I would ignore it. Whatever you did would need dusting periodically and that would be a challenge if you had to climb up there on a ladder.

Wow, this is truly a Design Dilemma! Obviously not a functional space at all so it can only be something decorative that makes the area a dramatic focal point.

First I would paint the railing and balusters white to make them visually disappear. Then I would add a tall pedestal topped with a lidded jar or sculpture. And lastly, finish it off with a soft sheer roman shade installed from the ceiling to act as a backdrop.

Hope this helps and happy decorating!

Frances Herrera Interior Design

Assuming the original architect already considered this, but still, wondering what's on the other side of the right and left walls? Any chance the railing could become a sheetrock wall, and that alcove could become a reading nook or other useful space added to one of the adjacent rooms?

To the left is this area. There is a small door for storage but I'm not sure that it goes all the way back. To the right is unfinished attic.

Have that railing removed and if you like you could get a Carousel horse and display it there , it is also a good place to display a Christmas tree next December , or anything in Season that you wish ,nothing small for that space . you could also have a plug installed . Is there a support beam going trough that landing? If not remove the whole thing and have an open space , you will also get more light on the stair case ..

Put nothing there. Anything placed there will collect dust and risking your safety on a ladder on stairs is not worth it, nor is spending any money on this area, seasonal or otherwise.

And if you can ,paint those 2 doors the same colour as the wall they will blend in .

Take out the whole thing! Then you will have an open space for window to shine down on!

That is what I would do ,if not now down the road :) yes !

Can you open the ceiling to the entry below? Then hang a chandelier. If not see if it is accessible to the room on either side and close it off to the stairs.

Are those two windows in your pictures, dormers?

Put a nice roman shade on the window and leave it be.

If you own the home and these are the only two dormers it has, I would drywall both of them closed and forget them. Once a year climb on the roof, open the window, go in and clean it and forget it for another year. You won't miss that little bit of storage space. You might save enough on heating and cooling the space to splurge on a nice light fixture for downstairs.

Sorry but I think that a shade will create darkness to that space

I would remove it if possible.

I would remove the rails and have a small lounge/couch facing the window - a tranquil reading area. To get up to that area I would install a rope ladder painted white which would tuck away or fold up right underneath the current rails.

Yes, the 2 windows in the pictures are dormers. Here is a pic of the outside of the house.

I always love grover's suggestions. I grew up in a cape and have an appreciation for them. Do you use your upstairs? Would those dormers give much needed light a room?

I think we've solved the dormer issue. You just have to decide which is the best solution of those offered. Looks like we're ready to work on the landscaping, or is this an old photo?

I would suggest removing the small area, and replacing the window with a longer, more decorative window to allow in for more natural light

A lot of contractors (Mike Holmes being one) despise dormers. They do not serve much purpose & can just cause another area on the roof for a leak. I don't know what the architect was thinking. I say remove the floor under it as groveraxle suggested & hang a pendant.

If you can't remove it, I would make it a feature or it would drive me nuts. Replace railings with a romantic wrought iron fence, balcony, if you don't like the black spray paint it. Add a basket of fake plants, they look so real these days, don't worry about the dust, can't be that bad and you wouldn't notice it up there hopefully, and a couple of sconces and all you need is Romeo

Turn it over to one of the adjacent spaces to either side.

decoenthusiaste

This is a house we are buying. What would you suggest for landscaping?

Pull out the huge labor intensive hedge that is hiding the house. With such a low porch, you'll want to plant dwarf varieties of something like azaleas or locally hardy dwarf foundation plants that don't require continual pruning or shaping to look good. When the dormers are closed off you won't need that tacky window ac unit over the porch. If you can get a photo of the house with the sun on the porch side, we'll be able to give more input. Right now we can't see much. If you do buy, pull out the hedge, photo again and re-post as a new dilemma for the landscape.

Yes I would remove it, including the floor. Architect must have been on something when designing this!

You got the idea thanks to groveraxle magic touch

You've gotten so many great ideas! My favorites are the pretty roman shade (make it a stationary shade in a gorgeous fabric) and taking off the railing and hanging a beautiful pendant light fixture. I have the same weird little space in my house. The window adds nice light, so I would never get rid of it. I keep it dusted and otherwise ignore it.

I like the idea of removing the area completely and hanging something beautiful there. My next question is specifically how do I do this? Is this something that I would have to hire a professional for or is it something we could do on our own?

Professional would be needed.

capture the space back into one or the other rooms from either side. you can also remove such a silly design feature. Other good ideas here I like...

Remove it to bring in some lights. Or you could add a latter on the wall ad make a liebrary corner.

Feb 2014 post

I agree with removing the space all together and putting in a chandelier. Consider adding a longer window.