Argh; pics didn't upload above.

Beautiful entry and floor! Looks to be a beautiful house. How much space to do you have below the window and how wide is the window? Could you post a layout with measurements? I'd be tempted to get a much larger mat/rug at the front door and this way the runner being "off-center" wouldn't matter much. The other side is open to the living room? No wall on which you could put some type a hall tree/bench combo? It would go on the left but your door opens that way and that might not work.

For the love.

@tartanmeup I'll draw up a floor plan when I get home. Thank you!

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I agree that you should put a bigger mat in front of the door. Add a shoe cabinet to the right of the window. That would tidy up the shoe collection that you have. Ikea has one that holds several shoes, and has a small drawer , you could add a nice mirror above it. Maybe put a long cubbie bench with baskets. Once a bench was in place the runner would be moved over and may actually line up with the door.

I've heard good things about Ruggables in this forum. They have a new Nautical collection which might be a good match for your beach house. Get something rectangular to fill the space between your door and stairs. Would 3 x 5 be large enough? For the shoes, have you looked at shoe cabinets? Ikea has a bunch that might work for you. Some are meant to be fixed to the wall and are open at the bottom for a vent or baseboard. Saw a fair selection on Wayfair as well. They can hold other things than shoes as well. I'm thinking a shoe cabinet to the left of your door (on the pic) and then a low bench under the window. Depending on the height, you might need something made for that. Or alter something ready made by shortening the legs.

Can your runner fit across the length of the entry? I suggest starting with that, and if it doesn't fit find a larger wide rug that will fit.

Love the bench idea for shoes!

Looking at your pictures again, Emily, I'm thinking a bench by the stairs rather than under the window might make more sense. Closer to the door. I like tqtqtbw's first pic because it made me think perhaps you could do a makeshift built-in to the left of the door (behind the door, iow). Just an inexpensive bookcase you could "gussy up" for shoes and accessories. Have a look at Ikea's Billy and Kallax bookcases. They're pretty versatile pieces and you can hack them to your heart's content. First thing though is finding carpets that work to protect those beautiful floors. You need much wider in the hallway. I wouldn't worry about the colours too much. I think blues and charcoals would look good with your grey walls and beige stair carpet. On my screen, the beige looks very neutral, no overt pink or green undertone to make it difficult to pair with another colour. Good luck and keep us posted. :)

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Here's an Apartment Therapy article on shoe storage solutions. (Lots of articles on their site about shoe storage.) Sometimes, we have to think outside the box. It doesn't have to be a traditional shoe storage solution to work. Shoes can be stored in baskets, cubbies, drawers, shelves... I like something that contains the dirt and is easy to wipe clean. I'd favour full shelves over open metal shelves if stacking them. Really depends on how many shoes you usually have at the door.

I think you need both a larger entry rug and a wider runner. If you size them so that the edge of the entry rug (right side as you enter) lines up with the right edge of the runner, it won't look so wonky. Or, if you can't get the right sizes to do that, you can have a rug cut and bound in a custom L shape.

I think a bench under the window, like Tqt's 2nd photo, would look great and should be convenient enough to the door that it would get used.

Here's the relevant section of the floor plan. It's a wide-ish front hall, and the wall opposite creates 2 hallways into the rest of the house. The 2 windows are 7 1/2' and are 18" off the ground. That's a genius idea to get a really wide door mat -- I had not thought of that.

Love the tower idea -- I hadn't thought of that, either. I guess it would go in the corner where the door swings in. And then maybe an open-floored bench that I could put the baskets under, without blocking the vent or the plug.

If you have the budget, you might consider building in a window seat with shelves on either side of the windows for taking off and storing shoes. Your electrician could move the outlet and you could have venting for the heat.

I wouldn't use the area between the front door and the stairs for any storage. It doesn't look large enough, and you have such a nice big hallway for that. Regarding the rug, you might have to have something custom cut and made. Alternatively you can have one area rug for the immediate foyer area and another larger one for the hallway.

I agree a bigger rug and a shoe cabinet would fit perfect in that space! Also some decor, possibly some shelfs and framed pictures could add more of a symmetric feel. Good luck!

Here is the shoe cabinet. I was able to unload it earlier. The cabinet is less than 10 inches deep so it
Doesn’t stick out far from the wall.

I know this isn't the style you're after, but just an idea of the way larger sized rugs and runners might work in your space.

Front hall coming together! Our kitchen cabinet maker built us a gorgeous long bench. I wanted to spring an extra $LotsOfMoney for a built-in cabinet at the door-end of the hall, but cooler heads prevailed. :P Now we need to address the runner/door mat situation, but at least things are starting to happen! Thanks for the advice so far! :)

That’s beautiful!

Would you consider baskets under the bench top for the shoes. The shoe rack by the door detracts a little from the beauty of the bench and entryway. Maybe a basket for each member of the home and then an extra for guests?

Gorgeous bench! I know I mentioned Ruggable's washable rugs already but they just introduced a 10' runner in their selection. (I forget the size you need.)

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><md>@gcubed: I *am* planning on getting baskets, and I agree about the ugly shoe rack. This is where I wanted to get the custom built-in cabinet (it included a shoe rack) — we have a bench with shoe baskets at home, but I’m the only one out of the 5 of us who puts their shoes away.

@ tartan: Thank you for reminding me about Ruggables — going to look at that site now. :)

Very nice! The Ikea shoe cabinet would be a reasonable cost and would fit in that space where the rack is.

I would be confiscating the shoes left out and returing them for a fee or service of my chosing. :-)