Ideas for changing an ugly half wall

Hi
I have a half wall between my living room and entryway, in my late 70s house.
It is so ugly, that I have to do something about it. (it is decorated with really ugly bars)
I would like either to remove or to change the wall, but would like some Ideas first, if you please

is the bars like paneling. you could always remove it. can you post some pics? you could always build some cubby holes on top of it and use to store stuff like keys etc.