What would you do with this empty space?

You need a larger flatscreen.

Don’t get him started! We found this one at Best Buy for less than $200. He’s been patiently waiting for this for years but I kept vetoing it because of the ridiculousness of it, for one, but mainly because of the cost of such ridiculousness!

Storage space for hoagie sandwiches?
Ultra small wine cellar?
S&M dungeon?
7.1 surround sound system (the subwoofer and two satellites can be housed there) (you’re welcome, Rick)?

No more surround sound systems! LOL! That reminds me of Christmas 2011. I was teaching at the jail. The students wanted to know what I got for Rick and I told them I got him a surround sound system.
Then they asked what Rick got me. I said, “A Kindle.”
My youngest student, at 18, was also the sweetest. I loved that kid. His name is Milo. Milo got pissed!
He said, “You got him a surround sound system and all he got you was a candle??!!” He was so mad. :D
One of the other inmates quickly explained what a Kindle was before Milo broke out and went to find my husband. :D I tried not to laugh too hard because I didn’t want to embarrass him. I miss those guys.

I’d put in shelving. You could then put a set top box in there or a computer games console and connect it up unobtrusively to the back of the TV.

I like blank space around a big screen myself, but you could do light stencil or draping to frame the screen. Maybe a wet bar on the side or even a bar depending on your social life. I also love odd little placings, like standing lamp, cool table and lounger to the side (I can read if the movie stinks!)

I’m confused. Can’t you just sheet rock the space so now your room is bigger? Was the cabinet built in to the wall?

Maybe put up some large paintings and behind you can have a safe.

Or, do a focal wall with lighting.

Another idea leave the nook where the cabinet was and make simple seats that look a lot like ottomans. You can have them in that space for extra seating or, use them to put your feet up. Simple wood frame and upholstered fabric on top.

I’m not sure if my ideas help, because I’m not sure what the space looks like.

Go to Houzz.com and search focal wall photos.

We will be sheetrocking it over @JLeslie, tho I don’t know how that would make the room look bigger. Just the opposite.

If you look at the pics you can see the hole is at floor level, not high on the wall. It can’t hold
a seat or anything. It’s just a hole in the wall about 18” wide and 3 or 4 feet high maybe.
Rick wants the flat screen centered under the book shelves, and the red low boy centered under the flat screen. I agree but to do it we had to get rid of the cabinet that was to the right of the low boy.
But waaaahh to the wasted space!

Wait…I didn’t include a picture of the over all thing. My bad. Hang on.

Here is the big picture (and yes, that’s The Big Lebowski on TV!)
This is the other side in the kitchen, which will now have some extra space for whatever. The doors below are where we keep the trash. That opening used to be on the other side, in the living room, and we had a 32” in it, and a corresponding space next to it that held a CD / record player that mimicked an antique radio.
The cabinet was under that part part.

Lol! That hole really ties the room together!

Not wasted space if by sheetrocking it and forgetting about it totally shifts all the attention to the TV screen and there’s a sense of balance providing whatever’s below the TV is also centered.

That’s exactly where we are going @mazingerz88. We are sheetrocking it off. Still toying with the idea of a skeleton for future owners to stumble on…

Personally, I’ll transform it in to cat/dog chamber where there will be climbing posts, wall boards, beds, etc and they’ll have their own personal retreat room.

It’s not that big! A German Shepherd wouldn’t fit in there.

My house is only about 720 square feet and storage space is always at a premium. I suggest a storage closet with a door and shelves. Or a place for the surround sound, DVD/Blue-Ray player, DVR system.

^^^I hear you! I’ve been in tight places. Maybe that’s why it’s bugging me so much.

I would make the lower part a secret hiding place and move the dresser over to the right to hide it. Above the dresser I would put up the drywall.

That’s my idea too JLeslie, but Rick insists there is no way to build a secret sheetrock door.

And I agree with him about centering everything so offsetting the lowboy to the right is out.
I’m closing in on A Plan though.

Mini fridge filled to the brim with booze.

A secret door for a safe.

Looks like a good space to stuff a body.

And, ah…why are there two @Dutchess_IIIs with different lure counts and avatars ???

A display case for a taxidermied dog.

@cookieman because when I went to login on to Fluther on my phone it refused to recognize my user name. I have a strong feeling it had something to do with the III part. I tried so many different combinations of lower case L’s and uppercase I’s but nothing worked. In exasperation I just made a another account and I been esplaing ever since.

I got it! On the kitchen side is the cabinet where we put the trash and recycling. There is a “wall” of sorts that walls off that recycle section from the section in question (for whatever reason Rick didn’t make it so it goes to the roof of the so there is about a 6” gap. And that explains where the sandwich wrapper came from, especially if we had mice at some point. But it doesn’t explain my bowl.)
We’ll just hinge that wall so it can open and close, and that space can be accessed from the kitchen side!
We can use it to hide our guns and drugs too, when there aren’t grandkids in the wall. ~

Kids in the wall.. Kids not wanting to got all the way to the back. Well, before they went to play in the wall they went upstairs to say hi to Grampops. After they were gone Rick told me that he told them there was a ghost in the wall! That explains their nervousness and their refusal to explore further, the poop head!! But it made for this really nice cover shot for a Nancy Drew Mystery book

A display case for taxidermied children.

Fastidious Adrionna was a little dismayed to learn they were right by the trash can. Suddenly it “stunk” in there. Oh, bologna! But I’ll have to switch the trash and the recycle cans around when the time comes, I’m sure. I’m going to paint inside with chalk board paint and put some chalk and some books in there. And a battery operated lantern.

I’m on the hunt for some 1 or 2” self closing spring hinges. I think I’ll have to go through Amazon because they didn’t have them at either hardware store we went to.

But I bought a tiny head lion door puller to put on the inside of the door so they can get out.

I bought two battery operated lanterns. I had to get two because one was just a regular lantern, with a compass on top. They may need that in there. The other is a ghost repelling lantern. It has LED lights that can be set to shimmer. It was $9 I think.

I bought chalk paint to paint the walls in there. Need to get chalk.

We’re going to get a cheapo rug or remnant from somewhere to put down, and then we’ll be set! The rest will be up to their imaginations!