You're having the floors redone, not replaced, right? If so, there's a good chance you don't have hardwood under that half wall. That's the first thing I'd figure out before deciding what to do.

There is hardwood underneath it.

As to lighter, do you mean blonde/natural? they look quite light already....
the half-wall is a bit on the tall side, and you probably would prefer it removed...
someone on houzz with a similar wall put her tv behind it and when people walked into the house they didn't spot it. Her living room looked smaller than yours and viewing was good from the couch...

In terms of the floors,by lighter, I guess I really just mean less yellow. More like this color:

That's an interesting idea about putting the TV behind the 1/2 wall. My main concern with having that wall there is that the entrance is very cramped.

Any other ideas out there? Do you all think we should take the half wall down?

Guessing that the half wall creates a bit of a foyer. I don't really like walking right into a living room without any separation from the entry, so I would leave it. Anyway, it's easier to keep it as is.

I see what you mean about the half wall. It does create a defined entryway, though. Perhaps if you leave it, you could lower it and trim it out with some moulding. In fact, since your house is a Colonial style, crown moulding at the ceiling and door moulding around that wide open doorway would dress up the room. It would look very nice to refinish your floors to make them less "yellow", however, you could draw attention away from that by color choices of furnishing and area rugs.

It is sort of awkward but the nice thing is that it preserves your privacy if somebody knocks on the door you don't open the whole inside world to them. I think you could work with it but if you hate it and feel it limits your design options that much, dump it.
The floors are pretty.

I would take it out. You do not need a wall to define a foyer. A gorgeous table would be more attractive if you want to define an area. 1/2 walls just give me the impression that the builder/architect/designer was unsure of the design. Build a wall, don't build a wall. Build a half wall, I don't like them. Be confident in your choice.

If you are still thinking it over, you can post the width of wall to half-wall, and we can tell you if that's cramped compared to the rest of us [well I'll tell you anyway!]
Other houzzer had a bookcase built in to the side away from door... found in Driftwood Natural fyi

the wall is too small and not tall enough. I would remove and build something else to give you privacy at front door.

Awful excuse for an entry/foyer. Take that measly wall down down now. Any good wood floor installer worth his/her salt can fix the floor very easily. If you want an entry, make one! It would depend on the door though.

I am a fan of wide entry doors with big open windows, so I'd probably build that into the budget right now, along with building an element to add privacy to the living room while making the entry welcoming.

As for the floor color, it depends on the wood. Maple does not take color well, so you can't stain it too dark, and it and tends to go yellow, so if you have that, you maybe stuck. With oak, the world is your oyster!

Thanks for the advice everyone!

The width of the space between the wall and the half wall is just the width of the front door, which is about 34 inches or so.

The crown molding is a great idea. We definitely want to do this at some point in the next year. Anyone have any idea as to how much it would cost to have crown molding put in?

The floors are red oak, so we have quite a few options in terms of stain. Overall we like the look, but would just like it to be a little less yellow.

You would probably have to same number of people saying to keep the wall or remove it. Personally I agree with providing a bit of separation from the front door so one doesn't feel like they walk straight into the living room.

Keep the wall. It is a much more gracious entry. If you don't have a coat closet close by, you could add one. The space looks large and the backside of a coat closet would give you another option for furniture placement in the living room. A full wall or closet will cut down on cold (or hot) weather from zipping in the living space when the door is opened. Architecturally & environmentally there a many reasons to keep and/or beef-up the division.

Do you mean, have a closet made in that space next to the door? Love this idea, but sounds expensive. There is a closet next to the door, but it's the only closet on the first floor, so that could be a great idea.

You can do that also, but keep in mind you will take away additional 2 feet + framing from the room and you will have to move some electrical outlets and wiring, trim, etc.

Lose the wall. Houses now are all about open space.

When you refinish, use a commercial water based poly, it won't amber the wood as much as the current oil based poly has. That said, oak will never be maple like your chosen floor.

Question: do you ever bump into it with purchases/bags, etc. Houzz photos with open or closed bookcases:


INSTall a ceiling potlight entry //also to line up with half-wall:

one of these dividers but nicer... or a translucent plastic with grasses or just texture as in offices - maybe that:


I would say this, that it could 'hide' a tv or a couch, depending:


If no outlet problem - would the little closet open opposite [parallel] to front door?.....

I'm going to be a take it down vote and if you find yourself wanting something to put stuff on, maybe a nice console table. I think that would give you a more open look. I think the floors are pretty, but they are your floors, were you thinking redder?

Is anything in the rest of your house customized in feeling? I wondered about a beautiful pendant light over wall... I don't know just thinking....

if it really feels too cramped in entryway, then lose it. Anything needs to work for how you actually live, and if bumping into it and unable to take things in and out - you will be constantly scuffing it etc and it will start to look unattractive. I concur with others that it is good to have separation from living area vs walking right into a room, as well as if delivery people etc come to the door, and do not want them looking into the room. So can replace with a screen or some other design feature if eliminate wall as already suggested by a couple people. If wall can stay as separation, then finish it as others have suggested. Thought of a lighting element above it mentioned earlier, a planter box with plants, create a large decorative panel or even a stained glass panel (needs to work for room and entry sides) that can hang from above as a design element if it works in your house.

I like truegrid's upper right - it's pretty, can be moved, just two cents

A hall closet should not cost that much to build. It will define the hall space better making the open space of the living room feel even more open. You can use amber seal on your floors with a couple coats of water based "Traffic" to get a really rich honey color.

Can closet be built over redone floors for possible future removal? so floors wouldn't look ruined.

Sure the closet can be built on top of the flooring. The nails will leave nail holes as they go through the hardwood flooring but that could be filled if you choose to remove the closet later.

Rooms without a vestibule or proper entry are challenging for sure. I'm new to this conversation so I may not be aware of the choices you may have made already.
But one thought I have is that if you were to build a second wall on the opposite side, to the ceiling and raising the existing wall, you'd have another archway and a cozier entry. Since the front door swings into the back wall, lining the walls inside your new entryway with wainscoting would (protect the walls but also), give more stature to the new entry as a "room" in itself. Because the existing divider wall is so close to the front door, you could just take it down and then add a new wall with an archway about 30" into the room.

your style?

Hi maisiesv,
Congratulations! What a beautiful open space to transform into a home.
Yes. on going for a less yellow finish on the floors. And yes, the half wall does seem out of place there - be better open. If you find you want a more defined space you can use a runner rug that gives an entry feel - then people can choose what direction to walk in openly - or if you want more division you may like a higher moveable room divider.

You have such beautiful wall space in your home.

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I really like the idea one poster had about making a column at the end. I think it looks grand.

This was an older post Nov 2014 - love to see what you decided to do, post updated pics!

As do I,as I am dealing with a similar problem in a house of similar age! Regarding the floors, they yellowed due to age/sunlight (mine even turned a green yellow tinge - gross!). A proper sanding and refinish in a natural oak stain brings out a warmer, non-yellow undertone once again if the floor is in fact red oak (as mine is).