Holy cow, I had no idea stair railings were so pricey. Are you changing/ removing the carpet (and either replacing it with more carpet or a runner) because you don't like the current carpeting or is there something wrong with it? Also...niche..okay, so you're cool with quirk and it's a niche, which (to me) screams "I need to house an old, chipped up, vintage-y chalkware statue of an obscure religious figure or a circus animal". But that's just me. Like an infant of Prague would be so cool. Santos figures are great, but...chalkware is pretty darn cool. Chalkware (okay, maybe plaster...) advertising figurine. St. Therese. A really banged up version, verrrrrry neat. St. Therese...in a niche (err, a grotto...). If you don't buy this on Etsy, I will. Or you could put some removable wallpaper inside the niche and add a tuck a puck light up in the top arch of the niche so whatever you put in it is downlit. A soft/matte metallic or seagrass wallpaper would be really neat. or you could paint the back in a really moody version of whatever color your furniture is.

You can go larger on the light fixture that you think you can. Typically you can add another 2-3 inches when you are dealing with a two story ceiling compared to a lower ceiling, because the high proportions will trick the eye into thinking that the fixture is smaller than it is. For example, see this article: https://www.1800lighting.com/blog/entryway-foyer/choose-perfect-light-foyer.html This may open up your style options. Good luck!

On the right lower deck, I’d have a seating area … chairs, table, bench, etc, any color: I’d also have a few bigger pots of plants, instead of a bunch of smaller ones. Rendering of front entry with chairs: I’d get plant stands or other bases to have varying levels of decor you do, not just have everything sitting on the decking.

Beautiful entry! Exciting to move into a new home! Right now, the wall color and floor color are ok together. If I were you, I would think about the project as a whole. You have pretty high ceilings, and will probably need a pro painter. Quality paint and a quality painter are not cheap. Also, if you plan to replace the floors, your baseboards will need to be removed and possibly your door jambs and casings - either removed or trimmed with an "undercut saw". Then all the painted walls will need to be "touched up". Or you may decide to have all the trim painted. Also, you may or may not like the double front doors (the style is a little dated, and they can be very drafty in a cold climate). They could be replaced with a 42" wide single door with sidelights. If you pick a style with more glass, then your lighting will change again, so now, any color you pick now might change dramatically. It's also important to coordinate the plans for any changes to the exterior with your changes to the interior. There's a proper order to projects that will save you time and money in the long run.