I was about to suggest radiator covers and then teacats beat me to it! I would do a radiator cover and then mount a shelf and appropriate sized mirror over that. I am going to be the naysayer about hooks on that wall at the bottom of the stair. You don't have a ton of space there, and that means that the bottom of the stair will look even smaller and more crowded when you have a bunch of coats hanging on the pegs or hooks. I would use that wall for the 14 pix that you discussed. Use the upstairs wall to do the family geneology items. By the way, I don't think the window at the top of the stairs looks high at all. It is in proportion to the upper floor. Once you hang artwork on the wall to the right of that window, it will connect with the window and make it all work together. The topiary you have there only accentuates the height of the window, as it is still taller than the top of the topiary. If you want something there, I would look for a small arts and crafts style plant stand and put a large vase or a plant with trailing ends like an ivy on the stand. Or you could stand a large vase in the corner with tall twigs and grasses coming out of it. Your home is fabulous - I am SOOOO jealous. It feels like a place that I could just walk in and be at home.

Here ya go, Doonie. I used some fabric from my stash, something I loved and had intended to use in the last house. Given the color, and that this house feels smaller, I thought that isolating the orange in the stairway would be a safe bet. I see it all the time, and get to enjoy the fabric, but I don;t have to force it to play nice with anything else. The rod is set way above the window casing. I told my seamstress to just make the panels as long as she could. The shade is a very affordable discovery from Amazon. They are by Top Blinds -- custom sizes at off-the-shelf prices. The perspective is off in the photo...the rod is actually somewhat lower than the wood gate. I think this WT does a nice job filling up the empty space of the double-height stairway.

I would find another place for your shelf, as that's a prime place for a great piece of art and it seems impractical to have hooks for clothing on a landing. What would people hang there? Would they travel up the stairs to hang coats? The wood walls are so warm and beautiful, I don't think you need to add much, except maybe one piece where the shelf would go and maybe one on the window wall, down at the bottom to be viewed as you approach the stairway.

Hi Heather - You've got a fun space to work with! I agree with taking the focus off of your accent wall and off-center window. (Why do builders do that?) The one saving grace is that you're not often in the center of the space to notice that the window is off-center. I think a gallery wall would be a fine idea. I like the art in the photo. If possible, you might want to switch it to a dark or black frame to give it some punch against the lighter wall. Other thoughts? The sky's the limit, really. I always go for the biggest piece I can reasonably fit. Could you hang a quilt there? Playing off the chandelier, could you mount a weathered barn door on the wall? You could buy several large canvases and paint them in a bold solid color, maybe picking up on accent wall color. Hang a rug. Mount an antique screen. Antique oars? OK, I'll stop.