Foyer design or entryway. And reception. Wait, what about the hallway? And the vestibule, doesn’t it belong to this group? Aren’t they the same? Not really, but partially yes. Let’s settle the dispute first.
The entryway, foyer, and vestibule are all used interchangeably. However, all the 3 spaces indicate an entrance space, a transition from outdoor to indoor. Foyers are generally associated with large houses while entryways are associated with apartments, relatively smaller. Foyers could be more than just transitional spaces or entrance corridors. Foyers can also be halls with extensive decoration and house a variety of furniture. The vestibule is the space between two entrance doors, usually found in commercial spaces and hospitals to avoid leakage of air conditioning despite repeated opening and closing of doors. This article explore various foyer design ideas and identifies more than 20 such foyer design trends.
Table of Contents
Embracing a Raw Cozy Foyer Design
Just keep it simple, casual, and transparent. Open shoe cabinets with as many pegs and umbrella holders that could possibly be placed. Opt for natural wood furniture systems. Leave the wall bricks exposed. Keep everything raw. This foyer design will be ideal for brutalist-style houses. However, if the rest of the house is pretty modern and sleek, this raw foyer design might stand odd and unfinished.
Embodying Culture and Tradition in Foyers
According to Vastu, placing idols or photos of Lord Ganesh or Lordess Lakshmi at the entrance is auspicious. Further, lighting oil lamps, candles, and incense sticks in front of the idols adds to the serenity of the space. Placing flowers in a traditional brass uruli, a type of wide vessel filled with water in the foyer is advised. The Vastu Shastra outlines many do’s and don’ts regarding the foyer area design of homes to ensure the well-being of the residents and also make the space appealing.
Articulating the Space Behind the Door
It is quite convincing that moderate-sized apartments lack a dedicated square foot of space for a foyer due to the shortage of land and high population density in urban centers. But this need not rob the apartments of a foyer, or an opportunity to make a first impression, serve as a sample for the architectural style throughout the flat itself. Utilizing the space behind the door is an efficient way to declutter the entrance, make the home appear appealing and a clever foyer design idea when space is limited. A console table, artwork, and mirrors can adorn the wall behind the door acting as a small foyer.
Clearing the Chaos with Storage Cabinets
Storage cabinets are inevitable components of a foyer. Shoes, flip-flops, sandals, umbrellas, hats, towels, keys, sports equipment, and toys, all go in the storage cabinets clearing the cluttered floor space. Storage cabinets help in organizing a foyer and making it welcoming. A combination of closed and open cabinets is desirable. While the open cabinets can act as display shelves showcasing craft works and sculptures, they can also serve as closed cabinets hiding mundane items if the items are placed in baskets kept in open shelves.
Enriching Foyer designs with Floating shelves
Add a contemporary touch to the foyers with floating shelves. Floating shelves embody sleek and smooth finishes, evoking awe, and creating spaces for the storage and display of aesthetic items. Floating shelves are ideal solutions in foyers with ample wall area but limited floor space. And hence floating shelves can be categorized as inevitable design elements in small foyer designs.
Playing with Lighting Fixtures
Lighting fixtures transform the character of the space drastically. Add grandeur to the small foyers with artistic lighting fixtures like pendant lights and chandeliers. Make bold statements with lighting fixtures in foyer area design.
Creating Optical Illusions with Mirrors
Mirrors are ideal elements that promote the illusion that the foyer is more spacious than it actually is. Mirrors with golden or silver frames give a classy look. However, Mirrors are controversial elements according to Vastu as they reflect both positive and negative energy. Hence, Vastu experts recommend placing mirrors at an angle to the main door instead of placing them right in front of it. A whole mirrored wall is another way to create a visual appearance that the foyer is bigger than it actually is.
Family Photographs Adorning the Foyer Walls
Cherish memories at the doorway with family photographs adorning the foyer walls. Door spaces are full of nostalgia, witnesses of not only arrival and departure but also of goodbyes, demises, marriages, farewells, etc. Family photographs are better placed in the foyer reminiscent of the good old memories.
Incorporating Rugs and carpets
Rugs and carpets are strong design elements capable of emphasizing a particular space and drawing all the attention towards them. They are useful in demarcating spaces. Rugs in foyers make it a cozy place and the natural soft material of the rug along with its organic shape juxtaposed with rigid straight furniture provides balance in the foyer.
Adding life to the foyer with greenery
Potted indoor plants complementing the natural lighting in the foyer evoke a serene feeling and welcome the guests. Plants and shrubs, besides being a visual delight and a mental health booster, add a pleasant scent to the space. Greenery in the foyer elevates the overall sensory experience.
Upgrading the walls
When there is not much space for furniture, a wall upgrade will enhance the character of the foyer. A bright tropical wall mural. Or a printed wallpaper. All adds to the ambiance of the foyer and substantiates the thought process behind the foyer area design.
Applying wooden textures
Wood is a versatile material suitable irrespective of the space or function of space. Wooden furniture, wooden shelves, and wooden slat walls all add warmth to the foyer making it welcoming. Further wood enhances the tactile experience in the foyer.
Highlighting the stairs
In many cases, the staircase to the upper floors is visually and physically permeable from the foyer in individual houses. This is another unique circumstance and there is a need to make use of the staircase as a sculptural setting in the foyer and treat the area beneath the staircase as a storage space to keep the foyer area chaos-free. The staircase could be accentuated with carpet runners and wall lights.
Don’t disturb the window
While it’s a luxury to afford a foyer in current circumstances, a window in the foyer is a boon. It is necessary to acknowledge the window in the foyer and design the foyer area accordingly complementing the window and the natural lighting. Anything that overpowers this window or blocks the natural light in the name of decor is unnecessary. In this case, projecting the window as the hero could be the concept behind the foyer area design.
Adding colors to the window glass in the foyer
Tall stained glass windows at the end of a passage-like foyer, dispersing colored daylight is a dream come true. The feasibility of such a window is questionable but if it is constructed, the ambience of the foyer raises beyond description. Such an element would instantly attract the visitor and evoke a mystic feeling.
The brighter the better, adding skylights to the foyer
No one appreciates a dark gloomy space. A skylight only feasible in houses not apartments brings an ample amount of light to the foyer. The skylight cheers up the guests and raises the spirits of the residents.
Placing semi-permeable partitions
Allocating space for a foyer in open-plan layouts can be challenging as the expansiveness of the design will be lost if the demarcation of spaces is too strong and the foyer may be inefficient if it provides no privacy. Porous partitions can be saviors in such scenarios. Adding a semi-permeable partition between the living space and the small foyer would maintain the openness of the space simultaneously providing adequate privacy.
Making it multifunctional
Like all other spaces, it’s time to add flexibility to even small foyers. Foyers can turn into home offices, study spaces, reading nooks, guest rooms, kids’ play spaces, etc. depending on circumstances. It should be planned and designed to be functional.
Fitting in a receiving room
The receiving room or formal lounge is an outdated space however when there is ample space in the foyer, an opportunity for such a space arises. Evaluating the flow or circulation, the foyer can be upgraded into a receiving room with appropriate furniture swap and seating furniture influx.
Showcasing Personality and Preferences, Turning the Foyer into a Gallery
There can’t be a better space than a long narrow foyer, that can be converted into an art gallery. For art lovers, this is a worthy hack, to hang all their close-to-heart art collections on the hallway walls exhibiting their passion and personality to the guests.
Incorporating a reading nook in Foyer Design
A bonus tip for passionate readers! Adding a few elements can transform the foyer into a mini-home library. Fill the storage cabinets with books and magazines, sort out the lighting, and upgrade the seating with upholstery and cushions to facilitate reading in the foyer. Adding that aspect of flexibility and adaptability pushes the foyer design, even that of small foyers a step ahead.
