CREATE AN EXCITING FIRST IMPRESSION FOR YOUR HOME WITH FOYER FLOORING By Tere Bresin,ASID

Whether you call the space inside of your front door an entryway or foyer one of the ways for the greatest impact to the entrance of your home is in the choice of your flooring. The flooring needs to coordinate with the lighting, furniture, wall treatment and color for the greatest impact. What are some of these flooring choices? Options can include: stone, tile or hardwood floors for an elegant look. The foyer is a well trafficked area of your home so careful consideration for durability should always be considered.

If you choose a hard surface such as marble, granite or stone the options are extensive. You can use marble in tile form. They are available in various sizes. Larger size tiles like 18x 18" can be used in areas with large volume. You can create interesting patterns by how you lay out the tiles. They can be laid on a diagonal with a field cut border of 6" by 18". You can combine two colors of marble like white Carrera and black Absolute in a checkerboard pattern layed straight or on a diagonal, with a border or without. I designed a small foyer in a NY apartment using 12"x12" black and white tiles on a diagonal with a 4" border and glazed the walls in rich red with a tone on tone stencil pattern over it. This simple floor treatment combined with rich color created quite a bit of drama.

Ceramic tiles are very practical and require less maintenance than marble. In many cases they are less expensive than the natural stones. Nowadays some of the Italian porcelain ceramics very nicely resemble natural stones like slate and travertine. I have used porcelain tiles in foyers. They are harder than the real stones and require little maintenance other than damp mopping.

Choosing your flooring is an investment that needs careful consideration. You need to choose something that you will enjoy for a long time.

Another material to consider is hardwood floors for your foyer. Hardwood floors create a warm and inviting feel. I have also created an interesting approach to a foyer by stenciling a design around the perimeter and center of a wood floor. But if you have animals, their nails could leave scratches on the wood floors.

Do not be afraid to use a hard surface like stone or ceramics in the foyer and have it open to hardwood floors on adjoining rooms. You can also soften the look of stone with an area rug. When choosing flooring materials it is a good idea to bring samples home so the you can see how the materials look in the light of your home.