and please take off your shoes.
sometimes i think we are crazy trying to have a no-shoe policy in our house. it doesn't seem very common here in socal. growing up in the middle of canada every house i visited implemented this practice. can you imagine what floors would look like if winter boots (which we seemed to wear 9 months of the year!) were worn in the house? not a pretty sight... so while we don't insist that guests follow our lead - we do try and set an example. family policy - shoes off and into one's cubby when you enter the door.
i find it really cuts down on the amount of time i have to spend cleaning the floors. (which admittedly i don't do very often!) and it saves us from all the nasty things one tracks in on the bottom of our shoes. with the amount of time my kids spend playing on the floor, this is really important to me. (the girls' preschool even has a no shoe policy in their childcare center to protect those little crawlers.)
d built this bench. and gave each of us a cubby. we also keep seasonal items - like hats and scarves in them when we need to. it has proven extremely effective in cutting down on the shoe clutter that used to amass by our front door. (the one thing about this house that i am not crazy about is the lack of a "mudroom"...the cubbies help - alot)
more corners here.
13 comments:
We lived in Japan and have a no shoes thing too. But our back door is a shoe disaster zone - love your cubbies. So sad I don't have room (or woodworking talent).
i'm showing that shoe cubby to my husband tonight. i want one. i need one! i have no mudroom either and the shoes all thrown on the little rack by the door is driving me crazy! what a good idea to have little drawers!
your house looks so fun. i love the outside shot.
Your house reminds me of the house my in-laws had in San Francisco when their kids were little (I didn't see it when they live there, but have seen it since). Love that mid-century
California vibe...like a barefoot summer...
I'm with you on the no-shoes thing. Living in Michigan, it's born in them young that shoes come off when entering- especially from October to April. My family, on the other hand, is from Texas and struggles a bit when visiting. I have to promise my mother that everyone will be wearing socks with holes in them...she won't be the only one.
no shoes is instinctual for us-- course i know it makes some people feel vulnerable so we don't insist. i love the bench. i've been looking for something similar (but you know, it has to be perfect so i settle for a pile by the door.).
We have a no shoe policy at our house, but many people are resistant to it. It seems to me that "unshoeing" strikes some as an intimate gesture in another's home...
That said removing your shoes before coming in is one of the BEST things to do to make your house healthier. The amount of pesticides etc. on shoes is scary.
Although I live in Kansas now, where we wear boots less often than Wisconsin, we also live on a dirt road. Shoes off! I plan to do the cubby thing once my munchkin is old enough to use it instead of empty it!
Tracy: We're a shoe-free household--it is a cultural thing, but it does keep the carpet and floor pretty clean. I adore the bench with the cubbies. I trip over shoes in the garage doorway all the time!
I totally agree with the no-shoes policy!!! Great idea!! We also have the same mobile on our balcony!!
i live in an apt
with wood floors
which adds yet
another reason
to take off your shoes-
consideration of
your neighors below...
but sometimes
i feel a little
embarassed
asking someone
to take off
their shoes
when they don't
notice
the no-shoe policy.
well then you are all invited over! (it is barefoot season around here anyway - so the no-shoes rule is easy!!)
No shoes here either - most guest seem to get the message when they see the line up by the door. Love your cubby bench!
happy to have d draw up a blueprint if anyone wants :)
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