Foyer Lighting for Entrances & Stairwells

What size light for a foyer?

Measure the ceiling height first. Under nine feet, a close-mounted fitting or a short-drop lantern keeps the entrance from feeling low. Nine to twelve feet takes a chandelier or a hanging lantern at full size. Above twelve feet — a double-height foyer or an open stairwell — use a tall multi-tier fitting rather than a wider one.

How low to hang a foyer light

Leave at least seven feet of clear headroom beneath the fitting where people walk through. In a double-height entrance, hang so the lowest point sits level with the first-floor landing, so the light reads properly from both storeys rather than floating out of reach. If there is a window above the door, centre the fitting on the window from outside as well as on the floor inside.

Foyer lighting ideas

One large lantern reads as architecture and is the simplest way to give an entrance presence. A pair of wall lights flanking the door adds the layer a single overhead fitting misses, and is what stops a foyer feeling like a corridor. In a stairwell, a tall cascading fitting follows the turn of the stair and is visible from every floor.

Finishes for an entrance

Antique brass and aged finishes forgive dust on a fitting nobody can easily reach. Polished brass and crystal lift a darker entrance and reward a dimmer. Seeded and antique glass hides the lamp inside, which matters when the fitting is seen from below and from the landing above.