The foyer is the most public room of any building, and, as a room near the entrance, it makes the all important first impression 
on people. This makes lighting the foyer a very important act. There are a few points to consider when you do:
Brightness
This is where people congregate, so you don’t want to make the place dim. When you pick your lighting scheme, you will want to make sure that you don’t have shadowy areas where people can trip and that the corners are properly lit.
You don’t want to wash out the paint scheme or blind anyone, either. This is the room where some cute wall lights, sconces, or wall torchieres could give it an elegant ambiance, combining the right brightness with perfect placement to make your foyer a fun place to gather before heading out for the night.
Design Elements
You are setting the tone for your whole building when you decorate a foyer. Is this a sophisticated place, a home-like place, or something in between? You can answer this question with lighting accessories, such as lamp shades, and the types of lights you install. You can increase the sophistication with picture lights under your lovely watercolors, or you can make a bold statement with colorful lamps. You can go discrete and refined with LED fixtures, or ornate with wall lights. The choice is yours, so pick with care.
Utility
Foyers tend be lit up all the time. They have people hanging around, and they need the lights on for most of the time. For this reason, you need to think about efficiency and utility. LED lights, for instance, will save energy in this overused room. You will also want to consider how your lighting controls are placed and if they are the most suitable for the people who visit you. Do you need to turn lights on and off a lot? Do you need to be able to dim the lights for special events or during certain times of day? You will want to look at all these points when installing lights.
Ceiling fans could also be necessary: they keep warm air out on hot days and make visitors comfortable.
Here at Yale Lighting, we want your foyer to make a great impression on people. Check us out for the lighting and accessories that will make your first room shine.