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Architect's Toolbox: Vestibules Remake an Entrance
Easing our passage from the outdoors in, vestibules from times past are transitioning to the entryways of the present
Houzz Contributor. My name is Bud Dietrich and I am an architect located in the Tampa Bay area of Florida. I am licensed to practice architecture in Illinois, Florida, New Jersey & Wisconsin and I am a certificate holder from the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB). Since 1996 I have worked from my home office and provide full architectural services exclusively to the single family residential market. My passion is to transform my clients' houses into their homes. I strive to have the "new" home accommodate my clients' lives without fighting them at every junction. I look to add curb appeal to encourage a beautiful streetscape. And I design any addition to look and feel like it has always been there.
Our projects have won numerous design awards as well as having...
Houzz Contributor. My name is Bud Dietrich and I am an architect located... More »
In days gone by, when houses were hard to heat, an air lock was created between the outside and the inside of the house. This air lock, or vestibule, served to control heat loss through the front door and had the added benefit of providing more control over who could enter the house. Typically small and functional, a vestibule sometimes included a coat closet, a place for umbrellas and a place to collect the mail.
Yet vestibules also served more than just these simply utilitarian needs. They allowed us to shift between the great, vast and scaleless outdoors to the secure, comfortable and intimate scale of the interior. These rooms eased the transition between the public and private domains of our lives.
In the 1950s and 1960s, as heating systems improved, we stopped building vestibules as these rooms were no longer worth the expense. However, in giving up on the vestibule we also gave up on the idea of making a gradual and distinctive transition from outside to inside. Now so many houses are built without any transition, resulting in what often is a jarringly uncomfortable experience when you walk through the front door.
So let's bring back that transition so we can ease our way from one realm to the next.
Yet vestibules also served more than just these simply utilitarian needs. They allowed us to shift between the great, vast and scaleless outdoors to the secure, comfortable and intimate scale of the interior. These rooms eased the transition between the public and private domains of our lives.
In the 1950s and 1960s, as heating systems improved, we stopped building vestibules as these rooms were no longer worth the expense. However, in giving up on the vestibule we also gave up on the idea of making a gradual and distinctive transition from outside to inside. Now so many houses are built without any transition, resulting in what often is a jarringly uncomfortable experience when you walk through the front door.
So let's bring back that transition so we can ease our way from one realm to the next.
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The classic old-house vestibule in a new house: a door between outside and inside, and a door between the vestibule and the front hall. The space of the vestibule is compressed and tight, making the space of the home all the more explosive and impressive.
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Vestibules were often built outside the wall of the house and were a device for creating a human scale as one approached the front door.
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Which is the front door? This vestibule serves to transition from the common areas of the building to the private loft space. Clearly, the more important front door is the interior door from the vestibule into the loft.
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Are vestibules inside spaces, outside spaces or both at the same time? Bringing some of the materials and colors from the exterior into the vestibule blurs the lines between inside and out.
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Large doors open the vestibule to the stair hall when not closed. The scale of these double doors and opening provides a relationship between the smaller scale of the vestibule and larger scale of the stair hall.
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Off to the side and forcing a series of turns to enter or leave the space, this entryway isn't closed off with another door. Big windows bring extra sunlight into the home. And the window seat makes the vestibule all the more functional.
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| A vestibule-like entry can be created in a house that's tight on space. A few defining columns, maybe a built-in bench and a lowered ceiling all create the transition space that eases the movement from outside to inside. |
by Hufft Projects
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Traditional approaches aren't the only choices. Changes in floor material and ceiling height, plus a screen wall, create that subtle but clearly defined transition space.
And just as traditional designs can have a vestibule-like transition space on the outside, so too can modern designs.
More Architect's Toolbox: Scale and Proportion
More:
Decorating Around an Open Entryway
Keys to a Stylish Entry
More Architect's Toolbox: Scale and Proportion
More:
Decorating Around an Open Entryway
Keys to a Stylish Entry
Comments
Andrea May Hunter/Gatherer Great post, Bud. I really like how your first, second and fifth images illustrate how the change in scale from going from the intimate, human-scale space of the vestibule to a space with greater volume creates a more dynamic architectural experience.
15 months ago · Like
mmsalg Love these!!!! There diversity showcases how transforming entrances are to an entire space. Love the smaller entry with the wooden door and custom bench with brick legs. I also emphasizing just the door or a wall installation or even a stair railing to create the drama. These two are really great too. (check out the entrance with the custom mural) 
15 months ago · Like
Katherine Likely I remember my Grandmothee them!r calling them something else and a lot of Alaska homes still hav
15 months ago · Like
aerinrae I have one of these. Unfortunately, it is at an entrance that nobody uses so I am not sure what to do with it. It has coat hooks and shoes but you are basically walking from the kitchen entrance (which has no storage space what-so-ever) through the family room and foyer. I wish I could use it. It is also heated, I don't know if that is typical.
15 months ago · Like
thegreenbee I hate front entrances that place you right in the living room with now sort of transition space! So I love your spotlight on vestibules- perfect answer to how to define an entrance, separate from the living room or other living areas.
15 months ago · Like
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Bencar Building Systems, LLC We had one in our house built in 1926 - tiny, no windows, could barely get one door open to get to the other. We eliminate it and the closet next to it to open up the area. We added columns create a separation between the entry and the living room.
15 months ago · Like
squinlan Katherine, here in Alaska we still utilize them often. We call them "Arctic Entryways" and they are so useful, especially when taking off all of our winter gear. Most of the Arctic Entryways are not as beautiful as the ones pictured here, but they definitely serve their purpose.
15 months ago · Like
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Tobey McCool Most houses now call them mudrooms and they are usually at the back of the house or entering from the garage. I love the first picture you had, the small but elegant entranceway. I too hate coming in a door and bang your in the livingroom, I love the vestibule idea but maybe on a larger scale, so your not feeling so confined.
15 months ago · Like
lauragee I love that first picture. It looks almost exactly like my house, but prettier. I've been looking for ideas for my vestibule and foyer so this was a timely post. ;)
15 months ago · Like
writerinfact Thank you! Now I know WHY I dislike exterior doors that put one smack into a ROOM, whether living room or dining room or whatever. The white entry with the lowered ceiling and see-through divider feels similar in intent to the miniscule entry in my mom's former house, but the door was hinged on the wrong side, making entering (if not leaving!) awkward, although the screen was (in my opinion) correctly hinged, even if it was the same side as the "real" door. I guess that's what happens when you cut the corner out of the room for the steps and porch, then have to turn 90 degrees to go through the door. But that whole house was rather awkward, so it's all of a piece. I think it was "built" rather than "designed!" : )
10 months ago · Like
sheartsb It is also called an "airlock" (not sure if it is spelled as one word or two).
4 months ago · Like
Ideabook published on Feb. 21, 2012.
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