I have a similar problem in our home, where our front door opens directly into our dining area. I put a book case on the wall directly next to the door....lower shelves are for shoes, boots, etc, upper shelves are for storage boxes. Top shelf is for mail, my handbag, etc.

sorry, my post got cut off too soon. The book case is low, about four feet, with four or five shelves. You might want to try something similar.

This isn't a large room - so dividing it up with pretend walls, bookcases and sofas that block the space are foolish ideas.

Just define the space with your seating area anchored by a nice 8x10 area rug at the end by the window and a console along the wall that backs up to the kitchen where you can store your bags, keys, etc - and make use of the hall closet with a few shelves installed in the bottom for convenient shoe and slipper storage.

A medium sized trunk or storage box on the right side of the door would be great. That would send the visual clue to visitors that shoes should come off. We have this in our apt. Lots of gritty everyday shoes get stored in the trunk, with a few choice pairs on top. Add a very small table with a bowl for keys a space for mail, and you'll have everything you need right when you walk in.

I have an open floor plan where the front door opens to the combination living/dining/kitchen (lol). My advice is to get a long, narrow console table for the right side wall of your living room (the wall that separates living room from bedroom) that you can put shoes next to or under. places like Container Store also sell "shoe mats" for when shoes are wet from rain or snow.

Room & Board sells pretty inexpensive (by their standards) and very attractive "Slim" brand tables for this purpose. CB2 also sells steel or glass narrow console tables as well. I prefer the glass look to maximize the appearance of space, but on the downside, the CB2 pieces have a long support beam at the bottom of the table that makes putting shoes under them a bit awkward. The R&B tables also have a support beam but it is positioned 1/4th the way up the height of the table so you can put shoes directly onto the ground under the table.

Put, like, a tres fabulous mirror or some fun fun fun artsy hipster prints above the table and before you know it, you've created a "vignette" worthy of a House Tour :)

What about subtly dividing the living room space and creating a 'corridor' space? For example:

- A low, narrow bench to the right of the entry door when you come in, with space for shoes. Here's one example, but go with a style to suit your decor: http://www.gamblehouse.org/nnb/object/425.html
- A rectangular rug leading from the front door to the bedrooms
- Possibly a hall table on the wall near the kitchen. Here's a great selection http://vtinteriors.blogspot.com/2008/12/hall-tables.html

IKEA has some discreet and modern shoe cabinets that don't have a very large footprint that could work really well! That way the space is not visually messy, but is still functional!

Depending on how your living room is laid out, you could further define the "corridor" that LondonClaire suggested by using a tall double-sided bookcase (like an IKEA expedit, for lack of a better suggestion)

http://www.livingetc.com/decorating/USE_A_BOOKCASE_AS_A_ROOM_DIVIDER_article_292624.html

Then you could use the shelves as storage for both the entry side, and the living room side.

I would put a small table as a 'landing strip' in the gap between the main entrance door and the cupboard. I would then put coathooks on the short wall near the bathroom door with a low credenza against the kitchen wall to create non-intrusive storage for shoes and so on. I would also be sure to arrange the furniture in the living area to define a hall space, perhaps with a long sofa facing the window with the back lined up with the protruding wall of the larger bedroom.

I would put a tall-ish entertainment system parallel to the front door (like an island) and a bench or entry table on the backside of that. Then the area that's already dedicated to hallway space can become your entryway.
I'm having a similar problem right now with my dining room - but the apartment is laid out very similarly.

You didn't mention anything about the entrance outside the front door, but if possible, consider a low storage bench with space inside or underneath for shoes. I keep my slip-on "outside" shoes just outside my door. My neighbors are fine with it and it seems to prompt guests to ask, "Should I take my shoes off?" without me bringing it up.

I agree with the Expedit idea. Your other option is a nice folding screen. Personally I'd prefer "cutting off the room" a little if it meant creating more of a real entryway - we're also (like most Canadians) a no-shoes house so I totally get your dilemma!

I'd investigate rehanging the door so it opens from the other side. This would create a flow that would go to the closet as you enter the home.

I would have a small bench between the closet and entrance doors. You could place it either against the wall (doesn't look like there is space for that) or sticking out into to the room. If it is sticking out, because of it's placement it would create a natural division between the living room and the kitchen, and it is low enough that it would not clutter the space. I find a bench at the front door a must, if only so I can sit while I strap on my winter boots. My bench has a drawer that comes out of the front that I put a small Ikea shoe rack into, so I can put any I shoes I want on hand in there, and the rack is placed onto one of those plastic shoe mats that catch all the drips. That way I am not ruining the inside of my expensive bench!

Are you using that closet right next to the front door for storage of large items? If you're just using it for small things that could be put into a decorative box you could create a mini mudroom A la HouseTweaking: http://www.housetweaking.com/2010/07/29/feature-friday-my-mini-mudroom/

I have a similar issue but absolutely no where to put a piece of furniture that would work well. I just use a shoe tray that is filled with smooth rocks and can fit up to three pairs of shoes by a door. Wet shoes drain into the rocks helping the shoe bottoms to dry a bit.