Design Faux Pas at entry? Need input and critique!!
Dear Gardenwebbers,
We are embarking on a major addition to our home, and one of the items in my wish list is a formal entry, where we can receive guests/visitors and also leave our shoes and coats/jackets. We live in Northern California, so our warm clothing is pretty light, and so are our shoes. So no mud room type requirement, but removing shoes and walking barefoot in the house is more like a lifestyle choice (attributable to my Eastern roots).
After a lot of discussion, we are about to finalize a plan for entry and now I am getting goose bumps about it. On the plus side, I want a decent sized closet to remove/leave our shoes and coats, I want a staircase that is visible from the entry, though not gigantic in size, I want the bottom hallway (it's short; connects previously detached garage to the main house) to be there. The right of this entry looks into a small enclosed courtyard and will bring light.
Overall, there's much to be excited about. We expect that the wall of windows and the garden will create a pretty first impression. That said, the lack of symmetry in the space is what is causing me to doubt it. I also found no pictures of such asymmetrical entries. So I am turning to this forum for guidance.
- When you enter, you see an open railing and staircase behind, right in front of your eyes. (Devil's advocate: shouldn't your eye travel in straight line to living from entry?)
- To go to main Living, you must make a slight right turn and continue past staircase. (Devil's advocate: most pictures I see have a straight access to L/D. Will staircase look like it's in the way?).
- To your immediate right is a backwards hallway. Thus you must make a sharp U to go there (not that guests will want to, since that hallway leads to garage; but visually will it look odd?) (Devil's advocate: I've seen sideways access to other spaces, never such a sharp U).
These are the issues causing me distress now. Can you please help critique the design? Is this design a faux pas? (By the way, style of the house will be clean lines, stucco exterior but sloped roof).
Comments (17)
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Comments (7)Love the mid-century vibe! The 2 things that stand out immediately are the scale of the outdoor wall sconce and the horizontal glass design on both doors. 1. The design on the doors breaks the lines of the doors which can really be the star of the entry. I think one vertical glass design on one door(preferably the glass on the right door) or both would give it a grander look. Or doing the similar idea with the 3 glass design but vertical. 2. Then about the wall sconce. maybe with the glass on the door the sconce would work. But feels a little high to me. I would drop it a little lower. I think If you had the right door with only the vertical glass it would give symmetry with the 1 sconce. And I don't know if their is room to include a J box in the overhang to hang an outdoor semi mount or pendant. In addition, it appears that foyer stands is not in sight lines of seeing into the living quarters. If that is the case I would not do any window treatments. Or if you are uncomfortable with not having something there then I would do roller shades. Roller shades give a great modern look and do not interfere with views. Lastly, I would add a nice XL black pot with a nice Japanese species that won't block too much of that window...See More
homey_bird
8 years agoC F
8 years agohomey_bird
8 years agolast modified: 8 years ago
cpartist
8 years agoSounds very similar to my entry. The only difference is the hall to the right after entering is my master suite.
homey_bird
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoredfoxco
8 years agoThe entry in my current house also faces an open stair and you have to walk around it to get to the main living areas. I don't have any photos, but it's really a pretty entry and I agree with the other poster about liking the separation between the front door and living spaces.
I found this photo on Houzz and thought of you...
Foyer Entry · More Infohomey_bird thanked redfoxcohomey_bird
8 years agochisue
8 years agoUser
8 years agohomey_bird
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoChisue, The walkway width is 3.5ft, we considered making it 5ft wide but now we are thinking that 3.5ft will do. Stairs are also 3.5ft wide. Ours is a ~2200 sqft house, 2 stories, with first level footprint of ~1150 sqft, and I think at this proportion we do not need 5ft width (any thoughts?).
JDS, Currently my idea is to have a bench or floating shelf like in the image I am attaching here. If not then we will keep a small stool there. The closet will hide the shelves for shoes.
homey_bird
8 years agoUser
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agohomey_bird
8 years ago
amberm145