SFGate

nikitasmom Off the top of my head...Large items. Paintings mounted on short easels, decorative boxes for additional storage of seasonal items, urns. If antiques are your thing then an old tricycle.

twylahaj Four feet deep??? Wow - great place to store infrequently used items in attractive large containers with lids along with decorative items! If you don't like the openness of it, you could always put low book cases along the front and use them for either books or decorative items. Make sure that the area can handle the weight before you put much of anything up there, however, especially books which are much heavier than most people realize.