This ’90s Home Layout Trend Is Finally on Its Way Out — Here’s What’s Replacing It

I was visiting my aunt in the Chicago suburbs a few months ago, and was awed by her home’s striking two-story foyer. While I thought it looked beautiful, she informed me that, in fact, it wasn’t practical at all — and if she could get rid of it easily, she would. That’s what got me thinking: It had been a long time since I had been in a house with a two-story foyer or living space. 

Is the trend of two-story foyers and living spaces on its way out? And in fact, where did it even come from, exactly? To satiate my curiosity, I turned to some real estate and interior design experts to find out more about this trend.

According to experts I spoke to, the 1990s and early 2000s were a time of aspirational home interiors. Homebuyers, fueled by a booming economy and a desire for more space, dreamed of residences that exuded opulence and expansiveness. This was the golden age of the two-story foyer and the two-story family room. 

Fast forward to today, and the shine has worn off. What was once seen as a showcase of affluence is now often viewed as impractical, with homeowners and prospective buyers becoming aware of the downsides, which include sky-high utility bills due to inefficient heating and cooling, acoustic nightmares from echoing sounds, wasted unusable space that could otherwise be a functional living area, and maintenance headaches like changing lightbulbs in towering heights.

“Double-height foyers were a flex in 1999. In 2025, buyers read them as expensive air. Today’s demand is for functional square footage (think: quiet offices, nurseries, and lofts). Not a cavern that’s hard to heat and harder to live in,” says Umair Kabani, a Los Angeles-based real estate professional.

If you’re wondering why two-story living spaces are on their way out, here’s what the real estate professionals, interior designers, and architects have to say about how the trend will evolve.

The post-pandemic era has ushered in a demand for home interiors that prioritize functionality and comfort over visual aesthetics. Real estate experts state that this desire for a more practical home has led to a change in buyer preferences. 

“Two-story foyers and family rooms once symbolized luxury, but today buyers are gravitating toward layouts that maximize usable and flexible space,” says Nishant Sondhi, founder and managing principal at Sondhi Capital Group, a real estate investment group. “Post-COVID-19, open-concept kitchens that flow into family rooms, multifunctional dens for work-from-home, and even areas repurposed as workout spaces are far more appealing,” he adds.

Moreover, due to evolving lifestyles, homeowners prefer efficient interiors. They are picking homes with smart and intuitive layouts over large houses with two-story foyers or living spaces. 

“The trend has shifted to modern homes and apartments with efficient space planning, encouraging smarter use of space,” say Gaurav Sanghavi and Harsh Pote, cofounders and principal architects of Pentaspace Design Studio. “Urban living today values accessibility, community, and sustainability — areas where sprawling homes often fall short. This shift reflects a broader trend: less maintenance, more function.”

But what about the homes, like my aunt’s, that already feature these grand spaces? They’re not exactly easy to renovate, after all. Interior designers and real estate professionals suggest some smart design and staging techniques to make them cozier and more practical. 

“If you already have high ceilings, make the space feel warmer and more human scale by painting the walls a darker color, or add a datum line at eye level with accessories or lighting,” mentions Shannon Dennis, interior designer at The Monochrome Edit. “Focusing on strategically placed ambient lighting in the form of sconces, table lamps, and floor lamps will help add dimension and minimize the use of the overhead light, leading to less frequent light replacement.”

Furthermore, to make two-story spaces more marketable, real estate professionals highlight opportunities to craft loft-style conversions or reframe the volume as a versatile feature rather than wasted square footage. “My playbook is simple: Either capture the cube (add a mezzanine/bedroom or a glassed-in office) or tame it with comfort tech (think: zoned HVAC, a quality destratification fan, motorized shades, layered lighting, and acoustic soft goods). Attach a clean rendering and a quick ROI, and that ‘relic’ turns from echo to equity,” says Kabani.

Lastly, some experts also feel that the trend isn’t completely shifting away from dramatic double-story spaces. It’s more about dressing the spaces to make them feel more practical and homier. “Double-height interiors continue to hold their charm too, but with a bolder edge: suspended lighting, art installations, and even large-format contemporary artworks now define these soaring spaces,” says Nayan Shah, architect and founder of Palindrome Spaces. 

Therefore, this shift away from two-story living spaces showcases a broader desire for comfort, practicality, and efficiency. However, it doesn’t mean that two-story foyers are completely out. It just means that they will now need to be dressed with smart design choices and technological upgrades to meet the functional requirements of present-day living.