empty space

Odd spaces can be so hard to decorate - a couple of ideas for you would be to put a small accent table in the corner with a plant or something on it just to spruce it up and some decorative baskets (i.e. wire or seagrass) to dress up the shelves. They are adequate for storage but add some texture and are visually pleasing. I would remove the chair from this space - it almost looks like you're trying to hide the shelves.

I have also included a couple links to some baskets listed on Houzz.

https://www.houzz.com/products/adeco-3-piece-set-multi-purpose-seagrass-woven-baskets-with-handles-prvw-vr~87389907

https://www.houzz.com/products/rectangular-nesting-baskets-prvw-vr~98411858

https://www.houzz.com/products/classic-style-metal-mirror-round-accent-table-home-decor-prvw-vr~77773671?m_refid=PLA_HZ_77773671

Definitely no to the chair. I like the idea of pretty boxes or baskets so you can actually store your linens there.

Get a cabinet set of drawers built in with countertop.

If you need access to the electric sockets, move them before install.

I’d put some cabinet doors on there and make it look intentional. You could install some drawers below if that’s better for your storage needs. Have a custom cabinet maker quote something. Lose the chair, it brings attention to the odd space instead of just letting it be.

I would frame that area around the shelves and add a door. The door can match the bedroom door or use a louvered door.

You'll spend more on baskets than the door would cost.

You could also use a curtain on a tension rod to cover the shelves. That would be very easy and inexpensive.

No to the chair. Leave that space empty or, at most, a floor lamp of something small and narrow. You'll still need to get in there to get things from those shelves.

Personally, I'd just use baskets or boxes to store linens etc that could easily be pulled out to access stuff inside and will still look neat and contained. Adding a bifold door (which I don't like at the best of times) would be something I wouldn't spend the time or money on.

When you get a door installed then see how much of the space you'll need to stand and remove things from your new linen closet. If there's room you might want a small triangular table in the corner next to the railing.

Definitely leave the space empty. Get some decor and baskets for your items. I would suggest a door but I think it would look odd since it’s shorter than the other door you have.

The openings for both doors appear to be the same height. After the closet is framed it will look just like the other door.

This should never have been left this way. I can't speak for everyone but I don't want a linen closet that I have to keep perfect because it's on display.

folding doors would be nice.

Why would you feel as if you need to put anything in that space?

Instead of spending your money on baskets, spend some on buying nice towels, blankets ,etc with any eye towards the fact that they will be viewed. It is what it is and unless you are going to hire a carpenter and have them close up that space, you are just going to have to live with it.

I have a space that is almost identical to yours.

That is essentially a closet that is opened towards that awkward space that is in your photo. A carpenter could reverse that and open that space into the room that is on the other side of that back wall and close off that opening, thus creating a closet in the room that is behind that space. Of course, that assumes that the other side of the back wall does not have an obstacle on it and that you might want a closet in that room that is on the other side of the back wall.

Other than that, you will have to live with it and my advice would be to do just that.

If you chose to cover it up you will need a narrow bifold door and the width of that space may not match any standard widths of available doors. You will still be left with that awkward space.

When I moved into my house, the builder had put a little narrow door on the space that had been cut from a larger luan interior door. It was cheap and ugly and looked tortured and awkward. I removed it to just have the open space because it was preferable to having a sawed off door in that space.

"Instead of spending your money on baskets, spend some on buying nice
towels, blankets ,etc with any eye towards the fact that they will be
viewed."

The only problem with that plan is lifespan and usefulness.......nice towels, etc get used, of course, and never continue to look as nice (their colour fades a little, and maybe unevenly, or the texture doesn't look as glossy, etc). If looking nice to provide a good view is your measurement for linens, they will have a much shorter lifespan and need replacing a lot faster than the baskets you'd otherwise buy.

Some years ago we did an update in our kitchen and put in new cabinets. After they were done, it occurred to me that an alternative would have been to install open shelving in some places and to invest in everyday dinnerware that I enjoyed seeing and using.

As it is now, most of those cabinets are empty now. The same couple of dishes, cups and drinking glasses get used over and over.

We have downsized and we live a simple life. I wish that I had put more effort into creating a space that suits the way I live. Sure, it is nice to have some things behind closed doors, but those are almost completely empty and I wish that I had put in some arrangement that let me just hand wash an item and set it directly on a rack that it could drain, dry and be at hand to use again.

I don't even have enough of anything to fill up a dishwasher and I don't have one and don't want one. I did leave a space for a dishwasher and the hook ups are still there. I installed a tiled shelf where a dishwasher would be and use that space for open storage of my stainless cookware. I love it! I just wash and return to the handy open shelf where it is ready to easily grab and use. It is all stainless so it is not ugly to look at. I love it to be all handy right there!

That is the concept that I am suggesting.

And, as I always suggest, it is best to not have too much stuff to begin with. It works for me, but I realize that everybody's life is different. I love a less complicated life with fewer possessions.

"As it is now, most of those cabinets are empty now."

That's OK. I won't say many of my cabinets are empty, but most of them are less than half full.......but I put them in when I enlarged my kitchen because I knew that a big(ger) kitchen with fewer cabinets wouldn't be very appealing to the next person. So, for the same reason you put in plumbing for a dishwasher you don't want, I'm not regretful that I have mostly empty cabinets.

I don't regret that the cabinets are empty. I regret that I did not do what my heart wanted and arrange more casual open shelving and invest is something like Fiesta dinnerware, in part. I have taken my kitchen possessions down to a few good things and only what is really used. And, I do cook.

Today I am canning summer tomatoes, about half a bushel. I try to put up about 20-30 quarts each season. I do have a place out of the kitchen to keep home canned goods.

" I regret that I did not do what my heart wanted"

Ah, I misunderstood, but I understand.

If this space is upstairs, isn't that really private family space? Or very close friends? So who actually is going to see that? Buy new colorful towels and worry about something else. One advantage of a 2 story house is that guests rarely go upstairs.

even if I were going to be the only one who saw it--I would frankly not want to look at colorful towels. I'd want more visual calm.

Most of the stuff I need to store, I don't want to look at all the time! I'm just as important as any visitors, in terms of "who will see that?"

Plus, dust will settle on the towels I'm not using. And I don't need as many towels as that space will hold.

Personally, I now store towels in the bathroom--I make it point to not have more than will fit. I store blankets and spare bedsheets in the bedrooms under the bed (blankets for visiting guests can go downstairs).

If I needed to store those things there, I might restrict it to ONLY the spares/off-season (like beach towels), and get big baskets with lids to go on those shelves to hold those things.

And on upper shelves, I'd store games or something.