I really like the idea for a built-in bookcase in the foyer. You'll need storage space for your books anyway, so why not put them there and let them welcome people into your home. (Books are so very welcoming, IMO!) The bench options are nice, but realistically, who is going to actually use them?

I have the opposite opinion of TR. I dont think a foyer is meant to have bookcases but are meant to have a bench. Wish I had room for a bench in my foyer, good to sit down and put or or take off shoes/boots. Right now my guests have to hobble on one foot to do that.

Thanks TR! I love our books.

I do have 3 walls, just not sure if it would look odd to put something everywhere.

I'd put a console table on the wall between the elevator and the pantry openings with buffet lamps on top, an occasional chair or bench on the wall just past the coat closet, and 5'x7 rug at the front door. Add a couple great pieces of art above the console and above the occasional chair.

Here's an option with bench, bookshelves and chest.

I do not have guests remove their shoes. While I love that practice, we are retiring from owning a dog training kennel and will be bringing at least 6 dogs to the retirement house. We allow dogs the run of the house, not all 6 all the time but there usually at least 2-3 in the main floor. The flooring in the house will be slate or stone to hold up to dogs so may not be super comfy for guests to walk around barefoot, plus the fact that regardless of constant vacuuming and the roomba, there is still dog hair.

I have to ask: why is the pantry opening to the foyer and not to the kitchen? That extra door in the middle of the wall is in the way of what would otherwise be a long, interesting bookcase, or a combination bench/bookcase/built in.

I would even move the front door over so that it appears centered as you view the foyer from the family room, so that you don't have to "look around" the book case to view the front door.

So the stairs go up from the back of the family room, not from the foyer?

If you truly want to minimize the foyer footprint, you could change up the walls and entries into the bedroom, bath and laundry/mudroom, which would give you (a) a bigger bathroom, more flexibility on where you could place your w/d and sink in the laundry by moving that door, different entry point into the bedroom, and possibly more closet & storage space overall. You would lose the open space and feel of the current design though.

The gurus in the kitchen forums suggested it. There is a pocket door on the kitchen side where that white line is.

This house will have a drive under garage. I will be bringing groceries up from the garage via the elevator. So it was decided an additional door would be helpful. I don't really want a door, I was thinking more along the lines of a pass through but the consensus was a door would be better. But I can still change it.

If I did that whole wall a bookcase I could go back to a pass through and hide it within the bookcase, which would be cool. This one is accessed from a cabinet pass through.

Or I could make an actual door part of the bookcase like a secret passage.

That secret passage idea rocks. :-)

I think I may have come upon a set up I like. I have always wanted one of the library ladders so we were going to install a ladder rail along the wall of high cabinets I the kitchen so we could access the top cabinets. The pantry would have high ceilings and shelves as well so a rail was going in there as well. I could now put one in the bookshelf unit in the foyer, the ladder could hang flat against the bookshelf unit when not in use. It could also be decorative in that regard.

This being a retirement home, would the ladders not be a safety hazard as you age?

Here it is with the whole wall done with the bookshelves. I made the bottom portion 18" deep and the bookshelves 12" deep.

Rose abbey, I'm actually only 50, DH is 66 but a very young 66(no one ever believes that he is 16 years older than I). At the point those ladders or any similar activity becomes a problem I will most likely end up with live in help. We are putting an apartment over the garage, that will be a rental for now but for live in later.

I redid the pic with the bookshelves in a light color so you can see it better.

I would rather not have ladders in the kitchen or cupboards so high that you need one. The ladder would drive me nuts, and the one in the foyer might look odd to anyone entering, although if it were flush with the bookcase it might not be too bad. The bookcase covering almost the whole wall looks really massive.

If this were my retirement home I would make it a single story. My house is 2140 sq. feet and having it all on one level is wonderful.

Congratulations on your retirement and new home. We had a second home in Colorado. Rustic-ish, but not a log cabin. Since it was in the mountains and was three stories. Lowest level had garage and entry. Two master bedroom suites with living areas on the main level and two guest suites on the third level. The elevator was towards the center of the house and serviced the two lower floors. My parents have an elevator in their home and it is also towards the center of the house. May I ask why yours is on the outside wall?

I remember your kitchen thread and the pass thru discussion. Never saw the finished idea. The kitchen looks fairly large, including the pantry, and I wonder why the end wall area with second sink and mini fridge. I'll go back to kitchens and find your thread.

I like the idea of bookcases on the entire wall, minus elevator. Don't think the ladder is really needed. We have an L shaped hallway in our lower level with bookcases and no ladder since we rarely access the top shelf.

So the top 12-18" of the kitchen and pantry cabinets will be for long term storage. I have that now in my current home and it is very useful, the items that we use a few times a year are stored up high. Out of the way but accessible when I need it. I currently have a flip out step stool I grab and use about once or twice a month. I think a library ladder would be more useful and it will not be stored as I post in the pic, that shows it in use. I would store it flat against the end wall of bookshelves or in the pantry.

The second sink and mini fridge are for my wine bar. That is my baby and my deal breaker on moving to to the mountains at all. I don't cook, but I do make craft cocktails and have an extensive collection of wines, vintage glassware and cocktail paraphernalia. I will also have a small wine cellar in the basement near the elevator.

The development where we are building does no allow for one story. For budgetary reasons, two masters up works better. The guest room on the main can be a master if the need arises but we are good with the 2 up.

The elevator is on the exterior because it works there, I need to be able to access it from the garage but not interfere with the garage itself. This place is all about the view out the back wall along the dining, living and secondary view out the left side and the grilling deck off the kitchen. This is the best placement to get groceries up from garage and not interfere with the view or vaulted living area.

I love it! As a person with kitchen cabinets that go up to the 10' ceiling, I drag ladders more than I'd like from the laundry to the kitchen to access that stuff. Two things, though:

1. Your entry will feel more spacious and you won't lose much room in making the bottom cabinets of your built in 15" deep rather than 18" deep. You also won't be tempted to put stuff on the 6" ledge as you come in, meaning to pick it up later. Ask me how I know this :-) You can put a decorative bowl or tray on one of the bottom shelves for keys or purse.

1. Bench---instead of a two seater with a back, why not a longer one with no back and a cushion? I just grabbed this photo from the Ballard Designs site, they have a three seater in the same style that I was trying to copy here. Not suggesting the style of bench, just something without a back and longer.

Thanks for explaining. We do not drink so I didn't even consider a wine/bar.

Here is one way to store the ladder when not in use.

Kslw2, yes I know the feeling. I am 5'4" and used to spend a lot of time standing on the counters getting stuff from up high.

Love that bench. I live right up the road from the Ballard returns and outlet store so will go see what they have.

I will adjust the lowers to 15"' that was my preference to begin with.

One problem I see with having bookshelves along the entire wall is that it may be a good idea to have a flat, table height surface for putting the groceries on as you exit the elevator.

Tish, my plan is to come out of the elevator, open a lower cabinet in that shelving unit and pass groceries through into pantry.

My mother in law has an elevator in her beach house and I may use her other idea. She keeps a rolling laundry cart in the elevator and rolls groceries into kitchen from there.

So playing with the plan and now DH and I are pretty psyched about the foyer as a library. Here's my latest iteration. I like the view from the hallway coming out of the mudroom or guest bed and bath.

view coming in the front door

View from mudroom/guest area

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!