I would rip it out so i guess I need to know why you don't

It really looks like it was for a fireplace that was not installed. Two options - dryall over or remove all the shelves and have a 24 inch deep niche. Show the rest of the wall for better suggestions.

Rip it out entirely. It dates the whole room.

We plan to rip it out eventually, this is a in the meantime solution. There is a corner fireplace to the right side of the monstrosity! Lol. The previous owner had installed laminate flooring over the space which I ripped off on day one. I'll post another photo of the wall

The basement before and now.

This is how it looks now.

Some portion of the built in must remain because the flooring will not match if the element is totally ripped out. The base doesn't have to be this high unless you require storage but it looks like it would be a better wall for the TV screen.

Personally I like the guitars.. it’s unique, not every house has that. I would flip your furniture though, and have the tv on the other wall

Thank you! The "bench" is something that hasn't occurred to us. You're correct, the base would put a wrench in ripping the whole thing out. I really appreciate your help! Food for thought. And the tv on the other walk would be nice but then I need to rehang a bunch of decorative tiles somewhere else 😂 never ends

That has got to go. The 90's were almost as bad as the 80's for design.

Now that you mentioned it's the basement, I think the guitars are good there until you are ready for some demo. I would edit the shelves however. Just because the unit is deep doesn't mean you have to fill it from front to back. Just a few larger pieces. I'm guessing all the baskets are probably for kids stuff? Good job on removing that laminate "wall", lol.

Hi Shannon Ascroft,

How about an electric fireplace

Thank you for the idea! We have a corner gas fireplace in the room.

Plenty of devices to hang guitars easily from the walls

I think you already have a good “in the meantime” solution. It looks good for now. I would spend my energy on planning what comes next.

The guitars look great there. Pretty smart storage place for them and attractive too. Until you knock it out, you've got it looking better than most people would.

If you have a dog though, it could be a nice dog bed nook.

If you have a kid, turn it into a reading nook.

Thank you Shasta! We are trying to make it look Ashleigh in the meantime!

Thank you Kendra!