Kathy and Bob Pomerenk recently finished an extensive renovation of their 1958 Colonial in Bethesda. They created a large family room off the back of their house, did over the kitchen and dining room, and added a mudroom.
But the space that has captured their hearts is their new foyer.
The Pomerenks' enlarged foyer includes a built-in china cabinet, crafts closet and coat closet.
(Katherine Frey -- The Washington Post)
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Creating a Smoother Transition
THE SITUATION: Many older homes have no foyer. Without any separation between the outside and the inside, visitors have to make an abrupt transition into the home physically and psychologically. According to architect Sarah Susanka, here are some possible approaches.
NOT ENOUGH: Building a half-wall and installing an area of tile in front of the door doesn't go far enough toward making a welcoming entrance. The problem here is that the separation from the living room isn't defined enough.
PARTIAL SOLUTION: A ceiling beam and walls make the entry foyer a distinct space apart from the living room. A window onto the living room. makes the foyer brighter by bringing in more light. A bench provides a place to remove shoes or set down shopping items.
EVEN BETTER: This entry uses more of a room. It incorporates the coat closet into the foyer space and provides shelves in the living room for displaying knickknacks. The foyer floor has been extended; the clear demarcation of the rooms makes both spaces work better.
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"I had no idea how much I would use this space," said Kathy Pomerenk of her new, 20-foot-long foyer, which she calls a "gallery-foyer."
"When they first showed it to me, it looked more like a big dining room with a space off it. I couldn't see how it would function. But it works so well for us on so many different levels."
Foyers today are being transformed, builders and remodelers say. The grandiose two-story entrance of the 1980s -- that soaring space that tried to scream "I've made it" -- is going by the wayside, being replaced by warmer single-story foyers with high ceilings. In new houses, a sweeping staircase that would suit Scarlett O'Hara is often no longer the focal point of the foyer. Instead, builders are incorporating rich detailing, such as crown molding and chair rails, as well as Craftsman-style touches such as benches and little windows. Shiny marble floors have given way to warmer wood and stone.
When homeowners remodel, redoing the foyer is often a small part of a bigger renovation. But remodelers report that homeowners are more interested than ever in foyer alterations, even in relatively new houses.
The foyer has an over-sized importance in a house, considering that it often is only a small space behind the front door. Because it's the first part of indoors that a guest sees, a foyer makes a statement about the kind of house that lies beyond -- and its owners. And for the people who come through the door every day, the foyer can either be a welcoming transition home -- or a messy, stressful, harried one.
"The importance of the foyer is huge," said Sarah Susanka, architect and author of the best-selling "Not So Big" series of books on home design. "I don't think that's an exaggeration. It impacts your experience of the house more than any other space. But we still have a long way to go. Since people don't do a lot of living in that space, they don't think about it as much as they should."
Many people in the Washington area have no foyer at all, of course. In houses built in the 1950s, for example, when the first tier of suburbs around Washington sprang up, you usually walk straight into the living room with often only a short half-wall marking the entryway. That means wet boots, toys, strollers and other outdoor paraphernalia end up in a pile in plain view of the main living space.
And then there's the other end of the spectrum. Many owners of newer houses have not one but two foyers. Even production builders report that many of their houses now come with what some call an "owner's foyer," an updated mudroom-type space, where family and friends enter, as well as a more formal front-entry foyer for guests.
But even new-house foyers aren't the attention-seekers they were a few years back. Now, their appeal is more subtle and functional.
"It's still important for guests to enter the main foyer of the house and think, 'Wow,' " said Jim Pohlhaus, director of product development at builder Winchester Homes of Bethesda. "But to get that wow factor, it doesn't necessarily need to be two stories anymore. If it is, it doesn't need to be as large as it was in the 1980s. And the stairs aren't the wow factor anymore either. Now, it can be an elegant light fixture and more defined trim."
Josh Baker, president of Bowa Builders Inc. in McLean, said moving the big staircase, often to a side wall, can create a more pleasing line of sight in both new and renovated houses.
"At one point, the big staircase was always the focal point of the foyer," Baker said. "It was directly in front of you as you came in, blocking lines of sight. Now that it's typically off to one side, when you enter you can often see straight through the home."
