Love your wall! When I first saw it, I too thought adirondack chairs around a fire would be perfect, but if you don't think they'll work there, those benches would look great. However - are they comfortable? You would certainly want something that you could sit on for a while - long enough to read a little while sipping tea or lemonade. As far as the plantings, I would put something that hung over the wall, just in one or two places. Nothing that hides the wall, just something that accents it from the top. I like your idea of an English garden - the wall would really look great with that type of style.

Thanks everyone for the feedback! Good point about the fading from the skylight. The area doesn't get any direct sun though as the actual skylight is pitched at a slight angle and is opaque. I think I'd be OK with it as I have either duplicates or digital versions of almost all and some I will need to scan, resize and print to fit my frame sizes. Any thoughts about the chair rail, painting mouldings? I was thinking that dividing up the wall would give more definition to where the gallery walls would start. jennifer_in_kansas: That rug is on overstock which I will link below. I absolutely love it and similar patterned ones, but they don't seem to carry it in the narrower width that I need. :( I haven't really begun looking further for a runner, but am hoping I could find a similar one in the size I need. It's a Hamaden style. I want something in more of a tribal, geometric design which doesn't make the hallway look too narrow. I think the diamond shape may give it a more spacious feeding. patty_cakes: Thanks to the link for ideas. I'll check it out. Here is a link that might be useful: Hamaden Rug on Overstock.

This is a pretty room with too much Hobby Lobby decor. You've got vases of sticks in display niches. Reminds me of a hotel lobby. Find something you love and want to look at every day to put there. I chose a couple of ethnic artifacts, but it could be art glass, or antique pieces. Here are a couple of rugs that will work better in your room:

I did this with a worn out wall to wall carpet in my bedroom because I knew I was remodeling and would be replacing the old carpet with wood flooring. I cleaned the carpet and then put a very large area rug on it and it was fine. Mine was a large Karastan in the classic Kirman pattern. I just finished my remodel and am using the same rug except over the hardwood floors. It worked for me because it looked as though the rug was intentionally used over the carpet. As others have posted, it would depend on exactly what the layout was but I don't see why it wouldn't work. I have seen area rugs being intentionally put over wall to wall in living rooms as part of the design.