A great place to keep living room throws and blankets is in a woven basket. Baskets are portable, so they can move wherever needed and they add beautiful texture in a room:
wicker baskets
Entryway Solution: Basket for Shoes & Slippers
Sometimes inevitably shoes end up in the entryway. If you don't have a closet to hide them behind, a solution for keeping it from looking too messy, is to have a beautiful basket for them:
If you have a no shoes in the house rule, you can also fill the basket with slippers to encourage guests to remove their shoes upon entering.