Keep us posted? It will be interesting to see the results.

Has anyone had the urge yet to stand on top and yell" I'm the king of the world!"? :)

Haha yes!
I will keep you posted. Husband wants to stay focused on unpacking right now but my minds all over the place with design dilemmas. Haha. I'll try painting a bit this weekend and test some of my current art/furniture for now to see if I'm close.
Pics to follow!

Studio10001 - The Titanic came to my mind, too! Angie - I've been thinking a lot about that space and I'm kind of at a loss. I am thinking a nice large sculpture below would be enough to keep the focus on the beautiful foyer. I don't think I would put anything in the space above to draw the eye up there. I didn't read back through all the comments that have been added since I originally saw this post, so if I am repeating someone else's idea I apologize!

No, I like that advice. My mom keeps suggesting putting a huge plant or something up there but I realllly don't want to draw more attention to the 'what the heck is with your balcony thing' factor. lol

Embrace the red and have a local artist paint an interesting mural

Embrace the red and have an artist paint an interesting mural to complement the awkwardness and make it a statement

Embrace the red and have a local artist paint an interesting mural

The top railing is really the problem. What state are you in?

I'd put a trailing plant up there.

is it there because there is storage within the double doors we see on the side?

what really bothers me is the look of the 'under section', not the top railing. The bit where that light is and it curves underneath, the red accentuates it. Looks even shiny in the light?

You should go for a very matt paint that will not accentuate that curve, I think if you put some kind of shelves/hooks/skinny console or large art or mirror (only if mirror DOESN'T face the front door though, bad Feng Shui if it did), it should distract. If you leave it empty I find it could simply stand out even more.

This is the place where maybe you could consider making it the 'coat hanger, tidy', etc of the hallway, it indeed you haven't thought of one yet?

As for the Juliette balcony, i like the idea of plants...or could be a place for storage with open woven baskets or an old vintage trunk. but it has to look pretty from the outside between the railing...

If you really want to make big changes, and the windows over the front door are in the right place, you could do something like
this from Apartment Therapy.

If you need storage, consider flooring it over to the wall, dray walling the rest to the ceiling, and creating a closet.

It's definitely strange. The problem with having it removed [which is what I'd do] is that now you have to repair the floor which would involve scrapping in new wood and refinishing the floor. That might end up being the best solution in the long run, but it would be expensive in the short run.

HI -- I was going to comment first but waited to see what amusing comments were going to come on this one ...... interesting ideas . Really I think this was the builders way of dealing with some thing he didn't know what to do with .No design skills here. I bet this house was done when the movie The Titanic was out and he was thinking this is clever !! NOT And this was the result . Then the former owner accented it with color trying to deal with it . The railings just add to the odd look . Too much and wrong style . I would not add things to it or put anything on top of it because it looks ridiculous and cheap . Short of actually rebuilding the whole area , which is what I would do,- I think I would have just continued the height of that closet , maybe to the railing height , and not had the funky corner feature on the end ,and had a simpler railing that has no country knobs and just a thin plain spindle and painted all one color . A hidden cabinet/storage could be put into it on the upper level if needed , that could be clever . That would be so much better and up to date than having plants or chairs or other distractions on display on top . The Titanic sunk you know !

Having read all the comments I really think it needs primer and paint the same colors as your other walls. Then the Demi-lune table and a mirror above it with a tall buffet lamp on the side and some plants or pretty stacked storage boxes or an upholstered cube ottoman underneath the table. It could work.

it makes you wonder what the architect was thinking...lol. regardless, congrats on your new home! :) a couple of coats of primer and some paint to match the other walls, and a pair of non-mirrored doors similar to the other white doors will greatly help. hanging a beautiful piece of art is a great, low cost option for that awkward spot. i like also to create a "landing zone" at my entry....a cabinet piece or a chest of drawers is great here, it provides a spot to drop your mail, keys, glasses, gloves, etc when you enter...a drawer for each will prevent clutter. a nice table lamp and a seat of some sort creates an inviting entry. it's hard to tell what kind of space you have with the one picture. anyway, once you hide the red, the oddness of the balcony will fade away a bit. i'd try not to draw too much attention to it.

It might be so you could put a tube elevator in the closet downstairs and have it pop up and open into the hall. So now you have an art niche downstairs that's already lit. I like columbia's idea with the bubble lights. Upstairs I'd just avert my eyes. lol

this is one for the books. How about taking out the curved railing, which just emphasizes the problem and using the railing you remove to go strait across? You must find a painting you love, not a mirror as not only does it face the door, but I think a mirror will just emphasize the problem.

a chest with drawers for keys and purses, etc. under the painting. a stool for removing shoes/boots along the stair.

painting of course. including painting out the curve to minimize it.

on the other hand, you have a perfect spot for thespians and future politicians to practice speechifying

you will feel better when the red is gone.

another problem is the modern feel of the curve versus the traditional banister.

Ramona has similar ideas about the storage tidy hallway area that I mentioned. give it some thought, as removing and redesigning it would cost thousands.

Put a collage of pictures of family members or just pictures of nature.

I personally really like the red

If you don't like the red you can paint it but you buy a new house you don't want it to look just like the house down the street. Your possibilities are endless here. If you put up a great art piece over a demilune table with a pretty plant in a pretty pot it will look awesome.

You can frame a poster, or use different seasonal art, you are going to have fun with this.

HI -- Angie --- In the future ,when you can afford it . You could just continue the upper floor out to the end of this closet that fills in that part between the jut -out and the wall then have the rail straight across and that will give you usable square footage up stairs . Then that little upper level loft space would be where you could have a nice seating area with a couple of chairs or a small love seat etc. I don't think it would cost that much to do .That will add much more value to your home too, instead of the way it is now and it won't look strange . I think that's the way it should have been done in the beginning .

That's going to pass for "character" in a couple of generations.

I think the original design probably didn't
Have this as a balcony, but as a ledge over the closet. I see this a lot where I live but can't find pictures on houzz of it. Basically, picture the same space without the railings. Often people use it for art, basket, and vase displays... So the space above the closet is where you can place some oversized pieces.

Thanks so much for all your responses.. the serious helpful ones as well as the funny ones!

As we are just moving in, I don't want to spend a ton of cash on this quite yet (other than paint/furniture/decor) since our kitchen and a few other spots need some love. Long term, I do like the idea of revamping/extending/removing it altogether, tho not sure the return on investment..lol

Up top is just a 2pc washroom and a large playroom we are using as an entertainment/rec room type thing so there shouldn't be too much guest traffic up there. That "structure" is the entrance closet with the mirrored doors, and the far end below the stairs is our washer/dryer/crawlspace entrance.

I do like red.. but not a huge fan of it here. Hmmm. Feeling hopeful with all the suggestions. <3 thanks again.

Repaint and ignore the balcony.

Before you give it a second thought get the rest of the house completely like you want it. Then, after all that, if you're still worried about the balcony to nowhere then do something

Depending on what color you paint your walls, you might also consider painting the spindles the same color. Less contrast would call less attention to the issue.

Definitely paint out the red/pink color to match the walls or some soothing color - Sherwin Williams Barcelona Beige (kind of a taupe-y grey/brown), or Crushed Ice (a very light grey). I like to paint out dated railings like this in one solid dark color like SW Sealskin (dark, dark, brown) or Peppercorn (dark charcoal). I like SW's ProClassic Hybrid paint works like oil, cleans up like water - nice hard finish. I like the semi-gloss finish for rails. Be sure you do a good job with prep - sanding and primer before paint. The guys (and girls) at Sherwin can help you with directions for application. Or, if you can afford it, use a professional who can do the prep and spray it for you. This is the best way to go! Happy Decorating, Caryl

I would personally take the railing straight across upstairs and use the part that juts out for some plants or statuary or some other form of art. I feel bad for doggie though. He would loose his perch.

I'm not sure if you will think I am crazy but when I first looked at it I thought of the tower of a castle.. I like the comment about embracing it with mural or art work.. if it had brick paper to make it look like a castle tower might be fun with a small table at the top and a long vine like plant hanging down. would definitely be a conversation piece. In the space in front of the small table would be great for the dog bed for upstairs. They could watch folks coming and going and feel like the King/Queen of the castle :)

at first I had no idea what that was but it makes me think of a showcase area for an expensive piece of art. I'd maybe leave the pot light, paint the red (I'm not to fond of that red) and hang up a decor mirror and put a small consol table. if you like red you can do some red accents on the table or do a wallpaper. I'd say work with what you got! we all know it's there so no Point in hiding it! it's something I've never seen before but I'm sure you can figure it out without costing too much :)

What about these?

Put the shiva on the console with the mirror attached. Add a little tray on the bottom shelf & add a pot on the upper portion planted w/ a pathos which will hang down the wall. (Leave room for the dog too).

This is some great mystery...what were they needing that lookout for????? ...brainstorming:
Amazing large globe,
Stuffed Giraffe and ficus.
Antique Harpoon with stand
Statue from wax museum
Christmas tree all year long
Giant spider plant from the Amazon, with tendril plants to hang down on either side of a tall portrait of grandmother adventuress.
Spinning wheel
Bird cage
miniature helium ballon, firing on low all the time...
Family speech podium....'cause some families communicate differently...
...still a mystery....
:)

Try adding a painting to have the light shine on something.

Perhaps you need something art like and equally or even more unique than the odd architecture to distract from what you wish to ignore. Really bold art could work well. I once saw an antique set of armour (standing) in a foyer and it was beautiful and took the attention away from all else. (Failing that, I saw a life size cardboard Beiber recently at the drug store :)

My son asked me yesterday,
"Why do you call things by numbers and errors. Like the desk is 1920 and the dresser is 1930?"
Using your wall I attempted to explain how people like different designs through the years. And how trends happen. So I mocked up images for him that to me best described different decades.
I thought I would share them with you since it was your wall I used.

Lucidos, that is awesome! So the question for everyone is - which decade example do you like best?

Love the grandfather clock idea. I am an 80's type of gal though. My first thought for the balcony was a plant or statue.

could it be framed up to the ceiling and turned into a fireplace, but I am sure you already have one.

Just goes to show ya....just because somebody has a degree in architecture doesn't mean they have any talent. This is without a doubt, the silliest thing I've ever seen in a house. What USE was it supposed to be? Unless the first owner had cats that needed a lookout point?

“It is the pervading law of all things organic and inorganic, of all
things physical and metaphysical, of all things human and all things
superhuman, of all true manifestations of the head, of the heart, of the
soul, that the life is recognizable in its expression, that form ever
follows function. This is the law.” coined by American architect Louis Sullivan - 1896

However... It seems impossible in a home environment that every object by mere existence must have a function. To hear my husband speak anything more than 2 pillows on a bed has no function whatsoever. Yet, there is the bed with 6 pillows. Now I can ascribe a decorative function to the pillows or an esthetic one even an esoteric one but in the end they have no USE.

How something looks affects us emotionally and influences what we think about it. For that ledge to exist someone was emotionally invested in it's existence at one time.

What about taking the railing back to even with the other railing and then just having the lookout area as a plant/decor shelf that doesn't have a railing around it. Take up the flooring and put crown molding or something at the edge and Sheetrock where the flooring was. Paint and put your plant or tree or huge rocking horse or whatever up there.

And of course paint over the red and hang some stunning piece of art under the light. Something like Margaret Keane's kitschy Big Eyes paintings- they are long narrow pieces and can be fun and not expensive! Check out eBay. And rent the movie!

I have painted the red away! Found a can of paint the previous owners left that matched the other walls and basically just used it as a primer over the red. Still deciding on paint colours in general thorough out mosta the house, but at least it's not a glaring red monster staring at me when I open my front door! Much better.. Now I can concentrate on putting some of these suggestions to work! I'll post a pic tomorrow..

Take bannister straight across top; put some interesting and fairly large on top of column; put semi-lunar chest of drawers against flat wall; small bench under stairs; throw rug in front of it for wet boots, muddy shoes, etc.; narrow painting above chest of drawers.. Use chest of drawers for gloves, scarves, , sunglasses, etc.

Titanic? Lol! Let the dog enjoy his view!

The wall on the first floor is workable and sounds like you are well on your way. It is more the "bonus" railing above it that creates the unusual distraction. Those who mentioned removing the railing off that area, using some of those pieces to close off the short piece you are left with, and converting it to an upper shelf have the right idea. That sounds like a doable project. You could fairly easily convert that to a decorative shelf ledge and your entryway should become glamorous! Also, painting the posts a darker, tone on tone color, would soften the entrance.

Since you have probably only painted so far.... I present you with the long term solution...

Paint the wall, maybe a dark grey / black matte finish. Add new lighting. Can also do the part underneath a artwork with the spot on top would look nice, or a wall with reclaimed wood (see pictures) on the flat part. Can also paint the top railing same color as the wall.