Cabinet is always better. Shoe racks look awful unless all the shoes are perfect like in a store. Even then, yes, they look cluttered. Another lifestyle is to keep shoes in your bedrooms, but I assume you don't wear shoes in your home. A compromise is to keep most shoes in your bedroom and only one pair per person at the door.

Out of sight out of mind. When the kids were here we had three long shelves just outside the access door from the kitchen to the garage. All shoes were left there. Shoes worn daily were not regularly put on the shelves. Dump and run is the usual. The cabinet is best practise but will it be used, will doors be closed each time....

I don’t care for shoe rack furniture at the main entryway but our garage door entry is 6 feet away so I have a bench there with a long boot tray underneath that has room for 4 pairs of shoes. Anything more goes to the bedroom closet.

totally just a me thing but I don’t like to have shoes pile at the door - a good friend does this and I’m always hit with funky shoe/feet smell when I enter the home

I definitely think the cabinet is a great idea... I've been trying to figure out which one would work in my space...been thinking on this for longer than I'd like to admit.

My daughter has a combination bench with cubbies underneath. ( I believe they got it on etsy. It's really excellent and the kids do use it...but it's bigger and deeper than what would work for me).

One of my friends has a small rack (like one or two tier) in the entry closet. I keep thinking about that too...

Currently, I have a plastic boot tray with about 4 pr of shoes there at the side of the door. Not the prettiest, but contained.

Following to see what you decide, and to see ther suggestions. Sealavender's might work for me..

A narrow entry asks more for a cabinet to keep the area from looking messy. The garage entrance or side entrance is more likely to have more space for a bench, coat and bag storage. Shoes can go under the bench. For examples of cabinet ideas look at Japanese entrances. All get shoe storage.

I’ve been thinking more about this, and I’m leaning toward closed storage now. The main reason is that even when open racks are organized, the shoes are still visible, so the entryway can still feel busy.

I’m also considering a rattan shoe cabinet because it seems like a middle ground — it hides shoes, but the woven doors feel lighter than solid cabinet doors. My only concern is whether rattan would be harder to clean in a busy entryway with dust, wet shoes, or pet hair.

Has anyone used a rattan shoe cabinet near the front door? Did it hold up well for everyday use?

Certainly a cabinet will keep the area looking cleaner; however, make sure it is well ventilated. Or else:

We have built in deep drawers bc the best we can do is open and drop in. Even that doesn't happen daily lol