Off to a strong start
Functional foyers an important part of the home, Josh Skapin writes.
You know what they say about the importance of first impressions. Well, for a house, it’s much the same.
This is why when deciding on a new home, the front foyer shouldn’t be overlooked.
“When looking at a show home, regardless of how it’s set up to gain access, take yourself immediately to the front door,” says Lisa Kaiser, sales manager for a Calgary home builder. In many cases, show homes are entered through a sales centre in the attached garage.
“Take a visual from that spot,” says Kaiser of the foyer. “And start your journey from there.”
When it comes to the front entrance, one of the factors house hunters value most is space.
“Forget about the little tunnels they used to have,” says Chuck Shields, sales manager for a home builder in Calgary. “We’ve got bigger greeting areas.”
This improves a number of hosting experiences, including welcoming guests at the front door.
“Where before, you could only let one person in at a time and everyone else had to hold back in the living room,” Shields adds. “That’s not there anymore.” In fact, he’s seen some 2,000-plus-squarefoot homes with foyers reaching upward of 100 square feet.
Comfortably fitting multiple people is essential, says Shields, recalling a recent experience at his own house.
“We went to the door and thanked everybody for coming over ... but we all stood there in the foyer looking through the window and waited until they pulled out of the driveway and drove off,” Shields says.
“We don’t just close the door, shut the lights off and walk away. It’s a greeting room and a goodbye room, so we want it to mean something other than walking down a little hallway.” Kaiser agrees. “When people come to my house, it’s not one or two, it’s usually another family,” she says. “They arrive in bunches.”
Space efficiency is key, says regional sales manager James Sharp, who works for a residential home developer. “We’re seeing a trend toward combining the mud room and foyer to maximize the square footage of your home,” Sharp says. “In this case, the foyer will often come with an oversized closet to accommodate its multiple uses and keep this area clean.”
It’s difficult to define the dimensions of a well-sized foyer, says Kaiser, adding it should be relative to the rest of the floor plan.
Natural light helps. “It makes it feel bigger than the size,” Kaiser says. “You want it to have a good size, but (not) sacrifice square footage in other areas of your home. It’s one of those give-and-take areas.”
“I would say, at least 40 per cent of the people today will add a window at the front door ...,” says Shields. “They want that natural light. They don’t want the tunnel.”
For some buyers, foyer seating is another must-have. This gives visitors a convenient place to put on or remove footwear. Deacon benches that open and offer a storage space for shoes, gloves and school supplies, are a popular choice, says Shields.
“Anywhere where it allows you to put seating and it’s comfortable for people to take their shoes on and off,” says Kaiser. “If your foyer is big enough to do that … you’ve hit the home run.”
With people removing wet footwear, it’s important the flooring in the foyer is resistant. Luxury vinyl plank flooring is both stylish are tough, says Kaiser.
“They’ve done an amazing job creating that product to look just as good as hardwood flooring. And it’s impervious,” she adds. “It’s warm under foot, it’s a little bit softer under foot, it’s more durable. If you want that look of wood throughout, you can put that down. It’s beautiful stuff.”
When it comes to the coat closet, it can be either part of the foyer or tucked away. A benefit to the hidden coat closet is that it doesn’t become a focal point, says Kaiser.
Speaking of sight lines, there’s the question of whether or not the foyer should contain views of the rest of the main floor.
Buyers are looking for separation, says Sharp, who points out that when the foyer is spacious and private it “prevents cold drafts of air from blowing into the main living space when the front door is opened. It also keeps guests’ coats and boots out of sight during dinner parties — overall, it’s all about great, functional design.”
It’s a greeting room and a goodbye room, so we want it to mean something other than walking down a little hallway.