If your question is the pros and cons of double height foyers, I would not recommend them. They are a waste of space and cause echoes and heating problems. Our vacation home had one and we remodeled it. We added a room above which is much more useful than a cavernous open space. Also in your photo there are windows so high up that it's very difficult to clean them. They usually do not open, and so allow sun and heat to enter the home but do not allow for ventilation. Also they pose a problem of how to treat them (curtains, shades, etc.) They are more trouble than they are worth.

I vote for closed off. Our two story foyer is an echo chamber. Noise from the kitchen, dining and living rooms reaches every bedroom. AC and heat are a constant issue- so inefficient. In summer by the time you get to the top of the stairs it's so much hotter, and in winter the opposite. Ours faces east, which isn't as bad as west, but still, a lot of heat comes in that upper window in summer if it's not covered. Got a motorized shade, but as it's a retro-fit, we had to have battery power, and who wants to get up there to change the battery?

You just made my point, GW.

Thank you! i feel we will close it off my husband and i both work from home my office downstairs and his up and were both constantly on meetings so noice control is very important to us

Oh, and just in case any one else reads this.....we NEVER turn on the lights in the foyer, because what if a light bulb burns out before we sell? (in who knows how long). Ridiculous.

Beyond the mechanical pros and cons, there is an experience of space. When entering a building into a large space, one can experience grandiose impression, or cavernous bewilderment. Many times the grandiose is not continued through the rest of the house and the spaces are rather mundane.

In the OP's provided image, there are windows which appear to have questionable relationships with each other and the volume of the space.

Make a foyer warm and inviting, a promise of an enjoyable experience of the remainder of the home. Seek continuity and balance.

More floor space = more square footage. Even the tax assessor will like it lol. :-)

Reruns??!!! I grew up watching the Beverly HIllbillies. In real time! Never before seen episodes!!

I watched first runs of the Beverly Hillbillies, and learned what not to do, although I have suggested the "Good Strong Eatin' Table" in a few client's dining rooms.

HAHAHA! I just re-watched some scenes with the Fancy Eatin' Table!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1xT2grZpCI

That is such a good analogy @palimpsest. Come to think of it, all the characters did spend an awful lot of time in that foyer...never thought about it before now. But who does that in real life? Brainstorm...arrange conversational seating and use it like the Clampetts, just not on one's feet.

Is it scary that "Fancy Eatin' Table" was the first thing that came to my mind? Maybe I saw that episode more than once.

Yes. Very. Scary.

Now I'm on youtube watching entire episodes of the Beverly Hillbillies. Just watched the one with the skeet shooting competition....spoiler alert....Granny won....

Max Baer Jr. never recovered from playing his role.

It was fake!?!?!??!

Another perspective: If you have any pets, then a closed off style serves as an airlock to prevent escapees.