"Mud Room"

I recently was introduced to a website called This Young House and it has been inspiring in many ways when it comes to home decor ideas...so I copied or shall we say I was "inspired" by their How-To: Create an Instant Mud Room idea. We have a really odd space in our entryway that I wasn't quite sure what to do with. This is the view from the front door. As you can see, there are stairs going up to the right, going down to the right and going down to the left. There isn't really anywhere to put your purse or hang your coat, so I saw the idea and was wooed to recreating it! :)

Here's my inspiration: http://www.thisyounghouse.com/2007/11/hooked-up/