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Home Decorating

Door mat - suggestions and how big should it be?

9 years ago

I know there was a recent thread on door mats and the LL Bean Waterhog was suggested. There are a couple I like but I was hoping for something "prettier". And durable. Maybe that is a pipe dream! My front step is very big. Dimensions are 8'2" wide and 4'4" deep. The current mat is 4' wide and 2'6" deep. We had ilex bushes flanking the step which we had removed, so now much more of the step is visible. The mat is also terribly faded even though it is only a year old. I also want a nice mat for my pretty front door (which some of you may remember helping me pick the paint color)!

Another reference point is the white woodwork framing the door - the width of that is 7'8".

So, any suggestions? The door is south facing, so gets full afternoon sun. There is an overhang but the mat will still be in full sun. We are in the NYC metro area.

Here are some pics.

Thank you!!

Featured Answer

tibbrix

9 years ago

My go-to source for stuff like this: See link

Here is a link that might be useful: Door mats

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Comments (8)

sas95
9 years ago
I'm the one who posted the recent door mat thread and I ended up buying the LL Bean Mughog. I also wanted pretty and durable, but settled on just durable (hopefully).

The other finalist was this one from Frontgate. Frontgate seemed to have a large selection.

And on the size, our top step is similar in size to yours or maybe even a bit bigger, and I bought one roughly the size of your current mat. I decided I didn't want to make the mat a feature. Then again, if I bought a prettier mat I might have felt differently.

Pretty house and pretty door. Are you in Westchester? We are, and your house looks like it belongs in our area.

This post was edited by sas95 on Mon, Jul 21, 14 at 19:32
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tibbrix
9 years ago
Ha, sas, her house looks like it could be here too, Mass.
Sueb20
9 years ago
I thought I got mine from Frontgate but I don't see it there now. I have a similar type of entry and my doormat is 4' wide, but it's a half-circle shape.

For my back door, I have one of the Cape Cod Doormats, which comes in some nice colors and it still looks brand new after maybe 3 years.

Here is a link that might be useful: Nice doormats
busybee3
9 years ago
i have had a couple of nice coir mats and they fade very quickly with direct sun...
we currently have a couple of very dk green mats from frontgate-solid color but with raised design and it has held up very well and retained it's original color for ~ 4 yrs...
theclose
Original Author
9 years ago
Thanks, all! I have looked at all the suggestions. Oddly enough, I am back to LL Bean! I want pretty but simple. I don't want to deal with fading, and I want something a little bigger than what I have now.

@sas, yes, Westchester! Love the Mudhog look but I just think it is a little too small, considering it is smaller than the one we have. Wish that came in a bigger size. The good thing is we don't use this door very often so the mat doesn't have to do serious duty. Can't wait to see a pic of the mat in front of your new door!

@Tib, the house is very New England! That's what we love about it. Thanks for the P&H link.

@sueb, considering the half circle. Didn't think about it before. Those Cape Cod mats are nice. Might get one for out back.

@busybee, good to know about Frontgate. Just got a coupon today. Will take a closer look.

Here are the current contenders from LL Bean. Khaki color, unless I go charcoal, but I think I like the khaki better. Crescent or rectangular? The crescent comes in a large size (70"x40").

{{!gwi}}

{{!gwi}}
tibbrix
9 years ago
Rectangle. Rectangle. Definitely rectangle.
theclose
Original Author
9 years ago
Thanks, Tib! That's what I am thinking.

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