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kathryn_dooley0

What to do about awkward knee wall directly inside front door?

Kathryn
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago

Our front door feels very blocked by an awkward wall and I can’t find similar examples with a knee wall or similar partition of space In front of the door instead of to the side!

The entry hall space is about 3x8. The knee wall separates the space from the dining room (10’x9.5’) which opens to the kitchen. You enter to the right of the door from the entry space to the living room.

Considerations:

- There is no room for furniture. A console table would make all the difference but it isn’t possible.

- There is electrical and HVAC in the knee wall. I don’t think the wood floors go under the wall.

- We only plan to live here 5 years so we want to choose something that minimizes cost unless the cost would make it much more attractive to buyers.

- The small door at the end is a coat closet. We need this storage to remain.

These are pics from the listing and look deceptively bright and large but give the best view of the space:






view looking in from the front door past the dining room into the kitchen (sorry it’s dark):



Option A: wallpaper the entry and find a great light fixture to emphasize that it’s an entry space (that happens to open to a knee wall) and not a knee wall that Blocks the entry. Cheapest obviously, but would it be “good enough” for the general buyer?

Option B: Invest to open the wall and assume people will be so off-put otherwise that it’s worth the cost. That would open it up, but it would be directly into the small dining room. Thinking something like the pic below, but keep in mind my house is a much smaller space/scale, has 8ft ceilings, and it would still only be a 3x8 space with no room for furniture. Worth the cost?


Thank you in advance for your thoughts and advice!!

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