Doormats Done Right

Don't just wipe your feet on this season's hot trend

By Christopher Adamson
CTW Features

Can't quite put your finger on what's missing from your home's front porch? Well, don't worry about your finger - it's your feet that matter.

It may seem like an extraneous detail, but a doormat can be a powerful piece of décor for instantly making a house feel like a home. The mat is one of the first details noticed when you, or your guests, arrive at the house. First impressions are important, so your doormat should reflect your unique style and the style of your home's interior. It should also be clean and, according to Joy Ferguson, the owner of Interiors with Joy in Atlanta, "functional as well as attractive."

For the sassy home, Chicago-based furniture store Chiasso sells a mat that proclaims its, and your, independence by displaying the phrase "I Am Not Your Doormat" in large type ($28). Chiasso also has some excellent contemporary mats, like their striking Pebble Mat, made of hand-selected slate-colored river rocks ($48).

Jen Paduch, Chiasso's chief merchandiser, says that some of their mats aren't only for outside. The Pebble Mat can be used just inside the entryway or, "in your bathroom as a bath mat, or use multiples as a pathway. It can even be used like wallpaper for an earthy, Zen look."

Also for a more contemporary feel, Angela Adams, a casual modern luxury brand that's sold nationwide at Design Within Reach stores, has just released a new set of handmade coconut coir doormats ($45). They come in two patterns - Lulu, inspired by beach rocks, stacks of wood and frozen bubbles, and Munjoy, named after the Portland, Maine, neighborhood where the company is based. They also come in three colors, burnt umber, chocolate and midnight blue.

For the traditional home, Ferguson recommends a scalloped doormat flanked symmetrically by decorative urns or pots. "The mat colors should coordinate with the outside of the house," she says, "with perhaps some family name personalizing."

The hottest trend in doormat décor involves the material - it has to be sustainable, all natural or recycled. A mat made from unusual materials also makes for a good conversation starter, like the colorful Flip-Flop Doormat from Colorado-based green living company Gaiam ($32). As the name suggests, the mat is handmade from repurposed rubber sandals.

"Bamboo, cork, sisal and jute are wonderful, natural and textured materials," says Ferguson. She also suggests repurposing old decorative wood moldings or flat iron gates for a unique, and inexpensive, look.

For those do-it-yourself geniuses out there, try making your own mat with twine or some other thick, string-like material. All you need is a jumbo crochet hook and some pattern ingenuity.

Whether you want to go the inexpensive route or completely classy, the doormat is to your home what the finishing flourishes of frosting are to a cake - not complete without them.

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