A hall tree was designed to serve several purposes. They were created as a place to be able to remove outerwear or put outerwear on, in the convenience of the entry or hallway. These types of coat racks usually consist of the following parts, a bench, a back that contains the hooks for the coat rack, and some sort of top or upper shelf. This design varies only a little in the various types of hall trees.

These types of coat racks can be used in other rooms. In fact, they make great additions to poolrooms or garden storage rooms. They can be used to hang towels, clothing, and are usually contain under the bench storage making it perfect for placing a variety of items. The under the bench storage size depends on the type and style used but usually there is considerable storage.

The benches on these larger sized coat racks can either be padded or be completely bare. The back where the coat rack is attached to this piece of furniture comes in a variety of different styles from solid to open and can be painted or stained. The sidepieces, which form the frame, can be plain or ornate depending on the style and d'cor options you are interested in.

There is also usually an addition above the coat rack that is either use for a mirror, left open, may not be present at all. It is designed to place some room between the top of the piece and the coat rack. The top may or may not have a shelf. Again, with these styles coat racks it is something that is simply up to the design.

These pieces of furniture are usually made only out of wood and are not often seen. The reason being is that they are usually very large, and bulky. They do however have a great deal of versatility. The design for these coat racks is pretty basic and does not really change from style to style. You can easily create your own hall tree by taking a storage bench, a backing to which you can attach a wall mounted coat rack and then simply fit it with molding.

Because of the design, these types of coat racks are usually only found in larger homes that are done in styles that are more traditional. They are almost always done in wood and can be large bulky and in the wrong space appear cumbersome or out of place. They do however provide a great deal of versatility when it comes to storage and convenience. In bedrooms they make a great place to store linens and hang robes, nightgowns, poolrooms can make use of them for hanging towels to dry, clothing to change into, and the bench storage is great for pool toys, accessories or towels.