I would cover over them and have a nice curved accent wall !

Thanks for the idea.

-- what have you considered so far?

Gosh I love them. A perfect place to display treasures collected over the years. And if you haven't yet collected any treasures, now you can start! Don't cover them!

I like the idea, but the execution leaves much to be desired. They're not very artfully arranged, IMO. I'd consider knocking out the whole wall and adding that extra space to the room.

What would the conventional usage of these arches be in your area? What are your goals for this room?

-- Don't know what is behind the wall of niches, and am usually against any kind of distruction of things architectual, but it might be worth a think about these guys. As groveraxle said, remove them and, perhaps, leave the area open to whatever is behind.

If you do not remove all of the niches and leave the two niches on the stairway as groveraxle shows, have rustic, custom doors installed that would coordinate with the other woods in the space. Some terrific big, bold hinges and latches would add to the look.

To fill these niches artistically, you need to be a dedicated collector of large objects! If you are not interested in this, remove them and enjoy the space they are taking up in another way. It might be more cost-effective to take them away than to collect the things needed to make them awesome.

Do you have these arches any where else in the house? If you don't, you can get rid of them otherwise we can use them for accessories and highlight them with lighting...

you could have done mummified Italian monks..

reminds me of Medenine.. maybe do weathered doors that appeared to be bright at one time.

Thank you for the ideas guys, I really appreciate it.

Hi Shoman, the only other arches around the house are those linking one room to the next, there are no arches in the walls anywhere else. I have attached a pic of other arches around the house.

I like the other Sandy's suggestions, especially the hinged doors. Who doesn't need more storage? Other options if you choose to keep them: Paint the interior a bold accent color and display single, large pieces of art glass. I have a large collection of Mexican pewter. Pieces can be found inexpensively at import shops and even Pottery Barn sometimes carries simiar items (made in Asia). This is of course would be my choice since I already have the stuff and love it. But as Sandy said, if you aren't interested in being a "collector" there is no point. Don't buy stuff you don't love to fill spaces. That's silly. The curved accent wall is a good idea too.

Hi Soberg, I wanted to modernise the whole room, change the floors to something which brightens up the room a bit. I have not seen any houses of this kind in the area. I bought it off someone who designed and built it on their own.

Is this a livingroom, foyer, etc.? Cannot tell - and it would help to figure this out if we had that info. .

Hi Sandy, it is a living room

Perhaps you create a larger niche where the two inside niches are...close up the niches on the side. Then you would have room to do a built in cabinet or buffet that you could dress, use for storage or even place the tv on.

If you don't want to destroy the architectural details, you could always put some shelves in them for books/photos/ceramics/etc.

And a few more for good measure! I can't help but think that if you covered the arches, someone down the road would discover them and think, "why on Earth did they cover up these beautiful architectural elements?"

If you closed up the niches and made that entrance wall smooth, you could finish it off in many different ways and make it a simple but beautiful introduction to your home..

Your home has a Spanish vibe so you could tile the curved wall in an interesting pattern - using patterned tile and solid tile or in an all-over, more contemporary design.
Use a glossy tile that would reflect light from the door and make this curved wall come to life. Quite the scene stealer!

The tile could go floor to ceiling but would not have to. However, the tile job should go a good bit past the half-way mark. Simply paint the top portion in a coordinating color - perhaps the wall color of the livingroom to tie it in to that space - or, a color chosen from the tile to keep the tiled wall an entity unto itself.

I appologize for repeating myself here, but if you are not interested in collecting objects, the niches are not for you. It takes a lot of time, money and talent to fill the niches in a well designed manner. Lose them and be done, done, done!

Doing something like this woudl clean up the uncontrolled niches and make the space more relaxing and unique.

After seeing the photos of the outside of your home the arched niches make more sense. I think I would add more shelves and make adjustable bookcases out of them. Then you can add books, plants, and art work and rearrange as you collect more treasures.

I added my comment before I scrolled down and read Leslie's. The photos she attached are lovely and should make this a fun project. Happy decorating!

For sure the outside of the house made those niches way more attractive.. Think about handmade ceramic vases..
My friends family owns this restaurant the niches have vases scattered on a wall and it's amazing.. they bought the hand made vases from Sonora Mexico
http://www.thesonoragrill.com/about/

What is your style? There are so many things you can do here!

I like contemporary style.

This might be a bit of a leap, but what about putting electric light in the niches and making them into windows using contemporary stained glass? You could even hinge them to keep the storage behind depending on the style of glass and the overall look.

I think they're wonderful! As others have said, I'd add some shelves in them. Staggered at different heights with really cool, thick old farm wood of some sort. Then add interesting objects you love.

If you decide to keep the nichos, I would remove the wood that is already there and stucco everything. You might even reconstruct them a bit to make their arrangement more balanced. Then fill them with whatever art you like. Mexican talavera or alebrijes would be appropriate, as would iron sculpture, and even modern art.

I'm with groveraxle - stucco stucco stucco! Don't fight this home's awesome bones. Actually, the main problem I see is the flimsy white double door which cheapens the whole room - imagine it as a sturdy, hand-carved wooden door (more like what you have on your front entry).

I would consider stucco inside and remove those wood shelves. I still think there are just too many and it is too busy.I might consider making the one nearest the door one tall arched niche, or close off top small one by door, or even just keep center two.
i would paint the interior a soft contrast color as well.,.Best of luck!
Put in a nice, heavy dark front door as has been mentioned.

-- A couple of other options: With the niches gone and a smooth curved wall to work with, you could use wallpaper on that wall - something with a spanish theme in a large pattern that includes some metalic elements. Or, to enhance a more rustic feel, panel the wall with board and batton [tongue in groove] boards and stain them to match the other dark woods. If you have a coat of arms, get a large copy of it, frame it and hang in on this wall.

HI -- Your home is very interesting and lovely. Keep the two niches closest to the foyer. Then make one big opening from the three oddly placed ones . Put a softer arched top on it .and add shelves . I would keep them all white -trim too and keep the items displayed simple and uncluttered. Just one item in each small one .

Remove the wood replace with granite or glass. Add light and display glass or shinny objects. I think they are worth keeping because they go with the architecture of the house.

You can find authentic Mexican traditional art and home decor, such as alebrijes, clay sculptures, pillow covers and more on www.chiapasbazaar.com

http://www.chiapasbazaar.com/collections/home-decor

Keep the niches with shelving inside for storage. But add doors of reclaimed wood with wrought iron hinges and latches. Let the doors on the wall be the art. Also do a front door to complement. The wood should be rustic and driftwood like.

older post

You could add a water wall inside the arches. This would brighten it up, plus create a soothing atmosphere. http://www.LuxeWaterWalls.com

so many good ideas, leave the niches and remove the shelves to allow for display of large pieces that you LOVE, redo the doors with something authentic in salvaged wood perhaps.
www.luminosodesign.com

That a special style home. I hope you didn' follow advice to fill in or cover up. I would do a lot of research regarding homes of this style before doing anything.