Boot Basket

Our front door opens directly into our living room.  There is no entry way and no closet.  So what is a neat freak to do with items that accumulate in this area such as shoes, purses and coats?  Well, I have a coat tree that I love for jackets and purses, but no solution for the shoes that tend to pile up in front of the door.  Since I was getting tired of staring at Mike's big work boots every night (clutter in my environment makes me uncomfortable), I found a cute basket for storing boots and shoes to place next to the door.  The problem?  Mike refuses to put his boots in the "stupid" basket.  Every night when he gets home from work he takes his boots off and places them next to the basket.  Not in the basket, but right next to the basket.  Every.  Single.  Night.  At this point he does it just because he knows it annoys me... and it does!