Because some of our kitchen renovations will spill out into the foyer, I thought it would be a good idea to introduce the space before we go tearing up the place. Our foyer is probably the sunniest room in the house due to giant windows and clerestory skylights. It is so bright and happy, but all the light gets trapped in there – and no one stays in the foyer to enjoy it. (Well, except Izumi.)
One of the things I dislike, and is unfortunately a very common design, is stairs facing the front door. To me, they scream: “Hey, keep walking up the stairs, this isn’t the right floor!” If I were designing a house, this would never happen – but, we bought this house at such a good price for the square footage, and we had been looking for so long, that I was willing to overlook this little annoyance. (And, well, this is a very common occurrence in home designs in our area – so it’s kind of difficult to avoid.)
View from the front door. As a side note, look how dark it is back there in the living room – silly for a house with so many windows!
The “hall” between the stairs and master bedroom is 33″ (from wall to wall). If you measure from wall to railing (which is more accurate), it’s more like 31″ – kind of tight. I’m not quite sure what Georgia code is, but I think 36″ minimum is a more standard measurement. It’s not impossible to get furniture in the master bedroom, but it sure is difficult. I have no idea why this house was deigned with such a narrow hall.
We have a weird little nook created by the kitchen wall and the stairs. (Below the stairs is another set of stairs going down to the basement so they can’t be altered or moved.)
During Christmas, it’ll be perfect for a tree – for the other eleven months, I’m not so sure. Maybe a mudroom bench type area? Currently, there isn’t coat closet by the front door. But first, we need to address the… um… “design” of the space.
…and on that note, here’s a closer look at some details of the finishings in the room:
The green tile – it is nice that it wasn’t laminate, but the color was unfortunate.
This is not a great tile job – the inconsistent grout lines bug me like crazy!
Rough-hewn wood frames for the windows – currently painted hunter green. (Texture is one way to add interest to a space, however, just like the stippled ceilings – these boards love to grab on to dust & fur… and paper towels when you try to clean them.)
Store front windows. This isn’t rain sitting on the outside of the glass, moisture has made it’s way between the panes.
Another example of the not-so-clear view through the foyer windows. This image isn’t out of focus, the window is just foggy. (On a side note, yay bluebirds!)
There are a few issues with the foyer that we will be addressing with renovations:
• Aesthetically, the lovely variety of flooring choices (green tile & carpet with views of both linoleum & oak.)
• The troubling slope downward from the middle of the room toward the right (master bedroom) and left (kitchen) walls.
• the overall tight “hallway” section that passes by the master bedroom (mainly from the house design, partially due to the rails that are mounted on the side of the stairs).
• the rails that are simultaneously dated in style and just bulky (they contribute to blocking light) – also, I’m pretty sure their design is actually intended for outdoor railings.
• Moisture that has penetrated the window seals which makes them look foggy.
• Dated light switches and baseboards, the need for new paint.
On the right, the floor slopes rather dramatically toward the master bedroom. Oh, and on the left, slightly toward the kitchen. (We will find out later why – yay!)
Over by the master bedroom door – even without a level, you can tell with the naked eye, that there is a slope to the floor.
The plan:
We are going to piggy back part of the foyer renovation along with the kitchen. Our first priority is still the kitchen, but the foyer floor will have to be ripped up as part of that process… since they flow together. So, as we start to conclude the kitchen demo, why not lump all the destruction together? We will be destroying that lovely green tile…and some baseboards… and maybe some railings. We will also be looking into options for leveling out the subfloor.
Farther into the future, after the kitchen is done, we will address things like the stairs, railings, windows, paint, and lighting.