Can you post pictures of the rest of the room to give perspective? What is that on the wall? Shutters?

This is the opposite wall of the same room. This particular room was once the garage and remodeled into the family room. The plantation shutters are a pass through to the kitchen. The bottom of the window sill is about 5 1/2 feet from the floor and is about 10 feet in between the stairs.

What a nice room!

Do you need the pass through?

I would maybe consider a game table area - or a reading nook.

Yes...a nice room! Are you willing to close up the pass through? It just looks high and small there not serving much purpose.

As suggested, I could see a reading nook there with a chair, side table and lamp. Add some art to the wall...after the pass through is gone.

What is the distance between the sofa and pass through wall?

Remove the sill, put the 2 window pane pieces from the mantle over the pass through. Take clock off mantle and put it on that wall. A lounge style chair & floor lamp. Cozy little nook

Keep the "pass thru" as a visual access to the family room for the cook in the family.

A deep shelf (about a foot deep or so) bookcase/cabinet beneath the pass thru window would be a great place for a "stuff cabinet" --

... a place for storing things like games and media related items (movies) favorite (possibly collectible) toys you're keeping for the next generation; and

... a place for displaying family treasures without needing to dust them regularly: trophy, award, novelty gift, nick knacks, candle holder and/or candy dish and/or oversized decorative (even seasonal) serving dish or canister set -- useful items not regularly used when they're not in use for their intended purpose.

Put solid doors on the bottom shelves; on the upper shelves -- three sections -- glass doors on the right and left sections with open shelves in the center.

Since this is a family room, above the cabinet, on each side of the pass through (and even above that level if you wish), you could display your favorite framed family photos there as a photo wall. The photos could be displayed individually in matching thin frames with simple lines or they could be displayed in a number of those larger photo frames that hold a half dozen or even more individual photographs.

jck10 brought up a good point with moving the panes and clock. My apologies since you didn't ask, but there's too much going on with the fireplace. All you really need there is some art work above the mantel. It should be about 3/4 the size of the firebox opening. Nothing else on the mantel.

Additional note: You could either paint the pass through the same color as the wall and make it visually almost disappear or you could embrace it, enhance the framing -- you're framing the image of the cook watching what's going on in the family room while he/she works.

My parents also had a pass through w/ shutters and they drywalled over it.

I like your ottoman. It looks so comfy.

console, extra seating and art. A deep canvas might even fit right over the pass-through. Save yourself from a mess of dust!

I agree with simplifying the fireplace. I'd also remove the frames over the TV. I'd do something like this on the vacant wall to balance the pass thru.

For sure a book shelf/cupboard/side board as pictured above.

Thank you for all of your feedback!! We decided to embrace the pass through and break up all that beige with bead-board and trim. Now the get some furniture and decor. The hard part is over

The beadboard turned out nicely. Do you need the shutters on the pass-through for any reason? I think, because the beadboard comes up so high, that it makes the shutters look a little crammed in there and busy. If not actually needed, could you open or remove them? What about a stained glass window there? It could be made to swing open from the bottom like a transom or two pieces like shutters, if you need a better view sometimes?

I like the beadboard - it looks great!

What a great place for the piano!