Plants in nice pots?

Some really lush Plants?

It seems to get some sun so I would agree with plants in some colorful pots.

Potted plants. Or, you could store gardening tools and then hang shutter doors over it. (Is it a closed up doorway?)

Pick up on the grey tones in the brick and slate by painting the back of the built-in, then place planters and beloved objects on it that will pop. Plants bring life to a space, and succulents and ferns don't require much care.

How odd. Was there a door there at one time and this was meant to conceal it?

Maybe you could knock out the shelves to create a simple alcove. Paint the back a color to complement the bricks and hang some kind of outdoor ornament there - maybe some kind of architectural thing - a fragment of an iron grating or gate. Or a terra cotta medallion or, whatever.

Maybe paint a phrase in it: Speak Friend and Enter.

Or cut logs to the depth of the opening and stack them so it looks like a woodstack.

Or, it looks like a good place for your houseplants to spend the summer. That's probably what I would do with it.

Paint pieces of wood to look like books and make a faux library.

But that's just silly.

Fun question, you don't see this much. First, I think you should paint it a fun color so it pops. Just make sure to use exterior paint. It looks like you already have red shutters, so maybe match that color and just pain the back of the shelves and leave the surround white. If you want it to remain white or darker like gray/charcoal, then put some stuff on it in colors that pop.

It looks like at least the lower shelves get some decent light, so look for pots (or diy) that will contrast with whatever shelf color you use and plant something-flowers, herbs, succulents.

Put some lanterns on higher shelves--Ikea has some nice cheap ones.
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/70175614
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/10179889

depending on how much sun it gets plants!
You could do outdoor lighting of some kind, lanterns, candles in hurricanes, string lights.

Display items you find in nature anyway (doesnt get more waterproof, or cheap/free than that!), rocks, pinecones, dried plants, cuttings from your garden or nature.

Hit up a thrift store and see if you find anything cool; bird houses, cheap glassware, other knicknacks that even if they arent waterproof if they are cheap enough go for it.

If you have kids store their outdoor toys there.

Find some pretty outdoor tile remnants and display them there.

Trellis with ivy and morning glories.

What dulcibella said, there may have been a door there before. Many old craftsmans and bungalows had two entry ways on the porch, one into into the living room, this being the main entrance and typically facing the street, and a second one perpendicular to the other that enters the front bedroom.

That doesn't change the fact that theres no door there anymore. Put succulents whereever light hits, and some other low light low water plants on the top shelves that don't get sun.

I have never seen this. What a neat feature. Just love old houses. I think a combo of potted plants and the hurricane's with candles like above would be so dreamy especially in the evening. please post afters. good luck

I have little plastic animals hidden through my garden that I spray painted gold. they might be too small for something like that but they do get fun comments when people notice them. maybe get a chalk board and lean it up like art and leave a drawing or note on it on one of the shelves. get things from a thrift store that might look okay with a little rust and just decorate it like you would an indoor shelf. If they are cool things but not too personal you wont care if its not a secure spot and oh well if something gets misplaced (stolen).

Homeowner here.

Thanks for the ideas, everyone! I hadn't thought about that being a door in a previous life - but it makes sense. We're pretty sure that it was a screened in room/porch at one point - it had indoor/outdoor carpet when we bought it and many other houses on our street have screened front porches.

Remove the shelves and have someone paint a trompe l'oeil wall fountain. Would look lovely with your bistro table and create a welcoming piazza sort of effect.

I cna think of three different things to do.

The first option of covering the small alcove with brick to make it invisible. You might need to hire a masonry guy to make it look seemless, but it may be the best idea for you.

You can take out the shelves and put a single, large potted plant in the alcove. This will give it the impression of an pre-determined architectual design as opposed to something added after taking out a door for a incme property.

Put in either a door or a window there. If you don't like it, get rid of it.

I would do a combination of lush plants and colorful vintage glass bottles and/or yard ornamentation (think kitschy gnomes or other sculptures). I wouldn't put anything valuable or expensive there (unless your neighborhood is very safe, and you don't think people would snatch them).

I think I would put plants in planters that can fit basically one to a shelf. Maybe for some color fun, match the red of your shutters for the back panel.

If you remove the shelves, it's the perfect spot for an espalier.
http://www.google.com/images?q=espalier&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=og&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wi&biw=853&bih=508

I would definitely go for plants, but I'm loving the idea of faux stacked firewood (real firewood, just not huge).

I once had a beautiful iron shelf from France in a corner of my patio with a seize similar to your niche. It was decorated nicely with large ivies in pots, hurricane lamps, stones and pieces of driftwood.

But it was hard to keep clean. Dust and dirt accumulates easily as do cobwebs, spiders and all sorts of insects. Finally I removed it.

Obleak1 recommended removing the shelves and adding a trompe l'oeil wall fountain.

Why not make this corner waterproof and install a real wall fountain? These traditionally were put into niches. What a great welcome to visitors!

Molly
www.katzentisch.com

Oh keep the shelves... they are lovely!!! I would use them for all sorts of natural finds... flowers from a walk, sea shells, feathers, stones. A nature table on shelves, it cold be pretty and seasonal. Even a row of canning jars with a different collection in each one. If we left pot plants outside our front door they would definitely wander off... but we have an outdoor nature spot that has been left unscathed!!!

I agree with home body plants in planters would look nice, maybe just one on the bottom shelf but keep it simple. Not lots of little terra cotta pots just one streamline planter that fits the space. I would paint the back with a stencil to give it a wallpaper effect and then create some nice vignettes on the rest of the shelves. Candles in hurricane glass with small stones in the bottom, an interesting piece of driftwood, candelabras, lanterns, things that you can safely light and leave (perhaps battery operated candles) in the evenings when guests come over. I recommend low maintenance plants like Stag horn Fern, succulents or cacti. But your choice will depend on what zone you're in. Maybe you have some items inside that could take the elements? like a sculpture of a bust or head or a ceramic bird. You could also put some small plants under bell jars or in terrariums. Maybe even a nice antique looking framed mirror on one of the shelves? And a small bird house. Or you could do something with ivy or boxwood topiary that are very basic shapes like spheres or cubes, it depends on your personal tastes obviously. Some forced bulbs in big glass containers would look nice there right now.

I'd like to caution you about putting in faux stacked firewood. It's probably not the best idea for the same reason it's not a good idea to stack firewood up against your home—particularly up against woodwork. Unless you like wood rot and or termites.

What a cool space. You can change it out, do a monochromatic theme, or blue and white, or rainbow, or different stuff based on the season.

I'm guessing the house was once a duplex. I would tile the interior of the shelves, and use it as a vertical garden.

At LEAST one gnome. :)

Sea glass and brightly colored marbles in cheap glass containers - you can find all different size glass vases at dollar stores. The color would make the shelves pop and the glass would catch light.

I know it wasn't a duplex-type property... but I think the person who mentioned bungalows having multiple entrances was probably spot on - the house next door has 2 doors (one that leads into the bedroom).

I love the idea of doing some kind of vertical succulent garden. Or possibly a combo of succulents and artifacts... maybe some things incorporating both like found object planters... guess I need to go treasure hunting!

PS - The house is located in the Atlanta area.

Adorable - and so much fun!

How about "painting" the back of each shelf with a different kind of succulent wall?

Or take out the shelves making a cool chevron tile pattern and hanging a seasonal wreath there (simple boxwood or evergreen at holiday, hydrangea in summer, succulent, etc.)

Or tile it with seconds from Heath Ceramics.

Or a large vertical vintage sign (I have my eye on one that is Peanuts for sale that would be super cute there!)

I would put my collection of McCoy pottery there...I envy this little detail!

Let us know what you do!

I'd like to see a collection of lanterns...or a combination of lanterns and plants :)

And I second the gnome idea!

You could turn that into a vertical garden very easily with windowbox planters turned on their sides.

Or, get a bamboo bead curtain or some kind of a wrought iron lacework door made for it and keep summery porch stuff on the shelves (colorful pillows, lanterns, etc.)

Or leave the shelves white and get a lot of terracotta knick knacks and random colored pottery to fill the shelves.

Or...does anyone make planters that look like books? That would be funny and practical at the same time...

The shelves don't look very deep and not nearly beefy enought. So I would consider having them maybe two of the middle ones extending out a few inches with maybe and adding molding to the front to make them more sturdy looking. Maybe adding a few vertical partitions? No one has mentioned bonsai and I think they would be lovely with a few votives.

Lower shelve could have doors with tin or chicken wire panels so you could see what's inside. Put gardening supplies - gloves, hand rake, watering can, etc. Nothing too expensive but cute things.

Oooh - just saw that you are in Atlanta. Definitely take out the shelves and put some Southern folk art in there.

A giant painting from Cornbread would be awesome!

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.worthpoint.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/Cornbread.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.worthpoint.com/worth-points/folk-art-outsider-art-enthusiasts&usg=__QskTXe2Q1C1ERuMrCAPKuH5iJg4=&h=1000&w=743&sz=366&hl=en&start=0&sig2=xEgWAv3FwexZ3Cc1u_7PGw&zoom=1&tbnid=6paX7Hk9_H35OM:&tbnh=145&tbnw=116&ei=0GxbTZuoGYWjtgfT06T-Cw&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dcornbread%2Bfolk%2Bart%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1280%26bih%3D589%26gbv%3D2%26tbs%3Disch:10%2C32&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=1054&vpy=31&dur=437&hovh=232&hovw=172&tx=134&ty=147&oei=yWxbTefvHMrEtgfs5IGcCw&page=1&ndsp=19&ved=1t:429,r:5,s:0&biw=1280&bih=589

I used to live in a 1920's bungalow type house and we had 3 front doors on our house. I would say that once upon a time that was a door. My suggestion would be to take the shelves out and make it an alcove space. You could install a wall hanging fountain, planter, or architectural element in the space.

plants, candler holders, ceramics, feng shui mirrors..........