you could make it the kids drawings gallery...

keep pressing the wrong button,sorry...or a mirror or colorfull painting......

Removing the storage space completely and adding a mirror or picture - remember sometimes less is best! This will open up this whole area .

A very tall vase with tall curly willow?

How about a small bench for putting on your shoes and some hooks as suggested above. Or a tall mirror in a pretty frame.

Or a tall, rectangular piece of art and a vase with sticks?

art!
fine art reproductions of my art in a variety of sizes, shapes and materials....paper, canvas, metal, acrylic, etc at:
http://marlene-burns.artistwebsites.com/

A command center!

Depends on how you want the space to function. If storage is not an issue, then I think it is a great place for a mirror, so you can check yourself as you're headed out the door. I love putting my kids' artwork up, but I think to do so on such a narrow wall would make the space feel cramped and visually busy.

i would start by painting this entire wardrobe white so that the plastic would disappear. by this i mean the wall with the door and the wall you are having questions about. After, yes, 2good looking hooks contrasting with the wall and maybe also an umbrella "storage" could be very appropriate. good luck!

I would paint the plastic unit the same as the wall color so it blends in, or simply replace it with "the nest" because of its own reasons... but for the decor, I would place 3 small circular mirrors on the wall facing the stairs and one long rectangle on the adjacent wall to bounce natural light into the room, and it's just preferable to me (maybe a feng shui thing?) to have the long mirror facing the room rather than the stairs... but both used together will bounce light onto the stairs in a pleasing way. I'll look for samples and see it I can post them.

http://www.pier1.com/Petite-Gold-Burst-Wall-Decor/2633583,default,pd.html?cgid=mirrors
Buy 3, total of approx. $66 plus tax... then add a vertical rectangle mirror of your choice on the other side, even a simple one framed in white or better still with no frame, just the mirror.

You might consider this one for the rectangle mirror if it fits with at least a 3- 4 inch space of wall around it... It's 19.5 inches wide. http://www.pier1.com/Antiqued-Mirror-Wall-Panel/2671890,default,pd.html?cgid=mirrors
pretty and goes with your light fixture and wall color. not bad for 119.