The Minister of Fairmilehead Parish Church contacted us looking for an idea on how to better use the foyer space outside their church halls. This space is where parents often wait when coming to pick up their child from Scouts, Guides, etc and she felt that it could be used better to provide a more welcoming, community space.

We discussed how to achieve a more welcoming space on a very tight budget and what we felt this space could be used for:

Parents waiting area
Community area for coffee, chat, book swap, notice boards, etc
Pastoral care, informal meetings, and congregation space outside of the church itself

We draw up this design which offers an area for waiting, meeting, and congregating, and leaves plenty of room for movement and walkways. The area would be partitioned with a natural ‘fence’ concept integrating plants which would work to soften the space. Inside this space would be flexible seating so users can create cozy seating areas, a drinks station with a place for home baking and an ‘honesty box’ to encourage people to use the area, and open shelving on the wall to encourage book swaps and display notices, leaflets and so on.

The church would be able to then display a cross, wall hanging, and other items to create the right vibe for the area. Hanging plants can be added and cushions, etc to help create a comfortable area for members of the congregation and others to feel welcome here.