Shoes are taken off in the hallway so no dirt gets on the stairs.
So yes, as I said. I am basically quite resistant to that. But what I see is the front door right next to the stairs. Closer and you would tumble down.
Enclosing the long narrow corridor to the utility room is, in my opinion, nonsense. Get rid of it and put a door at the back. That brings freedom and light downstairs if you design the entrance to the living room a bit more generously. There is still space, as it seems.
I think I would swap the utility room and guest WC and reduce the pantry a bit. That is more intimate for the toilet users.