A custom barn door or french doors would solve the problem.

I agree with Ms. Caputo -- french doors.

Try something rich, plush, long and colorful to invite them past the big open doorway into the dining room. Might work even better if you have a spot for shoe removal. I'd love to dig my toes into this!

Bar Chart Bliss Rug · More Info

Don't put a rug in the dining room.

When you see paths crossing a lawn on a college campus or in a park, the name of them is 'desire path'. People walk the way that suits them--that meets their needs--even if there's no sidewalk there or a dining room rug in the way.

Now that we have seen another view, perhaps putting that clock on the other side of the room so it visually blocks the view to the kitchen. It might do the trick.

You can solve two problems by installing a wall where the current opening is.

The wall will do two things.

It will prevent traffic into the dining room. It will also make the dining room more formal.

How about a standing room divider/bookcase that you could see through but would block the flow of traffic.

Kentfield Contemporary · More Info

Bummer - Did you recently change something that created the cut-through or has it always been like this?

Honestly, I'd probably cut through the dining room to get to the kitchen from the front door as well. The way your front door opens, that dining room is the first thing you see... and then you see into the kitchen.

People tend to take the path of least resistance, especially when they can see their destination. Anything you can do to decrease visibility to the kitchen will mitigate people taking the shortcut. A nice barn door painted white to match your trim work would be an easy way to block the view, and keep people from cutting across. The barn door would maintain the archway you have in the opening. Best of luck!

How about cutting the corner off that rug, and having it rebound? Then it becomes a bespoke rug :)

Or use an oval rug.

a runner perpendicular to the front door might do the trick... you'd see it between the dining room and the kitchen... you'd see it sticking out before the chair, your brain would connect the dots. in the first photo i would never have guessed i could make a left turn before the giant chair.

but really, i'd do french doors of some sort, blocking a path that no one would *need to* take. it will make the dining room more congenial on the inside too.

i live in an old house.... there was no way to get from the front door to the kitchen, except by passing through the parlor and dining room. people who came in the front door had no business in the kitchen. fun times.

I saw pictures of your kitchen. It looks like you could close up the doorway you can see from the front door without any negative impacts to flow--since you have another opening on the dining room side and an opening to the living room side.

I agree with benjesbride, but I'd still want a knock-out runner in the foyer!

I have a similar issue, solved by using an Oriental rug ( subtle muted pattern ) instead of the sisal I previously had. It’s a very high quality rug that I’ve had professionally cleaned but honestly, you couldn’t see any soiling.

Solution.

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/5513253/bring-sophie-back

Giant bowl of candy on the entry cabinet:

Position your clock in the doorway until patterns are broken.

there’s another kitchen entrance about 7 feet to the left of the troublemaking kitchen entrance.

#bring Sophie back

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/5513253/bring-sophie-back

I like what benjesbride said! It's primarily the fact that you can see your destination (the kitchen) through the dining room. You cannot see that there is a path to the kitchen through the dining room when standing just inside your front door. Secondly, they think it's shorter.

To expand on benjesbride's idea...Don't close off the doorway between the kitchen and dining room, but rather take the ideas for a barn door or frosted glass single-french door, etc. and apply it to the pass-through between the kitchen and dining room, hence blocking the newcomer's view of your kitchen. :D

Now that I see the other angle, I'm a little confused. Is it a small arch doorway or a wide square doorway?

OK, I see it now. Wide opening in the dining room wall, hall way between, then a arch into the kitchen. I agree with french door in the dining room or less desirable white "saloon doors" in the kitchen arch. A visual block to send people the other direction.

a wall

It's like trying to get guests to use the front door instead of the quicker to get to kitchen door in the garage or walking all the way to the backyard to use the kitchen door in the backyard. They are going to do what they want to do...my solution...try to make the garage kitchen door and backyard door equally as nice as the front door so any entrance will be as welcoming. In other words, live with it and make the best of it.

We have a very similar setup, but we have French doors between the kitchen and dining room. The family is trained to avoid walking through the dining room, but when we have guests, I’ll close the French doors to control traffic flow.

Here's the blog post that's connected to Daisy's solution above... https://jonesdesigncompany.com/decorate/details-of-the-giant-hanging-window-in-our-entrydining-room/

You have a lovely home and the flooring is beautiful. You do need a bigger rug at the front door tho.

Create a countertop height shallow cabinet w/a hidden hinge (hidden from dining area) to work the same as the bottom half of a half/half door -- no doorknob but w/a large slide bolt lock on the kitchen side.

Then redo the lower half of your dining room wall -- perhaps wainscoting -- in a way that, from the dining room side, hides the fact that the door even exists.

or

have built a custom bar cart w/hidden wheels that you can park in the doorway

or

lose the rug and add only a runner from point "a" to point "b".

HI Melissa! Look into custom rugs.