Random question about stairs in your home

hmd

Do you prefer an entry with stairs to have a full wall (meaning no doorway to the left/right at entry) or just a wall by the stairs and a doorway into the adjoining room?  DH and I are debating a home plan, which has a formal living room to the left that we really wouldn't use.  I suggested taking out the doorway and walling the room in and putting our master bedroom/bath there instead with a hall way and door on the other side of the stairs.  He is not thrilled with the wall being there when you walk in.  

I hope you can picture what I am trying to say.  : )

hmd

Kimbus22 said:

I'm thinking it's steps in front of you when you walk in and she wants to know if you need doorways/open space on both sides of the steps or if it's okay for there to be like a solid wall on the left and just a doorway into the room on the right?

Is that it?

Yes, thank you!  And there would be a hall running down the middle in front of the door.

rockyrollgirl

Uh. I do not know. This is ours. Playroom on right. Living to left. Garage and guestroom straight ahead.

=Lee=B

I think we have something similar to what you mention...we have front door (double door) with a foyer area...stairs straight ahead to go up...and hallway on the left of stairs.  We have a formal diningroom and formal livingroom on either side of front door/staircase.  Both rooms are closed in but have French doors that we leave open so the area feels open but can be closed off.

I can see a masterbed being on the one side and it not being weird...maybe use French doors without windows so it looks like it could be open and doesn't appear too closed in even when the doors are closed?

We had no need for the formal livingroom as we have a huge family room on main floor.  We turned the formal livingroom into a 'game room' where we host board games which is what we tend to do with friends.  So it has a large 8 person bar height table, fire place and seating and all that.  So when you first enter our house we essentially have a formal diningroom on the right and a room that looks like another diningroom on the left!

MomIn2013

I think aesthetically it might look better to have the opening there, since it would appear more spacious when you first walk in. I'd be afraid of it looking kind of closed in, I guess. Also, since it would be to a formal living room, you could have that nicely decorated so that's what you see to the left when you first walk in the door.

On the other hand entirely, though, since you're thinking about switching it to your master bedroom, would putting the master there give you a nicer layout/more space/etc. that you would like a lot better? If so, it might be worth it to switch it just for that benefit.

hmd

LalaMama81 said:

I dislike anytime the stairs are the first thing you see/get to. We are in an 85 year old twin, no entry way. The front door dumps you right into the living room. Stairs are in that room but at the back corner. There is a wall because it's a twin, that wall is shared. So this doesn't looks funny to me, but I wouldn't like it if it was right there 5 ' from the door, if that makes sense.

This is how our old home was, and I hated walking straight into the living room.  But I like the plans with the stairs at the end of the entry hall too.  

meglew

An open entryway is on my list of must haves in our next house.  We have such a small foyer area, I would prefer something that lets in lots of light and feel open and airy.