Does it matter which doormat you choose? Actually, it does — because a doormat does more than just scrub the bottom of your shoes.

“It really sets the tone when you come to someone’s front door,” said Garrow Kedigian, an interior designer in New York.

So style matters: “It’s a crucial first hint to the personality of the person who lives in the house,” he said.

At Mr. Kedigian’s apartment in Manhattan, for instance, the first thing visitors see is a doormat made from coconut-husk fibers with a Greek-key border. “It’s classic,” he said, and it nods to his love of antiques and traditional style.