Architecture
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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