We live in the ever chilly and wet Northwest where every home has a coat closet. You're right though, it is simply good manners to offer your guests some place to hang not only coats, but purses as well.

What about raincoats? Even if it never gets cold... surely it might rain ONE day a year? Or is the weather really that perfect in LA? And even if you're not stashing coats away, what about convenience as a place to put things like vacuum cleaners that you would stash away in the closet on the first floor?

we have one but use it for storage. Actually with this post I just realized what its intended use is.

we use ours for storage. when people come over, they leave their stuff on the couch in the living room. no one wants to take the time to hang stuff up

I'm from Florida and we don't have a coat closet and really don't see the use for it. When we did have one when I was younger, my mom just used it for storage.

Just Oh, I live in Seattle, so I totally understand what you mean. Coat closets are an absolute necessity!

I have one, but I use it for my vacuum cleaner and broom.

I also live in FL and we don't have one. I can see where it would be good for storage, but kinda useless for coats.

Ours is so small it barely fits coats. It's kind of a junk closet, but we try to keep the umbrellas in there.

We keep our shopping cart in ours.

I don't have one, but it's because my house is 110 years old. Closet space is lacking everywhere in the house so I've had to get creative, with IKEA's help of course.

That is very Frank Lloyd Wright of your friend. I heard a story once that Wright refused to put ANY closets in a house he was building in Texas, because he was convinced that in that weather the clothes they would wear would go in dressers. (I wish I could remember the whole thing - it was a scream.)

Anyway: We have a coat closet, but my last apartment didn't (it had very little storage at all). At first it was a pain, but I got a cute wall rack to hang behind the front door, and it's turned out to be one of my favorite pieces. In the long run, though, definitely in favor of having them. Even in the warmest places, you need light jackets and umbrellas.

I grew up in San Diego and no one has a coat closet out there. People make due with a coat rack or hall tree if they really want one. Anytime my parents had parties they stashed our guests' gear in their bedroom.

I moved to Nashville two years ago and had experienced my first coat closet. Like Julieulie, I keep my vacuum in there, as well as MY coats and outdoor accessories. Since ours is in our living room we also keep a few games in there.

Here's a fun idea I came up with: Buy an over-the-door shoe holder (the pouch kind, not the hook kind), and keep small seasonal necessities in there. I roll up my scarves, gloves, dog leashes, etc. and keep them in the pouches. They stay nice and organized and I always know where they are when I need them.

That's a great idea, thanks!

No coat closet! In fact, the only closet in my rental is in the master bedroom. There are a few coat hooks behind the "door" to the basement. I have coats there and in my regular closet as well. An actual coat closet would be nice!

Where I live in southern California is literally rains like 4 days a year and the average temp is I think in the 70s. So no need for a coat closet here. We do have a hat rack thingy, but I hang my hats on it and sometimes my purse, no coats.