leopard brocade swing coat - Forever 21 (old) last seen here

What I wore today: 10/07/2013 (People Are Like Onions)

There's enough to love about fall with the apple cider and the PSLs and the changing leaves and the brisk breezes; layering doesn't even need to be a thing. But layering is a thing. It's a glorious thing. And it's one of the many, many things that I love about fall.

If you're a bit hesitant about layering, I feel you. It can definitely be intimidating at first. But, I've found that, the more I experiment, the better I get. Eventually, you just get a sense of what items will layer well together or what piece you can add to any given ensemble to pump it up just a touch more.

As with most things in life, practice makes perfect. It also makes totally rad fall outfits.

Red corduroys - Pilcro and the Letterpress, Anthropologie

Sleeveless chambray shirt - Anthropologie

Lace-embellished military jacket - Anthropologie

"Everly" ankle boots - Jeffrey Campbell, Urban Outfitters

Lace-front sweatshirt - American Apparel

Necklace - J.Crew Factory

Cross-body bag - Phillip Lim for Target

What I wore today: 09/16/2013 (Blush and Lace)

I've mentioned before that I can't get enough of classic gray sweatshirts. I especially love ones that have a bit of a twist or a surprising detail of some kind, and I really love when that detail involves lace. Something about gray sweatshirts and white lace just makes me swoon.

I picked up this cute Phillip Lim for Target bag yesterday. Even though highly-anticipated collections like his always sell out online immediately, I can usually count on finding good stuff if I go to a store (without waiting in lines or anything); that's the advantage of living in a not-super-fashion-aware city. This time, I couldn't make it to a store until two days after the collection debuted, but I went to a far-out suburban Target in the lamest part of town and, to my delight, they still had all the items I wanted to try on. Yay!

Gray sweatshirt with white lace detail - Anthropologie

Rose-colored jeans - Gap

"Everly" ankle boots - Jeffrey Campbell 

Cross-body bag - Phillip Lim for Target

What I wore today: 08/18/2013 (Petticoat Junction)

This dress has been in heavy rotation since I bought it years ago. (You can see it layered over a mint blouse here, under a blazer here, and styled simply waaaaaay back in the day here.) Last weekend, when I found myself turning to it once again, I wanted to do something new to mix it up a little, so I decided to layer my Carrie Bradshaw skirt underneath.

I love what a petticoat can do to an outfit in terms of adding texture and volume. And you don't have to own an official "petticoat" to get the look; you can just use a voluminous skirt or any skirt that has a built in petticoat. Simply layer the skirt under your top layer and voila!

Of course traditional petticoats are great too, and you can usually find them on eBay, in costume shops, and at flea markets. As a kid, I had a bright-orange flea-market petticoat that was my favorite piece in my dress-up chest. I wore it doubled over and safety-pinned at age six, and was still wearing it at age ten when it actually came closer to fitting me.

Petticoats are also a great solution for skirts that are a touch too short for the occasion. Let a bit of petticoat sticking out add an inch or two to the perceived hem-length of your dress and you are good to go.

With a petticoat, a pink rosebud print, and maiden braids, this outfit is pretty girly. I added my Jeffrey Campbell ankle boots to rough up the look just a touch (and because I cannot stop wearing them).

Black and pink rosebud-print open-back dress - Urban Outfitters

Pink tutu skirt - Target

Everly openwork ankle boots - Jeffrey Campbell

Green leather belt - Anthropologie

Metallic rose pouch clutch - Marc by Marc Jacobs for Target

Gold arrow necklace - Etsy

What I wore today: 08/09/2013 (Leather Pops)

I so love a pop of leather that sometimes I may overdo it a little, turning what used to be a "pop" into an overwhelming statement. And sometimes that statement might be interpreted as "I am a dominatrix," though I doubt it since dominatrixes (dominatri?) usually don't wear leather baseball caps that they bought from their shoe repair guy. And least not that I know of.

Other notable things about this outfit: This is Day Two of trying to take badass self-portriats for outfit posts. See Day One here. Also, these Jeffrey Cambell "Everly" ankle boots are new and they might just be my new God. They are so comfortable and stylish and exactly the right height to wear with AG "Stevie Ankle" jeans, of which I have two beloved pairs (the plum ones seen here and the polkadot ones seen here).

Seriously, these boots are so perfect, I might name my first born after them...

"Well, Everly, when I was 25, I fell in love with a pair of boots."
"The ones you've worn literally ever day for as long as I can remember?"
"Those are the ones. They are your namesake. One day they will be yours. But not until you pry them off my cold, dead feet."
"You are a very strange person."
"I know. My mother was strange too, and, one day, I became her. One day, you will become me."
"That is the most terrifying thing I've ever heard. I thought you agreed to stop telling me scary stories before bed. I hate you. I'm running away."

Yeah, I'm gonna be a great mom.

Leather peplum top - Urban Outfitters

Plum AG "Stevie Ankle" Jeans - Anthropologie 

"Everly" cutout black leather ankle boots - Jeffrey Campbell, Urban Outfitters

Leather baseball cap - Clarence Shoe Repair

Studded-bottom bag - eBay

What I wore today: 06/29/2013 (Pattern of all Patience)

The bad thing about cheap Target dresses with elastic waistbands is that you have to wear a belt with them. The great thing is that they force you out of your lazy dressing pattern by insisting on an accessory. See this dress styled for winter here. 

I was feeling the subtle southwest affect of this dress's print when I decided to wear huaraches. I used to wear colored huaraches that we bought in Mexico all the time as a kid, so, when I saw these at Urban Outfitters, I couldn't pass them up. I love the nostalgia that clothing can so easily induce.

What articles of clothing make you nostalgic?

Navy and teal print dress - Target

Patterned belt - Anthropologie

Rainbow leather huaraches - Urban Outfitters

Necklace - J.Crew Factory

Straw bag - Target $1 rack