Design, Proportion, and Size input sought for entry/hallway table

[Adrian Ponik]

The front entrance to our house is frankly currently a little bland. When walking in the first thing you see is a big blank wall that screams for a table or small bookcase of some kind. Below is a picture of the table we currently have there. Frankly it seems undersized to my eye. I'm thinking the space needs something bigger/beefier.

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It is just over 6 feet from the corner of the wall to the floor transition where the tile starts (the table shown above is a 48 inch table). My wife would like some place to display some more decorative items and I thought the entryway might be a good place to do it. Not wanting to do just a regular bookcase, this is what I came up with:

60 inch shelf.jpg

60 inches wide, 40 inches tall with 11 inches between the shelves. Very quick rendering of how it would fit with 8 foot wall and the flooring break:

entryway.jpg

I think this gives me that "something beefier" feel, but does it go too far? Not far enough? I'm wondering if it is too wide for the space.

I don't want just a regular bookcase, I'm shooting for something a little more visually interesting, but still highlight the items that will be placed on the shelves. I'm struggling to come up with much. I also am not sure what direction to go with finishing it. Any input regarding the design would be helpful. Thanks.

[Dave Richards]

How about putting it up on a pedestal? Maybe make the shelves slightly thinner than the case? Maybe set the front edges of the shelves back a wee bit behind the front edge of the case.

[Kent A Bathurst]

60 inches wide, 40 inches tall with 11 inches between the shelves. Very quick rendering of how it would fit with 8 foot wall and the flooring break:

entryway.jpg

I think this gives me that "something beefier" feel, but does it go too far? Not far enough? I'm wondering if it is too wide for the space.

Adrian - not being picky about your design skills, but if that is a 60" shelf unit, then that is almost 11' - 130" of wall behind it.

I would make a piece that is 6" - 12" shorter than the wall. Not real deep - that would look out of place to my eye. And - not bookcase / book shelf unit. That also looks out of place to me. Think of a sofa table - those proportions would look perfect, IMO.

You have 2 issues - the length of the piece relative to the width of the wall section, and the big blank wall. I look at these as needing 2 separate solutions. Art on the wall - maybe one large-ish piece, maybe a collection of 4 - 6 professional-quality family portrait photos. Or, someting in-between. Or, or, or......dunno what you have on your walls today.

[John Coloccia]

I think the space just needs a couple of pictures. Maybe a little something else...a lamp, perhaps? Somewhere to hang a couple of coats?

[Adrian Ponik]

Adrian - not being picky about your design skills, but if that is a 60" shelf unit, then that is almost 11' - 130" of wall behind it.

I would make a piece that is 6" - 12" shorter than the wall. Not real deep - that would look out of place to my eye. And - not bookcase / book shelf unit. That also looks out of place to me. Think of a sofa table - those proportions would look perfect, IMO.

You have 2 issues - the length of the piece relative to the width of the wall section, and the big blank wall. I look at these as needing 2 separate solutions. Art on the wall - maybe one large-ish piece, maybe a collection of 4 - 6 professional-quality family portrait photos. Or, someting in-between. Or, or, or......dunno what you have on your walls today.

Kent,

What you can't see in my renderings and the picture above is the stairway that descends to the right of the frame. Yes, the wall is approx 11 feet long, but the rightmost 5 feet or so is where the stairs dumps you into. I'm kind of treating that as a separate space since I think having a single piece of furniture bridging the wood and tile floors and also being in front of the stairs would look odd.

Pictures/art is in the works, but I wanted to get the furniture piece figured out first so I could better determine the placement of the wall hangings

Here's the rest of the entryway/hallway:

[Yonak Hawkins]

Adrian, everyone has their own tastes but I would make it vertically oriented instead of horizontally. I realize this would make it a bigger project than you, maybe, had in mind, but I would make it taller than it is wide and have the main lines vertical, with lots of horizontal shelves, if it's not intended to be primarily a bookcase.

By the way, I really like that wall color.

[glenn bradley]

That space wants a cabinet over table in my mind. I don't really care for this version but, it gives you the idea:

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[John Coloccia]

If you build something large there, the space will feel very cramped. It will feel like you have to walk around something every time you go up or down the stairs.

[Prashun Patel]

I'm not an interior decorator, but unless you require the storage, a bookcase in that space feels busy. My eyes want that space to feel unencumbered.

To that end, I'd keep the table you have, or even build one that is less deep.

I'd hang pictures above it, or build floating shelves that can support pictures and other bric-a-brac.

If you go for the bookcase, then 1) it's going to have a modernish feel; is that in keeping with your decor? 2) It feels to concentrated and busy given that large wall you have.

[George Bokros]

You need something for height on top of the table, perhaps a lamp, and some pictures or a mirror on the wall.

[Kent A Bathurst]

Kent,

What you can't see in my renderings and the picture above is the stairway that descends to the right of the frame. Yes, the wall is approx 11 feet long, but the rightmost 5 feet or so is where the stairs dumps you into. I'm kind of treating that as a separate space since I think having a single piece of furniture bridging the wood and tile floors and also being in front of the stairs would look odd.

Pictures/art is in the works, but I wanted to get the furniture piece figured out first so I could better determine the placement of the wall hangings

Here's the rest of the entryway/hallway:

OK - now I get it.

I stand by my earlier design comments. But - this is very much a personal-choice topic.

Except that, in my house, I would not be the person making the choice.

[Alan Caro]

Adrian Ponick,

I think of entry hall tables as semi-formal- less workbench than elegant desk to set mail and keys. As you are always standing next to it, they are better proportioned when a bit taller than the average kitchen counter and benefit from a good size mirror in a sympathetic style, which also helps the hall be a bit lighter and feel more spacious. this mirror could be flanked with a pair of craftsman syle table lamps. Here is a quick idea for a narrower (16"), taller (3'4") and longer (6') console table. I was thinking of the top having an insert of honed black Granite. Drawers might added that are flush and appear to be the face frame with projecting bottom flanges as pulls or perhaps Craftsman-style copper pulls. Sorry, it's not a very refined design, and the materials for the mirror are not ideal, but conveys the general concept.

Alan Caro

Entry Table_12.22.14.jpg

[Steve Wurster]

If you build something large there, the space will feel very cramped. It will feel like you have to walk around something every time you go up or down the stairs.

I agree with that sentiment, especially given that the existing space between the stairs and the current table looks tight.

Pictures will definitely help, or floating shelves as Prashun mentioned. A smaller table might also be called for.

I would avoid a mirror in that space however; some people don't like looking at their reflection when they enter a house.

[Lee Schierer]

What ever you put there design the height to width ratio to be 1.618 of one to the other. If the height is 48 inches then the width should be 64 3/4". To my eye the table in your first photo is too short for the 48" width. It looks to be 24" tall when it should be 29-1/2". The golden ratio makes furniture more appealing to your eye and they will seem to fit proportionately better in a given space. That wall begs for a framed mirror above the table.

[Adrian Ponik]

So couple things:

Current table is 48 long, 27 tall, and 17 inches deep. It seems a little short and too deep to me in the space.

36 inches between the corner of the current table and the corner of the stairs - ample walking room.

The piece I drew up above is pretty darn close to the golden ratio - 60 wide x40 tall x12 deep, golden ratio says 60x37

If I do a piece like the one I drew above it would not have a back in the hopes of it seeming less like an imposing piece of furniture and a little lighter since you could see through it. The idea behind the piece is to put 8-10 decorative/personal items on there. Not a lot of stuff for 15 linear feet of shelf space. It will mostly be open with minimal clutter (that's the idea anyway). My thought was to do this as a quasi-floating shelf piece. I'm afraid even with shallow floating shelves (8ish inches) it would make the space feel confined if they go up past about elbow height, especially since the area serves as a hallway of sorts between the living room and family rooms. My idea was to do something similar to open/floating shelves with a single piece of furniture and keep the stuff on the wall more flush so the area at/around head height was as open as it could be.

There will be something hanging above it, we're just not sure what yet. Thanks for the input so far.