Homey hooks

As a kid I'd read this story about a bear who wore overalls. Was it Corduroy? No, I don't think so. This was a more independent animal. Did Corduroy have a sequel? I think the bear lived in a tree, like Pooh. But this wasn't Pooh.

Basically I have no idea what I'm talking about. In fact, this could have been a dream I concocted after blending many children's stories. Was he even a bear? Or a he?

What I remember most, and all that really matters, was that he hung up his clothes on hooks in his bedroom. He only had one outfit, which I'm not even sure were overalls now. It could have been a rain jacket. Or trousers. Whatever it was I never stopped to consider that after he did this, he was naked. Not once. Little me was fixated on the hooks. Hating to put away my own clothes, I dreamt of having hooks all over my bedroom. A hook for this. A hook for that. No more drawers or hangers. Just hooks for everything. It made complete sense to me at the time. 

For my last apartment I bought dozens of 3M hooks and plastered them all over the place. My hook dreams were coming true. In my bedroom they were to be used for "in process" clothes. You know, the ones you wore once or twice but they aren't dirty or smelly yet, like jeans and hoodies and work button-ups. Putting them back with the clean clothes always seemed off. Piling them on a chair is unsightly (and the waste of a chair). What is one to do?

Hooks to the rescue!

I always see Anthropologie getting nods for hooks and knobs and such. They do have a beautiful (rather expensive) collection.

Etsy has some handmade and lots of vintage/refurbished hooks to choose from.
birch / green / wire loops / colorful / moose and trees / gear

In my current bedroom, on all the walls that allow it, I plan on adding hooks. Heck, I plan on hookin-up my whole apartment! I've learned to keep the hooks (for in-process clothing) about 4 feet off the ground (higher if you have longer legs) so that arresting art can go above them and distract from the blobs of fabric. Hanging clothing at eye-level is not très chic. I have some pine panels that I can paint and then affix onto those a few sturdy metal hooks (like the wire loop hooks above). I like this idea because the pine panels can be screwed into the studs, wherever they may be, very easily. Also, my dirty-ish clothes will be a little more off the wall, less prone to sullying the underlying paint.

I sure do hope no one is keeping track of the DIYs I talk about rather than do. You know the phrase - put your money where your mouth is? I am strongly feeling a new phrase - put your hands where your mouth is. Wait, could that mean shut my mouth? Ok then!