Organize and Keep Your Entry Tidy with a Stylish Boot Tray

Welcome to the 418th Metamorphosis Monday!

This past summer when I was out digging and planting shrubs every day, I was coming in and out of my front door a lot.

 

The front door is normally the door I go out when I’m checking the mail or doing any gardening in the front yard, including vacuuming up acorns. 🙂

 

During all that gardening this past summer, I began to notice a lot more dirt around the house and realized pretty quickly that I was tracking it all in from the garden on my sloggers and gardening boots.

 

Since then, I’ve been thinking seriously about adding a shoe/boot tray to my front entry. Boot trays are great ways to keep entrances open and clear, plus they add a nice design element to a mud room or entry.

There are a couple of places in my front entry where I think one would work.  I could place one underneath the shell niche where you see all those leaves on the floor. (Photo is from Christmas a few years back.)

 

Or, I could place it across from the niche underneath the door bell chimes.

 

There are so many cute ones available, I’m having trouble picking one. This one isn’t really very appropriate for my house, but wouldn’t it be cute for a beach cottage or a home near the water. It’s available here: Seashore Boot Tray.

 

This is the one I’m leaning toward for my entry. I love the pine cone design and Georgia is known for its Pine trees. I especially like the decorative edge…very pretty! It’s available here: Pine Cone Boot Tray.

 

Here’s how it looks on a back porch. Cute!

 

They even show it being used to keep a doggie’s food bowls neat. Wish I had thought about this back when I had a dog many years ago.


Love this star boot tray, too! It has that same nice finished edge that I like. It’s available here: Star Boot Tray.

 

Isn’t this bear/woodland boot tray adorable! It would be so cute in a cabin or lake house! It’s available here: Bear Boot Tray

 

I like this understated black rubber boot tray.

 

I especially like that it is suited for outdoor use, too. It’s available here: Black Boot Tray for Indoor or Outdoor.

 

This zinc boot tray has a liner. I like that a lot…gives the water some place to drain off and evaporate. It’s available here: Boot Tray with Liner.

 

I love how it looks on this old painted porch floor.

 

And I love how it looks in this mudroom. I love the copper-colored boot trays on wood floors, but I like the zinc tray better for the porch above and the mud room below. The color is perfect in those two spots.

 

They even have corner boot trays for entrances or mudrooms where that shape works better. You’ll find this one available here: Corner Boot Tray.

 

This white one would be good for a room with a white floor. It would blend right in, although the mud/dirt on the tray would be more visible. It’s available here: White Boot Tray.

If you love all things French, this Fleur-de-lis, copper-finish, boot tray would make a stylish addition to an entrance or mud room. It’s available here: Fleur-de-lis Boot Tray.

 

Another cute copper designed tray…it’s available here: Copper Boot Tray.

 

I’m tempted to order a boot tray for the screened porch, too. I have the perfect spot for one just outside the kitchen door under the little window there.

 

It would fit in this spot that I decorated for Christmas one year.

Do you have a boot tray? If so, where do you have it? Is it in your front entry? A mud room?

 

Looking forward to all the fabulous Before and Afters for this Met Monday!

Metamorphosis Monday

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Comments

  1. Yup….two “stylized rubber” boot trays from Ballard Designs. Currently they are at the lower level entries…since I’ve got the front porch “cluttered” as my daughter would say…*sigh* franki

  2. I had no idea boot trays could be so decorative. The pine cone one does sound perfect for your home. The black one with the raised pattern or the one with removable liner seem to allow for faster drying. Under the shelf looks more out of the way. I know I’d trip over the one under the doorbell. But you definitely need at least two trays 😉

  3. Thanks for hosting, Susan. We don’t have a boot tray. It is something to consider though as SOMEONE I know is not real careful about tracking stuff in:)

  4. I don’t have a boot tray but I desperately need one. Especially with all the snow I’ve tracked in this winter! I love the seashore boot tray. I may have to order that one. Thanks!

    • I love that one, too! In the pictures they show it being used as a regular serving tray as well. I think I’d use it for one or the other, but not both. lol

  5. The boot trays are cute Susan, especially when you have cute boots and shoes! I have a big cute basket in my kitchen by the door where my grandsons put their shoes when they come in, their shoes are always full of dirt and not so cute 🙂

    • That’s what my dil and son use for their two little boys, a big basket. It’s so cute seeing all those little shoes down in the basket when I visit. 🙂

  6. Thanks so much for hosting!!!
    Have a great day!!
    Hugs,
    Deb

  7. Hi Susan! I am way ahead of you. If I am not in the barn with my horses, I am in the garden… and tracking in dirt, mud is a way of life on my ranch so I have a tray in front of all my doors. I also have four dogs in the house and I have used a boot tray under their food and water bowls for years. All great tips. Here is my tip. A friend of mine puts her boots outside in a tray and without thinking of consequences… when she had the pest control guy spray around the exterior of her house, a black widow choose to climb into her boot to find refuge. Yes, she did get bit and had to go to the hospital. She fully recovered, but I keep my boots inside now??? Most of your ideas were for keeping the tray inside. Just a thought. Have a beautiful week!

    • Yikes! That would be scary! I always check my shoes that I leave in my garage because I’ve seen crickets out there a few times. I’ve always been afraid of sticking my foot into a shoe and finding a cricket inside. I never thought about a Black Widow…and we do have those here. I think keeping them inside sounds a lot safer, for sure!

  8. I like the idea of a boot tray, especially if they are as attractive as the ones you show, but convincing the family to use it might be a bit of a challenge.

  9. Hi Susan. I have a boot tray right inside my front door. It is one of the copper boot trays. I really like it and it looks good. I would recommend getting a boot tray with an insert though so any moisture will drain. Unfortunately, my son NEVER puts his shoes or boots in the tray. He kicks them off at the front door and I end up putting them in the tray!

    • Kids are always in such a hurry. My son used to just kick his off and take off running. I remember when friends were over, there would be shoes all over the entry. lol

  10. They are all so pretty. I can see why you are having a hard time making a decision. At my husband’s hunting camp, I used a commercial sized cookie sheet for their boots. Of course, they don’t care what the boot tray looks like. I can’t wait to see which one you pick. Thank you for the linky.

  11. Hi Susan….I have two of the black “sensible” boot trays. One is behind my husband’s Lay Z Boy for his “everyday” shoes/boots (out of sight!) the other is in the sunroom where he comes in with his muddy boots (he owns a landscape business and you can imagine the mud/dirt he has on a daily basis). I got mine pretty reasonably at Wal Mart (I think) years ago. I’d love one in my entry but don’t really have room for it but they do a great job.

  12. Hi Susan, love the shoe parking ideas. I wanted to thank you for letting me link up here at your beautiful blog each week. Christine from Little Brags

  13. There is something very English or French or European for that matter about boot trays. Growing up in Northern Europe they were everywhere as we had to take off out outdoor shoes and put on indoor shoes. As I live in a rather formal home, the front foyer wouldn’t work for me. I keep one in the garage and one on my screened porches. One summer, a frog took up residence in one of the boots, yup, I squashed it with force, jamming on my boot. Between screaming and crying, wanting to call 911, get an ambulance or have my foot cut off I hopped over to the garden hose and washed it off. Chucked the boots, and a vigorous shake out of garden foot ware has become a must. Yes get a tray, then a good shakeout and you’ll be right as rain. Will never stop hearing the sound of taking a frogs life. Boot trays are a good thing.

    • There is! Maybe that’s why I’m so drawn to them.
      Oh my gosh! I would have freaked out! That is definitely an experience you wouldn’t soon forget! When my son was very small, probably around 5 or 6 years old, he stuck his foot into his tennis shoe, got a funny look on his face and pulled it right back out. Way down in the toe was a very startled looking Siberian Hamster. lol Siberian Hamsters are very small and fortunately very squishy and pliable, so he wasn’t hurt thank goodness!

  14. Love these ideas and links!!! Thank you so much!

  15. A big typo. Out should be our outdoor….getting used to a different keyboard grrrrr……
    While I have you on the line, so to speak…. I have finally landed sheer white napkins. That was a monumental task. Now I’ll be letting go of the redundancy of two napkins.

  16. I used one for under my German Shepard puppies bowls to keep the mess at bay. Now she user raised dog dishes and I took the boot tray out from under. Don’t need it there now. But I also have one by my back door that I use to put my own shoes on after taking her out in the early dewy/snowing mornings. I also keep a very large towel on it as well so I can spread it out for my dog to dry her paws off as well. I wanted to keep one outside, but after reading the comments, think that might not be a good idea! Also we have such high winds (I live in the country with open fields around me), they blow my heavy rubber door mat right off the porch. So I’m afraid that it would blow away. But will always keep the one inside the door, not the ideal place with the way my house is laid out, and mine is a cheap plastic one, but I have my eye on some of those pretty ones you showed! Hugs, Brenda

  17. Our boot tray (I’m in Canada) is filled with salt and slush most days. The ones pictured are so clean and tidy but the reality is, for certain climates, that some boot trays really take a kicking and don’t look that attractive after being in use for a few days. Ours sits in our mudroom and is a workhorse. Still, I hope you find one you like and makes you happy. If you need some slush or salt, just say the word. Happy to post it down to you! Really enjoy your blog. Thanks!

  18. I never knew there were so many attractive choices for boot trays. I don’t have one but then again, I don’t have much of a yard to work in. Whichever one you choose, I’d put it under the shell niche, it looks like it would fit better there and not stick out into the doorway.

  19. I have a boot tray in the back entryway at my office; it is under the coat rack in a ‘coat niche’. It is one of the copper ones similar to the ones you have shown and I purchased it from Plow and Hearth. I and my staff sometimes put our umbrellas there and occasionally boots but we don’t get much snow in Virginia. It looks ok after 4 years but I can tell from our very light use that the finish is slightly affected and I always wipe it off.

    At home, I too have a little issue with ‘dirty shoes’ if we come in the front door at my home (which we don’t do often). My foyer is very similar to yours in my traditional colonial home. But I was thinking about this whole issue of dirty shoes and if you come in with dirty shoes you would need to have the tray quite close to the door in order to effectively use the tray; otherwise, you are slogging across the floor/rug to get to the boot tray. I generally take off my outdoor clogs as I enter (right before I enter) and I have left a pair of indoor clogs into which I change for walking back into the house; especially if I’m going to be coming and going a bit. Just a thought. Also like what Michelle from Canada said, you are going to want to clean it a lot if it is going to be sitting in your pretty foyer. Just wondering if it will be more of a hindrance than a help, even though they are very pretty.
    Another great item you might consider are the mud rugs from Plow and Hearth; they come in several sizes and look like a ‘scatter’ rug but are thin and nonslip; I put them down when we have nasty weather or will be tracking in and out, then just take them up and shake them out or launder them and they look great again. They do a great job of catching all the debris on the bottom of shoes; You could just place a small one inside the door, step onto it, into another pair of clean clogs and reverse the procedure to go out. The little rug would roll up and could be stashed out of sight when you are not going to be using that entry. Just another idea. I so enjoy and love your blog and have gotten so many great ideas from you as a reader since day 1.

  20. great idea to use a boot tray under the dogs dishes! I have a mat there – but it doesn’t really keep things contained. Thanks for hosting, I had taken some time off from blogging and am finally back – nice to know some of my favorites are still going strong.

  21. I don’t have a boot tray, but it is a great idea. No matter how hard you try not to track in dirt & leaves when gardening it always happens. I like the copper ones best.

  22. Linda Page says

    Those boot trays are adorable! How do you choose just one? Maybe one for the front entry under the shell niche (the tray would be out of the way); then one for the porch near your kitchen door; then one for the garage by the door into your mudroom….hmmm, can we think of any more places?? Oh, yes, the basement door! So you need 4 trays; 4 different designs? Just thought I would help you out deciding!!!

  23. We are in the process of re-designing our garage storage, and adding an “overflow” coat and boot closet there, just inside the door from the house. I’m going to look for a boot tray to put in the closet to help protect the bottom shelf from water and mud from the boots. I hadn’t seen these before, so thanks for the idea!

  24. I think I’m ordering that pine one soon. Your spot under the ledge seems the perfect place for one since it’s out of the walkway area. Thank you for this feature. I had no idea there were so many options.

  25. Hi: Who knew I could be so enthralled with boot trays. They are all so nice, I would have a hard time messing them up. But I sure could use one near my front door. We have no foyer to speak of and I really hate to see wet shoes/boots on my hardwood floor. Living near the beach, I checked out the seashell one first. I loved it, but saw they also had a cute “Woof” tray. I might have to get that for my big puppy who is a real slob with his food and water. Once again, you have found a treasure trove for me.

  26. I do have a boot tray and love the look of it in my foyer. I ordered the one from Ballard Designs; it’s attractive and easy to clean. It holds at. Least 3 pair of shoes/boots and looks somewhat welcoming when I come in the door. I’m sure you’ll like having one – or two!

  27. I must be the odd dissenter…this would drive me crazy inside the house…more clutter. I like them on the back porch though.

  28. How funny as I just bought one yesterday at Costco. I had looked several years ago at them at Tuesday Morning but wasn’t sure how a metal one would hold up to NE weather. I have mine in my front entryway and so far I have one pr of boots in it; so far so good! I am sure which ever you pick it will look great as always.

  29. I have plastic and rubber boot trays. Your choices are so pretty! My old cat gets mixed up and sometimes uses one of the trays as her cat box!!! Can you imagine?!! I also use a boot tray for a feeding station…so easy to take outside and scrub. You can even use them as plant trays or even put a litter box in one to catch cat litter. Lots of good ideas today, thanks!

  30. As a neighbour to your far North, boot trays during the winter season are a must where I live. That said; thank you Susan for giving me another idea to add to my next year’s Christmas shopping list as I’ve never seen such pretty ones. -Brenda-
    P.S.: The fleur-de-lis one is perfect for my son, who lives in a French community … .

  31. I love th woven French market basket and wall hung galvanized organizer, was that porch picture from a catalog? I’d like to order all of it.

    • lol I know, I loved it, too. It’s a picture at the ad for that zinc tray. Just click on the link for zinc boot tray and you’ll see both the porch and mud room picture. I love that French market basket! Can you imagine living where you could walk to shop and fill it up with goodies for the day’s meal? I didn’t see anything in that ad about the basket, unfortunately.

  32. Looks like lots of people have boot trays!! I can relate to Michelle from Canada….we moved to Minnesota, and after ONE winter of having just a cute rug in the mud hall, I realized I needed help. I have 3 boot trays, all black, all easily cleaned, because they are covered with salt and slush most of the winter. You could not see a design on the bottom if you tried! Practicality has trumped my cute rug. 🙁 Love the copper ones you have pictured!

  33. Great boot trays….I am lucky that the door I usually go out is near the laundry room where my shoes usually land. Thanks for hosting and have a great week!

  34. You don’t want to see my boot tray! At my house it’s used as a potty for my large iguanas LOL – as such, it’s just a cheap plastic one. The copper ones are gorgeous. Sadly I don’t have a place indoors to put one, but luckily I live in Florida so I don’t really need one. I have Waterhog door mats inside and outside of the front and back door which is enough to keep any dirt contained. I wear my Crocs for working in the garden and leave them outside the back door. Whenever I get around to my “forever” house I will have both a use and a place for one of those gorgeous copper boot trays! TFS!

  35. Hi Susan! When we got two puppies last year, I found that I was coming in and out of the back door quite a bit. I purchased the Fleur-de-lis copper boot tray and placed it right inside the back door. I didn’t want to leave my shoes outside because we get those brown recluse spiders here in the South, and they love to nestle in to shoes!
    Love your blog!!

  36. Cyndi Raines says

    Wow – so many lovely trays – hard to choose. But I like the pine trees as I’m surrounded by pines on our property. If I lived near the beach, it would be the beach theme for sure. I kick my garden shoes off at the back door on the deck and come in without any on, but yes I too look for “shoe guests” as I don’t want any surprises! ha. Front door has a cute rug in the small foyer for shoes. You’re lucky in that you can order 4 different kinds. I agree with the comment above about your tray being too far from the front door if you put it under the nook or over by the bells. I think I would settle for a pretty one out on your front porch while your gardening; it will look great with your beautiful garden benches. 🙂 I’m eager for spring too – daylight staying longer ! I notices it was 5:30 p.m. the other day and still light out! Yay!

  37. Renee Dillman-Kuehl says

    I have two of them one in our mudroom, and one in our front entry and I use them all year round. For boots during the winter, and gardening shoes in the spring and summer. I love them, and it keeps the clutter down in both places. I have a basket inside each door with slippers/slipper socks as we don’t wear shoes inside our house due to gravel/stickers and so don’t want that spread through the house. We keep a doggy towel hanging on a coat hook to dry puppy paws as well. Enjoy whichever one you purchase.

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