I don't live in Chicago but in Iowa and have an antique Hamadan Oriental in front of my front door....I vacuum it and water doesn't really hurt it.
Linda c

I use an indoor/outdoor rug inside my entry. I like to have a big one - I think it's nearly 4 x 6, so that if it's raining/snowing/etc, my kids and their friends have enough room to step around the swing of the door w/o stepping onto the hardwood floor and can easily remove their shoes on the rug and leave them there to dry.

I can't remember where I bought my last one, but I need to replace it (my recently deceased dog peed on it and I can't get the smell out). There are many that are decorative - Ballard Designs, Home Decorators and Overstock all carry them. I love them because you can literally take them outside and rinse them off if they get muddy. They aren't plush, but they do have pretty designs so they look nice. I just use a rug pad/grip underneath it.

I suppose it's all up to you how decorative you want it to be. The one I'm getting matches my decor perfectly and does not look like an outdoor rug but certainly not as nice/fancy as an Oriental rug. If you have concerns about cleaning the rug given the winter climate in Chicago, you might not want to get anything that requires expensive cleaning.

Have you considered an indoor/outdoor rug? I have a mudroom so I don't have to deal with snow, etc. on my entry rug, but I think it would be more durable since they're designed to be outside too. I'm not sure what your style is, but Dash & Albert make some cute ones.

I have a wool Pottery Barn rug I bought many years ago. It still looks great despite the fact that I'm in the northwest and people are always walking in with dripping wet shoes. It has a camel colored background with black leopard spot pattern. It never shows dirt, though when we clean the carpets a lot of soil comes out. The busy and fairly dark pattern hides everything (even the dog and cat fur).

This is an indoor/outdoor rug from JCP. It looks great and was under $50 with their old pricing sale. Cleaning instructions say take it outside and hose it down. Just got it around the holidays.

Thanks everyone! An indoor/outdoor rug sounds might be what I need! Didn't know they could be decorative. I have only ever seen the gray mat with the black plastic bottom (which I have by the back door for the when the dogs come in!)

And something with a pattern makes sense too to hide dirt.

Oh how nice it would be to have a mudroom......

You may want to check out Frontgate. I think they have durable, pretty, indoor/outdoor type rugs. Since I don't use my front door very often , I just ordered a wool rug in beige w/large brown flowers. Hopefully, it will look good in my small entry. I ordered it from Overstock