I vote for closed off. Our two story foyer is an echo chamber. Noise from the kitchen, dining and living rooms reaches every bedroom. AC and heat are a constant issue- so inefficient. In summer by the time you get to the top of the stairs it's so much hotter, and in winter the opposite. Ours faces east, which isn't as bad as west, but still, a lot of heat comes in that upper window in summer if it's not covered. Got a motorized shade, but as it's a retro-fit, we had to have battery power, and who wants to get up there to change the battery?
Q