Ingrid--I definitely think something colorful on the floor would help! It is very sterile. I have held off on getting stuff because I wasn't sure which way I wanted to go with it. I did try a big bookcase in front of the curtain but it made it seem way too closed off. Thank you for your suggestions! deegw--I love the colorful rug that you placed in front of the door! Not sure about the bright curtain (I feel like it will close off the space even more or just seem like too much since it's floor to ceiling). But I do agree that it needs something. mdln--Omg I can't!!! I showed my fiancé and best friend the painting you put on the wall!! It's too good! Thank you so much for your effort! That photo honestly made me smile so much! Jan--It's definitely not ideal to have the 'bedroom' where it's at but it honestly has been working out WAY better to have the bed there than my study space. My law school friend always comes over to study so her desk is here too. She can't study with white noise or music...and with nothing playing, you can hear EVERYTHING going on in the hallway (outside of our apartment). Also, when my fiancé comes home from work (he works a 9-5), he obviously wants to make something to eat, watch TV, and just relax from his day at work but it was very distracting for my friend and I. And plus, he was having to worry about being quiet and I just didn't want that. Because there's no door, you can hear everything going on in the kitchen, living room, etc. With the office now in the 'bedroom,' we can close the door and hardly hear anything (even in the living room and kitchen). The new 'bedroom' is super cozy and we can't hear anything in the hallway or even in the apartment because my fiancé and I are both heavy sleepers and we also play a rain/white noise machine at night to block anything out. It has definitely given us more 'usable' space as well because the bedroom is a pretty decent size and since it's now an 'office,' friends and family come in and hang out sometimes and there is just more room in general than when the bed was in there. Here's the floor plan of our apartment. If you want specific pictures of other rooms (ones that show how it is NOW, then I definitely can do that--just let me know!!). Thank you for your willingness to help out Jan!

Depending on how you end up arranging your furniture, I would consider adding a low bookcase or console table between the entry and the living area. Change the light fixture to something with more presence. An area rug will also help visually define the entry.

Ikea has several narrow shoe cabinet options on the market, and there are plenty of others out there. Maybe you can find a product with the right dimensions to give you some shoe storage and a drop zone on top, with hooks above if needed. This one with feet would allow clearance over your floor vent. It's a little too deep to fit behind your door, but might work centered on the wall. https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/hemnes-shoe-cabinet-with-4-compartments-white-60156121/ This one is skinny enough to fit behind the door, but a tad too long to put a pair in the space. https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/hemnes-shoe-cabinet-with-4-compartments-dark-gray-stained-30381753/ Neither will hold very many adult shoes, but could give you storage for a couple of adult pairs and several children's pairs.

Definitely widen that stoop, so it is wider than the doors. I like the idea of it being wide enough to have big pots of flowering plants on both sides of the door. I think curving the stoop out would look nice, as long as the porch is wide enough and deep enough, for people to actually stand on safely. I dont mind the slider. I actually like sliders more than french doors, in some locations. There are some areas, that I dont like a door opening into the room, and I hate doors that open outward.