Unfortunately that's what it's become but it's the first thing you see when you walk in the door! Removing the wall would be a pretty big project and again as the window is the first thing you see when you walk in, you'll see the back of our computer etc. to prevent that we'd have to fill in the window and then our hallway would be daaaaark!

I'd line it with pebbles..or decking tiles in some part..tier it so you get different heights some feature stone..garden statues and pot plants..ferns etc..

mum and dad had one of these at their old place and they had posts to the ceiling as a divider and so climbing vines grew..don't know what it was called but the plant did very well indoor..it had waxy leaves

I would make it waterproof, with waterproof membrane or similar, add some nice dark grey large tiles on the base of the space at least, then add, grouped together, 3 different sized pots in one corner or side of the space, fill the pots with a variety of plants OR add two or three large same sized planters/pots which would fill across the entire width of the space, then add a variety of plants. This would soften the space, create some interest, still allow light to flow in, would look nice when approaching the house/front door and best of all you could change the look or do something else with the space at a later date

Kat..great idea with the waterproofing :)

As you say, your interior (hallway, desk area) would be daaark if you didn't have this window. So think positively about it. Plan to prevent the bench surface below the sill from becoming a dumping ground. If your young child is inclined to clamber up onto the surface, then you could go with that: install comfortable cushioning and let it be a place for reading, devices, sedentary games. If children and pets aren't going there, you could display several large items that you and arriving guests will enjoy looking at.

I see where you have a problem with it being the first thing you see :) I've seen this before and it was intended for a indoor garden but I always thought "what about the privacy" . So if you are not much of a gardener as such then maybe you could have the look but not the looking after problem by putting in fake plants that have a realistic look ( you can even get these in vines if you want ) there is a very wide variety now and it could have that garden look or half frost the glass and put in a cushion and have that reading nook but it seems a little high off the ground for that. Um question does the window open?? not the best area to put stuff if you don't want if stolen. I think making it more private would be a good thing .

Reflective privacy film on the window sounds great Oskuee because then it can be for anything you want. Great Children's cubby ? Storage ? Indoor garden ? Would love to know what you decide to do. Post decision here ? Cheers.

It looks like a "weird space" I would get a builder to reduce the hight of the internal wall to match the floor space of the internal cavity then set it up with large cushions and using it as a space to sit in the sun, read a book or similar.

I agree with making it a window seat, which can double as storage for toys. Also, just a thought, you could replace the window with white shutters. The louvres can be angled to let light in but give the living room privacy, and you can shut them completely when you need to. They also look great with a window seat.

Have been thinking, for a window seat solution, here are 3 examples, you could recess the cushion, so it would be a little safer for the kids. These examples show the storage you could achieve, easy for the kids to learn to put their toys/board games away out of site, some nice cushions and would look great. To build the storage y

The outside of the window faces into an entry foyer?

Hi everyone, thanks so much for all your comments and ideas- think there may have been some misunderstanding as to where this window actually is. As you walk in the front door it is directly in front of you, in the house, so yes dohraime it does face into the entry foyer and is completely private to outsiders. For that reason a window seat seems a little misplaced as it actually just looks out into our hallway! We are definitely playing with the idea of an indoor graden, possibly lots of elephant leaf style plants with a few hanging pieces and maybe a water feature of some sort. I have absolutely ZERO design or interior style so we shall have to see how that actually pans out though!

OR you could just curtain if off both sides and no one needs to know what's in there!

we have a similar 'short wall' under our stairs - the previous owner had a huge fish tank under there. I want to get rid of it because it breaks the floor space in a way that is "unpleasing to the eye".

Reading your comments and from others, I agree that this probably was an internal atrium of sorts to share light and provide a feature between the entry and living areas. I would retain the function of an atrium but replace the window with a decorative screen - then it would be a feature from both sides.

If you are low on storage room, this could easily be coverted into a closet, accesible from both sides. You could add some solar tubes or these to the entryway to increase the light.

I have a very similar thing in my house - we've been calling them plantar boxes. I'm not an indoor plant person at all, and the inside of the box looked terrible. So we covered over the box with some bare wooden benchtops from Bunnings and stained them a nice colour to go with our decor. Had to buy about 3 benchtops, and a local joinery business cut and re-glued them for us. The benchtop is now sitting on top of a variety of concrete blocks, bricks and cardboard boxes so that the benchtop sits flush and level with the edge of the plantar box. (plantar box no more!!). A huge improvement to look at, and this was the easiest and simplest cover up option, as we have no need for a window seat of sorts in this spot, and plenty of other storage options in the house.

I would suggest a frosty glass covering/film to cover up the view through the glass from the front door, if you want to retain some light transfer. Otherwise remove the window and gyprock the gap (or whatever is appropriate), and install suitable internal lights.

Kyliesev would you mind taking a photo of what you've done?

If we are to do an indoor atrium I'm loving the ideas of replacing the glass either with laser cut steel or one long piece! Thanks again everyone!

Nice job with a difficult area!

you did great love it

Fantastic work, looks great now with a kind of otherwise dead space and as plants grow will give you privacy in the living space. well done.