I would remove it. Fill in with some kind of tile and lay a nice oriental rug down to hide the fact that it doesn’t match.

Reminds me of planters in enclosed shopping malls in Des Moines years ago.

I see some carpet that looks like it needs replacing, so you could remove the planter and replace the carpet, continuing it under the planter.

If you think it’s a lemon, make lemonade: I’d leave the rock alone and, if you’re not confident about your ability to select plants, have a garden designer make it amazing. It could be beautiful.

Take them out. We bought a MCM house years ago which had them in the entry and one at the top of the stairs to the bedrooms. We turned the upstairs one into a storage/hamper painted the same as the walls with a door at the top.

The two in the entry were pulled out (all were brick) and put new tile in the foyer.

Jane

Jordan, i think removing that could entail a major remodel. I've seen plenty of similar planters, mostly in 50's MCM houses. The original owner/builder of this home limited himself to one outside at the slate entry. Maybe he really did grow things and knew plants wouldn't thrive without more light in the foyer.

My former house had 4' skylights in two bedrooms, the master bath. Plants never grew so well for me as they did under those E facing skylights. Regular water and they practically grew themselves. Ficus, lime, coffee trees. Prayer plants were really happy as were ferns.

It's already very light. White washing will only make it look cheap and fake. "clean it up"?? Have you tried washing it down with a scrub brush? I would remove it if that is the end plan and you can't wait for the flooring remodel. The area carpet to hide the lack of tile makes sense. There is no way to do this job in parts w/o some trade offs. Either live with it until you remodel or live with a remodel in progress. Any money you spend to make it work is a waste if the plan is removal--eventually. After the brick is gone what's the plan for the sky light? A random skylight seems oddly placed. It would be tragic to lose one as they are such great light. A second dilemma.

I think we need to know if you love it and it would be nie to see it from further back so we get some context. I find it too cluncky to be MCM and what is your style. I like stone walls I do not like painte stone since it always looks bad. It looks like removing it will require new flooring at least in that area and I see carpet next to this too Are you planning on doing flooring ? If so this is the time to get that out of there BTW a skylight in an entry can be an awesome thing.

It looks like there's a ledge inside that could hold a shelf. If you like plants, put in the missing shelf (wire would be good), add pothos and philodendron to create a lush base of green, then add five or seven orchids in full bloom. Change out the orchids when they finish blooming. Or hang the orchids above the planter.

If you don't like plants, have a plywood cover made for it, paint to match the walls, and add a cushion that covers the whole thing. If you are lucky, patio chair or sofa cushions will cover the plywood, perhaps with the addition of smaller pillows in back. Dogs and cats will find it an attractive space to lounge, too.

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OOooo...indoor fountain.

Indoor fountain? Watch out for Legionella and other microbial growth. Love the planter! You have a great protected space to grow things that need light — it’s perfect. Wish I had one.

I'd fill it with plants! don't whitewash, just give it a cleaning.

absolutely no to the laminate.

bring in some diff heights, a few trees,

build up the bottom so that the plants aren't so far 'down'.

maybe attach some wood shelves to the side of the rock and do some orchids or trailing plants.

vertical gardens are amazing. same stone wall here. copy this

you could top the ledge surround w/some teak or other wood, to give more of a finished look.

love the hanging orchid idea in the pics earlier

I think it's a great feature that isn't being utilized correctly.

Do you like Asian simplicity? Maybe a version of the Japanese raked garden would be nice.

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I'm so jealous. :)

Lucky you. I'm also jealous. I would love to have one.

I so love this wonderful feature. No way would I remove it. Research plantings for it and embrace!

Thank you so much for all the input folks! I’ve decided I’m just going to likely leave it for now. There’s some great ideas of how to decorate it with plants. I love the zen garden idea too, could be super simple yet look great.
Time for some new carpet, and some plants! Someday when I do a full remodel it’ll come out but until then, I’ll try to make it look great!

Used properly filled with lush plants, this feature would be swoon-worthy! I love some of the inspiration pictures above and the idea of hanging plants. I hope you decide to keep it!

There are plenty of plants that don't require a lot of care if they are sited properly as yours would be. I didn't have a green thumb before I was married but managed to keep a ficus, umbrella plant, and some other palm tree looking plants that I don't know the names of, alive and happy on mostly benign neglect and a bit of water every couple of weeks or so. I've had some for 26 years and they are huge now under my husband's care. If you're intimidated, maybe get some professional help for recommendations and to get started. You can do it!!

Wow, it was really planned out. Auto watering, a drain AND lighting? You could have been stuck with a big stone useless tub. I would consult with a nursery maybe. I definitely would give it a try tho. Good luck and post a pic when its planted out.

Save your money for flooring job. Planter could get a facelift at that time, perhaps a pretty wood cap going around top of planter. Go to a nice nursery and get help with plant selections to bring height in the planter.

I love jackowskib's idea of a wood cap on top of the planter for a more finished look. Trailing plants might cover parts of it eventually, but it would give it a more finished look and maybe double as a bench.

If you really aren't up for the idea of using it as intended, rather than rip it out I would consider doing as apple_pie_order suggested and turning it into a cozy lounge area with cushions and pillows galore. It could end up being a favorite reading spot, and if/when you move, it would be easy to undo if a future owner wanted to turn it into a planter again.

Here is a completely different idea. Turn this into a “reading nook”. This is rough, but gives you the concept. You can “style” it anyway you wish. Might need a stepping stool like for a high bed. It could be exotic or country.

Don't remove it, it's amazing! indoor planter boxes are a MCM feature, and yours is a particularly amazing style. I love the stone!

I would fill it with pointy plants, like snake plants or dracaena. either of those types are SO easy to take care of! keep the design really simple-- all one kind of plant. top with off-white or gray rocks. put each plant in a round plastic pot that has a built-in water catching saucer. this is so you can contain the water, and also to be able to turn them around periodically -- and it makes it easier to replace a plant if one dies. have some kind of filler between the pots and then hide the edges with a layer of rocks.

If you'd rather not fill it with plants, clean it out and have a carpenter build a wood top for it to turn it into bench seating. It would be a handy spot to sit to take off and put on shoes.

Do some of all these things! I think it would look great with a wood cap on the perimeter to make bench seating - perhaps extending into the interior a bit to reduce the size of the opening.. Then, in that reduced space, one TALL plant off center - a ficus, fig, etc. On the other side, add that wire shelf to lift a mid size plant like the one already there on the left. And some LED lighting to show them off at night. And drip irrigation so you can leave town if you don't someone you trust to come in to water. Keep us posted!