The Best Doormats, According to Interior Designers
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A doormat is a filter for one’s residence. It brings in people from the outside world while keeping their shoe-borne detritus out. No matter the specifics of the residence — apartment or house, urban or rural, opulent or sensible — a great doormat can be the difference between an unsettling, dirty entrance and one that’s both welcoming and tidy.
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A doormat that can remove dirt, salt, water, and grime is both a practical purchase and a sign to visitors that they’re about to enter a clean respite from the messy world. Plus, even if the outside world was as immaculate as the Mission: Impossible vault, a doormat would still be a useful way to extend the inhabitants’ personalities past the front door.
Today, the best doormats on the market are built to stay in place, effectively remove detritus from shoe soles, and create a some sense of joie de vivre for guests — and, let’s face it, residents — entering domiciles. It’s possible to pay a lot of money for a doormat that can’t hold up to a busy social calendar, but the best doormats can be had for as little as $20, a minimal investment for a functional piece of home décor that can last for years.
What the Experts Say
Sources within the interior design and landscaping fields say that great doormats perform well because they’re made with high-quality materials. For this story, SPY spoke with Amy Tuntasood, avid gardener and home designer at Salem Home Designs; Marco Picano of Picano Landscaping; and Jason Farr, CEO of Avaira Pavers, to help sort through the best doormats available now.
“I always choose doormats with rubber or non-slip backing,” Tuntasood says. “This ensures that you can wipe your shoes without the need to constantly readjust the mat’s position.” In other words, a mat that can’t take a vigorous scraping isn’t a mat worth buying.
Recommended materials include coir, a natural fiber made from coconut husks, that Picano says “offers excellent bristle strength for removing dirt from shoes and is also highly durable for high-traffic areas.” Farr adds that “rubber mats are weather-resistant and suitable for outdoor use,” while synthetics like polyester “are easy to clean and dry quickly.”
BEST OVERALL
Gorilla Grip Original Waterproof Low Profile Doormat
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Several experts mentioned this doormat as the one to beat — and upon closer examination, it lives up to the task.
“One product I’ve seen perform well across these criteria is the Gorilla Grip Original Durable Rubber Door Mat,” Picano says. “It’s sturdy, it offers a variety of designs to match different home styles, and it comes in sizes that suit most doorways.” Plus, its natural rubber backing keeps it in place while its tough, durable fabric resists fading and gets into the crevices of boots and shoes. It’s designed more for performance than aesthetics, though, but the simple design and range of colors both make it easier to color-match with existing décor.
Price-wise, a $25 doormat isn’t worth it if it’ll only last a year. But this $25 doormat, which will last much longer, is a great buy.
BEST FOR DIRTY SHOES
Emerson Essentials Doormat (2-pack)
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Coir doormats are perfect for the mud rooms that have truly earned that moniker — and getting two for the price of one is a no-brainer.
Farr says mats made with coir, the fiber from the outer husk of a coconut, “are excellent for scraping dirt and debris off shoes.” Coir is a natural material that’s naturally resistant to the elements, and the look of these is simple and classic.
Getting two doormats for less than $30 is a solid deal — it means it’s possible to swap in a fresh mat if the other gets particularly dirty and needs to be cleaned.
BEST POLYESTER
L.L. Bean Everyspace Recycled Waterhog Doormat
Coir is a great material, but it’s limited aesthetically. Polyester mats like this one are available in pretty much any color or design one might want, so they’re generally a more versatile option.
And there’s no better mat to drag your Bean Boots across. Construction executive Jay Sanders says polyester is a great material for a doormat because “synthetic fibers resist fading and staining,” and it’s “excellent at absorbing water” from rain or snow. (L.L. Bean promises a gallon and a half of water retention per square yard of its 24-ounce polyester, all in a package that’s just a quarter of an inch thick.)
Small mats start at $35, which is a bit higher than the competition but not dramatically so.
BEST WASHABLE
Ruggable Doormat
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Ruggable made its name selling machine-washable rugs directly to consumers, and its doormat does not diverge from that winning strategy.
This doormat is a two-piece system: a natural rubber mat with holes to facilitate draining and a machine-washable doormat cover, which is designed with a high bristle to effectively loosen dirt and printed with ink that’s fade-resistant. Along with its functional benefits, this system makes it simple to change out doormats seasonally (or whenever you feel like it!). Tuntasood recommends “bold and vibrant colors rather than dark hues” for an entryway with positive energy, and the available designs on Ruggable are brighter and more colorful than most.
Washability comes at a premium, though. A new doormat set goes for the eye-popping price of $129. Individual mat covers (sans rubber mat) are $79 — less expensive but certainly not cheap.
BEST NOVELTY
Narragansett Hi-Neighbor! Coir Doormat
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Even if one is ambivalent about the lager inside, it’s hard to argue with the vibrant, friendship-forward branding of this Rhode Island brew. The beer’s tagline and signature typeface are a natural fit for a doormat, a friendly touch that hints at the fun libations and fun people beyond the threshold.
“A doormat that combines coir with a rubber backing tends to offer the best mix of functionality, providing a non-slip surface while effectively capturing dirt,” says Picano. That’s the formula here, and it’s one that both neighbors and far-flung visitors will appreciate.
It’s $50, which is more than similar coir-rubber doormats, but can you really put a price on kitsch?
Frequently Asked Questions About Doormats
What’s the Best Material For Doormats?
The experts interviewed for this story recommended coir, polyester, and rubber for the top surface of a doormat and rubber for the bottom, where the mat meets the floor. Each of these materials is known for being both durable and stable.
What Do Doormats Do?
Essentially, doormats remove outside dirt and grime from shoes (and away from an interior’s floors). The right doormat is also a powerful design tool, helping to define the entryway to one’s home and smooth the transition from the outside in.
How Long Have Doormats Been Around?
The word “HAVE,” essentially Latin for welcome, was found carved onto the threshold of the House of the Faun, a particularly impressive palace preserved under ashes from the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. It’s not a doormat per se, but the adorning of entryways is thousands of years old.
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