Okay, I'm finally awake enough to make sense of your issues. I don't have any experience with slush and all of that, but do know what wet, dirty boots are. I think your Franke boot tray with drain is a great idea! Maybe not with a faucet, per se, but a sprayer with a brush would be great, wouldn't it? As I see it, one of the big problems with the plan is having to kind of stoop down, into the cabinet, to clean the boots. You said there's access underneath...I wonder if you could install a flexible drain and have a whole pull out boot shower? I can also see having wire shelves above the pan for putting boots to dry, leaving the pan itself for the next person's muddy mess. They could double as shoe shelves for the Summer. Since there isn't room for furniture, perhaps you could turn a couple of studs, and have a jump seat that folds flush into the wall, and maybe a couple of niches for things like a boot jack. This is the brutalist house, right? Because my other thought is all wrong for that, but I was thinking a curved niche that didn't look so much like the blind cabinet could house a tiled fountain that was disguising the bootwash and be kind of cool. Maybe you could do a shallow fountain (modernist) set into the wall above the bootwash cupboard, that would also have an exterior drain where you could rinse hands, or whatever, that looks decorative, and otherwise recirculates. I'm thinking a fountain would also be useful in creating a transition space, with the sound of water covering street noise, and the ionization making the air fresher as you come in. The kind of thing a front garden usually does.

Since it is just a pass-through area, I’d be inclined to paint it a light warm color similar to what you have there now. I’d also look into changing the lighting fixtures to ones that light the area better. The floor looks nice, is laminate going to hold up in an entry area where there might be wet shoes, etc.?

Are you wedded to your console table? That's the main piece that gives off the gothic vibe since it looks like a kneeler in a church. Either that needs to be replaced with something lighter such as Beverley suggests--or even Lucite--or the medallions need to come down. Beautiful, light-in-feeling art--a pair of complementary watercolors with the palette below--would be so inviting. Add a runner rug in the same colors to create an inviting "path" into your home--something in blues and brown. In the meantime put a pair of lamps on your table--tall and thin or one with a rounded glass base.

Looks like you have a lot of space to work with and could implement several differents ideas. Love the ones others have mentioned above. A mirror would help bounce the light around hall so it doesn't feel too dark. I would recommend a long horizontal one if possible. If you have access to an Ikea they have great options for shoe cabinets. Add a few hooks and you've got yourself a mudroom of sorts. I also agree that a narrow console table would make a nice drop spot and the sconces would help to brighten the space. A bench would make a nice addition too. It may be helpful to think of each section as a "zone". Determine how you would like each space to function, based on how you live, and then decorate accordingly. For example: Zone A: a shoe cabinet and mirror. Zone B: a bench and some wall hooks, or a coat tree. Zone C: sconces, a large framed piece or gallery wall, and a narrow console table. Our personal favorite is the hemnes one pictures below but they have lots of options to suit different styles.