This stately entry space is n’t as pop as it once was , but our experts say a lobby can still be a valuable add-on to any home .
What is a foyer ? Does your home have one ? If you have space for asmall console tableor a spot to sit as you ill-treat through your home ’s front door , you have one — you just might not refer to the space by its conventional name .
“ A antechamber is a home ’s first impression , ” saysAnnie Hewittof Martha Turner Sotheby ’s International Realty in Houston , Texas . “ It ’s what receive your guests and fix the feel — perfunctory or formal , colorful or electroneutral , traditional or eccentric . ”
Credit: Paul Costello
hall serve many purposes but have faded away as families use their spaces differently and rest home layout shift .
“ Historically , a residential foyer was a small entryway space between the outside of the home and the main entry hall of a home , ” aver Bob Zuber , AIA , designer and partner atMorgante Wilson Architects ( MWA ) , establish in Evanston , Illinois . “ in the main speaking , they were covered spaces , heated or not , that allow for Edgar Guest shelter before being admitted into the main portion of the home . ”
Today , of course , both definitions of foyers and their uses have significantly shift . These experts talk about how hall are ordinarily used today — and whether having one is a point in your habitation ’s favor .
Credit: Dustin Peck
What Is a Foyer?
The original substance of the french word lobby mention to the way where actors waited when they were n’t on point . Like those wait areas , vestibule have traditionally been a situation to await while visitors are announced or the host and stewardess number to greet guests .
A foyer is the space you step into as you enter your domicile through the front threshold . Think of a foyer as a vestibule or landing place space when you take the air through the front entryway of a home . It ’s the transition from outdoors to indoors .
“ In some homes , it may also serve a practical purpose — to collect coats or tuck away thing you do n’t want your guests to see , ” Hewitt say . However , some area of the commonwealth have a more schematic definition of the infinite .
Credit: Jay Wilde
“ While the New York City construction codification has a specific definition of what a entrance hall is , literal estate listings in MLS use poetic liberty about this house feature , ” aver Eugene Colberg , primary atColberg Architecture .
Zuber says you might see these spaces bear on to by unlike terms , such as entryway halls or lobby . disregarding of what they ’re called , foyers are generally used for the same purpose .
“ For the distinctive homeowner , it is a berth to leave keystone , post , accessory , etc . , ” saysLiz Hogan , a real estate agent with Compass . Hogan also notes that these spaces are more prevalent in the northeasterly and southeast parts of the United States and most plebeian in large homes .
The State of the Foyer
Hogan says , “ anteroom are much more common in luxury rest home where you have more straight footage . In luxury rest home , entrance hall sometimes double as sphere to showcase art or a unique piece of work , ” she says .
lobby are most coarse in bigger , more formal homes , as most smaller homes miss the space for a dedicated foyer . Also , young flesh in many areas run to be loose - concept , with no disjoined foyer . Together , these divisor entail that foyers are on the declination .
“ undefendable - design homes do not have foyers . In nursing home with multiple rooms , or more traditional homes , you will often see a foyer , ” Colberg says .
In the past times , Zuber read foyers might feature small , decorative window , tiled floors , and storage for umbrella . “ Quite often , two sets of room access — one outside and one interior — acted as an airlock and provided further privacy for guest before admittance , ” he say .
Bill Gill , a actual estate agent and intend do broker forBaird & Warnerin Naperville , Illinois , pronounce foyers even flow out of favor briefly . “ The only geological era in which foyers misplace popularity was send World War II , when builders were focus on ‘ mass producing ’ homes because of the Baby Boom , ” he says . “ At that time , there was an accent on build effective , more utilitarian nursing home . ”
Today , again , more and more new builds do n’t have foyers , Hewitt aver .
“ In the last several age , we have seen more undefended - concept base where consecrate spaces , sometimes including anteroom , are compromised , ” she say . “ I would say if there is a transitional room that has become more important to New menage , it is a mudroom . ”
The Rise of the Mudroom
Mudroomsare less conventional than foyers but much more practical . “ Instead of having a small elbow room in the front of the house to welcome guests , families seem more hard on having a small elbow room in the back where kids can kvetch off skid and hang backpacks , ” Hewitt says .
Colberg says the preference for mudrooms over foyers could also be regional .
“ In northern mood , the use of [ the antechamber ] is like a mudroom . standardised to a mudroom , the foyer is a small entry Granville Stanley Hall , most often seen in cold-blooded regions , ” he says . “ It ’s a space to keep hooey you ’re move to use , such as outerwear , footgear , and more . depend on the firm , it can also be the place where room connect and be part of the circulation of the house . ”
As mudrooms have become more popular , how we apply entrance hall is also change . Family members who once would have entered through the front door now come into the home through a garage access point or a backdoor , which often leads to a mudroom . This has impart the lobby with little practical use , specially in homes with minor and dearie .
“ These spaces have been typically used as a landing spot for shoes , backpack , coats , keys , even cad leashes , ” saysShauna Pendleton , principal agent at Redfin . “ However , in newer home plate , this region has changed and is now more utilized as a decorating sphere for receive Guest . More of a focal period in the home plate and thefirst impression when you enterthrough the front door . The traditional shoe storehouse , coat racks , and storage are now being progress come in from the garage of the household . ”
How Foyers Impact Home Value
Colberg does n’t believe entrance hall have lose their appeal or popularity , but they do n’t necessarily add value to a property .
" I think it ’s going to be a normal based on what the rest of the abode looks like . Are foyers courteous to have ? I think they ’re great to have , but whether or not it adds existent value will look on what the relief of the home looks like , " he suppose .
Hogan sees foyers as a positive but not of necessity a feature that would greatly influence value . " I do n’t cerebrate they have impact per se , but they definitely bestow to the ecumenical charm and impact of the belongings , " she says .
Hewitt believes these space can still affect a purchaser ’s attitude toward a place .
" I opine foyers make a positive subliminal impression on emptor , but I have never considered them a real factor in resale note value , " she says .
Still , Zuber consider a well - designed anteroom can bestow the kind of running space and wow element some buyers are after . After all , most agents harmonize that your house ’s incoming is where a potential buyer will make their first impression of your home plate .
" The New - day antechamber , in the hand of a skilled designer , is often used as an organizing element of the abode ’s formal spaces , " he enounce . " The best hall are uncluttered , visionary , and spacious , yet provide working usage , such as a place to put keys and mobile phone phones or sort unopened mail service . Thoughtfully placed benches or chair help guests with put on and contain off shoes , and leisurely entree to coat and chapeau reposition are common . Foyers today are meant to impress but have a retentive account of practical social function . "
There are two wide admit orthoepy of the word " foyer " in the United States . Most Americans opt to use the " gas constant " sound and say , " foy - yer , " but " foy - yay " ( with a silent " roentgen " ) is also commonly used .
Frequently Asked Questions
In the United States , there are two wide accepted pronunciations of the word “ foyer ” . Most Americans opt to use the “ r ” phone and say , “ foy - yer ” , but “ foy - yay ” ( with a silent “ roentgen ” ) is also usually used .
For the direction these distance function today , the words “ lobby ” and “ entrance hall ” are for the most part exchangeable . There are , however , small deviation . “ Foyer ” is a French word that stanch from the Latin wordfocariusor focus — which colligate to the fireplace . “ Vestibule , ” also French , come from the Romance word vestibulum or ‘ entrance royal court . ’ As they were traditionally used , a vestibule was a conventional welcoming space to recognize guests into a home , while a vestibule was most ordinarily a less schematic ingress space used only by the occupants of the home . These days , a anteroom is more tight compared to a mudroom .
There are afew tricksto make the entrance of your abode function as a foyer — even if your space is limited . For example , fall a mirror to create the illusion of more space ( and for last - minute checks as you leave the house ) . If you exist in an open - concept outer space , position your piece of furniture to part the entry space from the living space visually . attend some hooks on the walls to collect jackets and chapeau or total a coat rack near the door . Finally , if you have the space , add a side table to expose flush , personal belongings , and other welcoming items .
