Your home is your sanctuary and in our insane and crazy world needs to be your refuge. When we moved to our new house a few years ago, my husband insisted on asking people to take their shoes off in the entrance foyer as a way to keep the street dirt out. I resisted it, somewhat, for many years when having people over because for me the shoes complete the outfit. A fine dress worn with slippers, or walking around on socks in a suit, looks unfinished and comical to me. Moreover, I felt less comfortable asking people in a business setting to remove their shoes. But in lots of countries people take their shoes off before entering the home, and many repair people slip shoe protectors on when coming inside in order to keep the floors clean and unmarred by grit and rough soles.
Times have become more informal. We don’t have “silver”or a formal china set anymore for festive occasions. It’s all the same, although the table setting can be more or less elaborate. Along the lines of greater informality, I am slowly making friends with giving up the formal matching-shoes-look as an example to those who come visit – whether for business or pleasure.
Our regulars already know the routine, and some of them even bring their own slippers. Meanwhile, I have a drawer full of washable spa slippers to encourage new visitors to take their shoes off at the door - no pressure.
Our home, our sanctuary.