One of the many joys of owning a custom home is the opportunity to show it off to your guests. Creating a “wow” factor for your home ensures your guests will be impressed and amazed by your design taste and style.

The front entry foyer is an ideal location to start adding impressive design features; it's the first thing your guests see when they come to your home. When the front door opens, your guests’ first impression of your home will be one of awe.

1. Magnificent Staircases

A traditional way to create a defining look in a custom home is to design an elegant staircase. A two-story grand entry with an open staircase is an impressive feature that greets guests with undeniable style. Double stairs can curve around a rounded foyer to create symmetry and opulence. A custom chandelier, ornate mouldings, and high-end flooring create a welcoming, inspiring space.

Spiral staircases, open risers, and contemporary style will give your foyer a distinctive look. Your foyer should be proportionate to the size of your home, but choosing to include a large and impressive entry is a wonderful addition to your home's overall design.

2. Create a Natural Wall

Another custom feature that will create a “wow” factor when the front door to your home is opened is a feature wall, like a unique wall of stone or a living wall of plants. These natural elements of style bring the outdoors inside and create an impressive focal point in your home. A stone wall can be rustic or traditional, with natural stone such as marble, slate, and travertine offering a look of strength and style.

Windows and skylights will provide all the natural light your vertical plants need, and custom shelving systems provide water and nutrients to the plants. A living wall can be maintained as a permanent part of your home, and plants such as ferns, mosses and orchids will turn your foyer into a natural oasis.

3. Large, Luminous Light Fixtures

Light fixtures are another sophisticated way to create an imposing look in your front entryway. For the two-story foyer with a grand staircase, an ornate chandelier is a traditional lighting element. A modern style will update this traditional look, and the addition of wall sconces adds ambient lighting to the room. For a distinctive, eye-catching focal point in your foyer, a large chandelier is always impressive.

4. The Tradition of a Fireplace

A classic element of a high-end design includes multiple fireplaces throughout the home. A grand fireplace that is located in or is visible from the foyer provides a warm and sophisticated greeting on a cold winter evening. Surrounding the fireplace with a magnificent hearth composed of natural stone or tile will give it a unique, customized look. Traditional woodwork and moulding will tie your fireplace in with the rest of the space with classical elements of beautiful design.

5. Mirrors Reflect Beauty

To make the size of your foyer seem larger than life, mirrors will create reflections and optical illusions will create reflections and optical illusions that enhance the size and grandeur of the space. Placing mirrors where they will reflect beautiful elements, such as a grand staircase or elegant art, can help to emphasize these focal points in an effective way.

6. Wooden Design Elements

Crown moulding, baseboard moulding, ceiling beams, wainscoting, and carved staircase railings are a signature style of an elegant custom home. Updating these classic looks with modern style will add unique and unexpected personality to your home. Choosing traditional elements but updating them with your own individual taste will allow you to express your personal style in a way that will be instantly evident to your guests.

7. Focal-Point Flooring

The flooring in your foyer is a fantastic opportunity to make a bold statement with opulent materials and eye-catching designs. An elegant marble floor is a traditional statement of prestigious taste and design. However, a rustic slate or wooden floor can add a modern air of excellence with a look that’s on trend, especially when paired with wrought iron railings and lighting. Custom mosaic or wood marquetry insets can create borders, patterns or central medallions that make the floor a focal point of the space.

8. An Eye on Elegant Windows

Inviting entryway windows are another way to add a sophisticated look to your foyer. With a glow that can be seen outdoors and natural light that floods the interior space, well-designed windows can change the look of your room during different times of the day or variations in the weather. Coloured or patterned art glass can create a truly upscale look with traditional stained glass windows or modern cast-glass designs adding colour, light, and style to your foyer.

Although there are many areas within the interior and exterior of your home that can benefit from a jaw-dropping focal point, the entry foyer to your home is the ideal location to make a lasting impact. We're ready to hear your ideas and dreams for your home’s “wow” factor so we can turn your wishes into reality.