Fireplace / TV Placement Location Ideas

[sonick]

Currently hunting for an apartment/condo, but so many places I come across have the fireplace in the living room in such a way that the only logical place to put the television is above the fireplace, which severely limits layout options. The places I am looking at often don't have the space to layout the living room differently.

Example:

I really would prefer to not have my TV above the fireplace as it's quite uncomfortable and unnatural for watching, and it also limits the space available to place some decent floorstanding or bookshelf speakers on an entertainment unit.

Just wondering if anybody has come across any decent options or work-arounds to this dilemma.

 

[SkinnyGoomba]

That layout would be a deal breaker for me.

 

[sonick]

Yeah, seems like about 70% of the ones I see have similar living room inflexible layouts. Must've been a trend with developers around here in the late early 2000's with flat panels coming in vogue.

If worse comes to worst and we find a place that is absolutely perfect save for a similarly ****** living room layout, I want to know I have some options.

 

[Harold falcon]

Fireplace on the left, tv straight ahead.

 

[otc]

I've posted complaints about this before.

All of these condos that are short on overall space and insist that you need a fireplace (which ends up unused). The TV on the wall over the fireplace looks good in pictures, but sucks to actually sit and watch. I suppose a high TV (especially on a swivel mount) might work for watching good morning america while you make breakfast on the kitchen island, but is otherwise ******.

My friends just moved into a rental that looks kind of similar to that except it is even worse...where the right set of windows are, there is a set of french doors that open to the deck...so you even if you wanted to put the TV over the fireplace, you'd be hard pressed to place the sofas at a good viewing distance without blocking the french doors.

 

[sonick]



Fireplace on the left, tv straight ahead.

Well the photo is not of the actual unit, just an example.

Was looking more for ideas as otc mentions where there really is no other alternative to place the TV on another wall. I've researched mounts that will articulate out/down in front of the mantle, but the mounts on the wall are often still visible.

I was thinking worst case scenario build a sort of stand that would wrap around the fireplace unit (assuming fireplace sticks out from the wall) and is hung as flush as possible front of the fireplace and just blocking it out altogether.

 

[otc]

If buying, I might look into knocking down the fireplace (Depending on what is behind all of that drywall...with a gas fireplace, there may be nothing back there or there may be vent ducts for yours and for units below). Realtors might be aghast, but I don't think it would really hit resale value very much, and you would still have gas lines in place to refit one in a gas-burning unit.

If completely taking it out isn't an option, you could try to replace it with a much shorter fireplace. This one is starting to get the TV at a more reasonable height:

If you are not actually going to use the fireplace, you don't have to be concerned about heat melting your TV.

 

[otc]

Even 3 million dollar homes do this ****

They have room for a grand spiral staircase and an elevator, but they don't have room to place the giant TV at a decent viewing angle?

Edit: it was purchased by an NBA player...maybe the viewing angle is actually correct when you are that tall

 

[fegopocae]

think so,I don't think it would really hit resale value very much, and you would still have gas lines in place to refit one in a gas-burning unit.

 

[SomethingWitty]

If buying, I might look into knocking down the fireplace (Depending on what is behind all of that drywall...with a gas fireplace, there may be nothing back there or there may be vent ducts for yours and for units below). Realtors might be aghast, but I don't think it would really hit resale value very much, and you would still have gas lines in place to refit one in a gas-burning unit.

If completely taking it out isn't an option, you could try to replace it with a much shorter fireplace. This one is starting to get the TV at a more reasonable height:

If you are not actually going to use the fireplace, you don't have to be concerned about heat melting your TV.

A few years back, my townhouse had a fireplace placement similar to the one in the OP. I had the same idea; replace the fire box with something more modern and low, thereby increasing the space above the fireplace to allow for a lower mount. I got several quotes and they were all in the $7-10,000 range which seemed too steep for a place I wasn't staying in long term and I didn't feel the change would be appreciated enough to recapture the value at resale time. There was enough room to fit the tv in a recess next to the fireplace, so in the end, we just went with that.

I agree that it would be a deal breaker if a) you don't feel the price of changing the fireplace is worth it, or b) there isn't an easy alternative location to place the tv.

FWIW, we did use the fireplace quite often in the winter...