I sort of depends. Usually there's a subjective boundary. In parents place the first floor is tile, and it's acceptable to wear shoes on the first floor. But th

I sort of depends. Usually there's a subjective boundary. In parents place the first floor is tile, and it's acceptable to wear shoes on the first floor. But the others floors are carpeted and you don't wear shoes up there. In the older house, the one I grew up in, the front door led to an atrium where it is okay to wear shoes. But the hallways and rooms connected to the atrium were off limits for shoes. The Laundry room opened to the outside (namely, our bunny's enclosure) and we also stored some yard tools in the laundry room. It'd be inconvenient to take shoes on and off all the time when going in and out. So the laundry room is fair game for shoes. At my apartment I do it Asian-style and take them off at the door because there is no natural boundary and because San Francisco streets are especially filthy. So the answer is: it's chaos and there are no rules.