How to Design a Wow

Jun 15, 2023

Each week, Mansion Global tackles a topic with an elite group of designers from around the world who work on luxury properties. This week, we explore how to create a foyer that wows.

Foyers shouldn’t be an afterthought. These all-important entrance spaces can set the scene for a home’s mood, paving the way for the design to come.

“A foyer offers a place to ‘tease’ family and guests to enter and see the rest of the home,” said designer Kelley Proxmire in Bethesda, Maryland.

Whether the space is compact or oversized and the look is layered or no-fuss, foyers can present a wow factor, according to these four design pros.

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“The wow factor can be a single dramatic item––a fabulous pendant light or a rug with a huge design, or it can be an unexpected but successful mix of colors and patterns. I think color usually has a better chance at creating drama than neutrals, especially if your foyer isn’t architecturally interesting.

“I wanted to create a wow foyer by going maximalist with the mix of colors and patterns, but the client was hesitant. By limiting the palette and not using any outrageous, multicolored patterns, we got the mix without the chaos.

“I always recommend varying the scale when mixing patterns, so that’s what we did here: smallest on the stair runner rug, large on the wallpaper and very large on the ottoman. We limited the palette to blue, a little pink and white—the wallpaper’s white background makes it breathable and doesn’t overwhelm you with color.”

—Designer Annie Elliott in Washington, D.C.

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Play up the Space with a Mirror

“I often start with the artwork and add varying shapes, such as the straight lines of a mirror softened by the curves of the chairs and table. I use a mirror in just about every foyer I design. A mirror reflects the colors and patterns in the space, as well as the daylight coming in. Plus it offers a chance for a final look before leaving the home.

“We incorporated red in the adjacent living room, including in the artwork, fabrics and accessories, so we wanted to continue red in the foyer. The artwork was existing so we extracted red from the art and painted the walls red above and below the chair rail.

“This antique stone table in this foyer does create a dramatic statement. Add a stool, bench, plants or trunk under the table for an added layer. Each element adds a statement and has a layering effect.”

—Designer Kelley Proxmire in Bethesda, Maryland

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In a Two-Story Foyer, Make a Statement with Wallpaper and a Chandelier

“Something oversized is a great place to start creating drama in a foyer. As foyers most often have tile floors, adding a soft rug and an upholstered side chair or small bench are always nice as well.

“The best way to start to deal with two-story foyers is wallpaper––that helps eat up a lot of the wall space so it isn’t just expanses of drywall that feel empty. I wanted it to feel beautiful and fresh, but also simplify things for your eye which is why I chose various shades of white. The wallpaper pulled everything together, creating visual interest that helped quiet some of the architectural stuff going on.

“The chandelier is from Oly Studio and it obviously helps use up the vertical space in the room, but it is less traditional than a multi-arm chandelier. Having a bold chandelier can be a great way to quickly transform a foyer. I always love something with an interesting shape or arm, or something that doesn’t feel so static.”

—Designer Maren Baker in Boise, Idaho

Channel a Hotel Lobby

“We knew we wanted to go a little out of the box with a luxurious marble floor, so we toyed with all options from a simple marble checkered pattern in a more subdued gray and white color scheme, to a modern graphic black, white and gold pattern. Since it was such a large foyer, creating an impact on the floors would only exaggerate how grand the space really was.

“If I could cover the world in blue-and-white pottery I would, so it was a must-have in this space somewhere. The blue color is so vivid and balances out the black and white bold flooring choice.

“Since it’s such a large space with very high ceilings, greenery and real plants in an oversized scale were a major part of the planned design. This filled up the space and made it feel approachable while grand and luxurious. Every space should have at least one piece of real greenery or florals if possible. In fact, both if you have the surface space to place them. We were channeling a hotel lobby with a grand beautiful floral arrangement in the center, but in other spaces, it could simply be an easy-to-care-for potted plant in a beautiful vase.”

—Designer Amy Peltier in San Marino, California

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