This may be one of those things that doesn't photograph well and you need to see in person, but we thought it was so cool that we had to share. Our neighbor Caren is Danish and her house is full of amazing Scandinavian details. This is one — just inside the back door she removed some floorboards and inlaid a mat for wiping your shoes. Yep, its placed right into the floor — so it doesn't move, and since its flush the door glides right over it. More details after the jump...
Caren said that she measured the size on the floor she wanted her mat, had their carpenter cut out the floorboards and frame it (a nice detail) and lay down plywood underneath. Our local rug store cut a coir (coconut fiber) rug with rubber backing to size and all they had to do was place it in. It's easy to take out if you want to shake it, and even a door with weatherstripping attached to the bottom won't get stuck when you open it over the mat. It's hard to show in photographs how simple and clean this looks.
This particular mat has seen two kids grow up to adults and they have a big dog, so its not as new looking as it once was. It still immediately jumped out at us as an ingenious detail and one we've never seen before. For those of us who spend time straightening and re-positioning a doormat that gets pushed into the hallway several times a day, it's especially attractive.
>> Directmat sells custom sized coir mats
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I saw this all over when I was in Antwerp and Stockholm this year. I thought it was such a great idea that I put down 3 Ikea coir mats end to end inside my entryway. It isn't inlaid but works very well for keeping out dirt from the rest of the house. The rubber backing keeps them in place.
view madameovary's profile
i have always wanted to do this! someday...
view brandy's profile
Fantastic idea! I am forever folding back my door mat so it does not get caught in the weather striping!
view paintergirl's profile
Huh, I wonder if you could do that with cork flooring. Must remember to ask our floor guy.
view paintitbright's profile
This is amazing!
view Claire K's profile
Well done!
view madampince's profile
What are some of the other Scandinavian touches. I always liked the drain in the bathroom floor/shower combo.
This is the makings of a good series.... around the world methods.
view ronin democrat's profile
This will fill with salt and sand and "muck up" and then you have to have it removed and your flooring replaced. I had this front door solution in my low traffic retail store - it lasted about fiv years and we vacuumed it every day.
view Lilee's profile
now, if only somebody would do a post on the pattern of those blinds. i see that clover-cutout pattern everywhere and have no idea what it's called or how to find it!
view john m's profile
I saw this done at Restoration Hardware in Nashville (do all their stores have this?) and went back to my rental and actually measured and cut out a piece of broadloom and replaced it with a standard size natural grass area mat. The beige broadloom in our house went right to the front door and was horribly stained and beyond cleaning after years of muddy shoes. It was like a fresh start, and my landlord was really happy with the improvement, especially since he didn't have to spring for a new carpet.
view jendavid99's profile