Why This Southern Designer Says To Skip The Welcome Mat

We Southerners tend to pride ourselves on our signature hospitality. Come on over, we tell our friends and neighbors, and don’t bring a thing but yourself! Even so, one Birmingham, Alabama, designer writes in her recent book that we should actually be skipping the front porch welcome mat—and before you get your knickers in a twist, we’re totally on board with her thoughtful (and design-forward) reasoning.

Birmingham, Alabama, designer Caroline Gidiere’s first book, Interiors for a Life in Good Taste, lands on shelves March 4, and it’s a celebration of the countless ways our homes serve and enrich our lives. In the opening chapter on “Social Life,” she writes about the public-facing spaces where we entertain guests, host friends and family, and somehow always manage to make room for one more. “What is the point, after all, of having an elegant house if it can’t be shared?” she asks.

Here, Gidiere also details a list of her “Essentials for the Front Door,” those items that together make a affable and practical first impression. “A key principle of feng shui is that the energy of the entry carries throughout the house,” she writes. “It just makes sense to set a tone of both beauty and suitability here, by creating a charming entrance with a certain level of readiness and clever organization for the predictable comings and goings.”

Laurey W. Glenn; Styling by Lindsey Ellis Beatty; Design: Caroline Gidiere

Why You Should Skip the Front Porch Welcome Mat 

One of her must-have items is a doormat, but decidedly not the front stoop welcome mat you likely have in mind: “Instead of a soggy natural fiber (or worse, synthetic) doormat outside your front door, try a small antique Turkish or Persian rug just inside to catch moisture and dirt,” she advises. “It can be easily cleaned, looks more beautiful as it ages, and offers considerably more charm than the alternatives.” 

No, an archaic rug may not explicitly spell out “welcome” for your guests, but that’s what a hug and a “I’m so glad you’re here!” are for.