leahcate, the news feature I saw was about leaving the clothes dryer running when you're not there. The danger is lint catching on fire. If you're not home to act the fire could spread quickly. My friend always left her HAIR dryer plugged in and on the bathroom counter. Due to a fault in the hair dryer, at 11 pm after it hadn't been used since 7 am, it caught on fire. They could tell the way the fire went from the unit to the outlet that the dryer was the source and not the outlet. The fire dept told her that you shouldn't leave anything with a heating element (hair appliances, toasters, coffee makers) plugged in. I think about that when I read on the bathroom forum about people having outlets put inside drawers so that they can leave their hair dryer plugged in and in a drawer. Maybe it only happened once but since I know the person it happened to I don't leave those things plugged in. Luckily she caught it early & the fire dept responded quickly. She did get a new vanity, paint, and, then of course, new towels out of it! My father was a master worrier so I have some inherited worry traits. I don't think about the big appliances that go berserk and burn the house down. I limit myself to easy to manage things like unplugging my hair dryer and not leaving the house with the clothes dryer running.

My extended family members were extras in "Invasion USA". I got sick because they made the kids dressing winter clothes in Atlanta in the summer! In the movie, you can see my dad and brother standing beside the school bus when it is being loaded. My cousin and her mom are running in front of the buss (I was in the sick bay, quite dehydrated!). The film company got fined and kicked out of GA for several years for violation of child labor laws because they did/wouldn't give us fluids. Oh, and some stupid mother brought her daughter so she could be "discovered"- all that happened was this kids gave all the other kids a summer dose of chickenpox!!!!

I wish we had a scheduled "trash" pickup day like that to get rid of large items. The city will only pick up appliances at the curb only if you call and arrange it. I often put large things at the curb and it isn't long before they are picked up by someone. Every night before garbage day people go up and down the streets in pickup trucks looking for metal and any other perceived "useable" items. LOL I cleaned out my basement and one guy came and took everything including old broom handles. Walking down my street a few years ago I came across a box that had all kinds of items in it. The woman had died and her family threw out some of her knick-knacks they didn't want. I picked up some "blue mountain pottery" figurine pieces which I sold for a good price at my yard sale and a few pieces I kept. My best friend's grandfather put his old unwanted fireplace andirons at the curb of his house more than 50 years ago and my brother David picked them up and brought them home where they have been used the fireplace in this house ever since. I love them and would never get rid of them. When my friend and her parents moved in with their grandfather the only thing I remember their fireplace being used for was for holding their toys box. LOL I wonder if old grandpa closed off his fireplace because a new baby was coming into the house and tossed out the andirons because he wouldn't need them. I see good stuff at the curb on my walks or after yard sales and I wished I knew how to refurbish or refinish. My sister was good at finding things and making them work in her house. Now that I think of it the old shutters that used to be on my house to frame the front door came from someone's garbage and I remember going out with my sister at night and taking them from someone's trash. She sanded and painted them black and they were good as new - something we would never have been able to afford back then. Anne

I know you have quite a bit to read through here already, so I will try to keep this brief. Because of the doorways leading into your room, your sofa layout is most definitely the most practical, and having the TV over the fireplace provides with the best view from both seating locations so I would stick to your gut on that one. With regard to the tile, I would make sure to select a dark grout that blends in well. Without seeing the actual tile, my best guess is that a taupe would still provide you with a bit of contrast which you like in your inspiration picture without creating too much of a color difference to be bothersome while watching TV. When DH held up the cardboard over the fireplace, it was perfect. My suggestion is to get a TV mount that tilts so that you can have it slightly facing downwards to maximize viewing comfort. You can also certainly have a wood mantlepiece. However, for all of this to look great, I think you need to extend your tile to the corners where the wall bends. If you have a professional tile installer do the installation they can cut the tiles at an angle so it ends right into the wall. Otherwise, you can order a tile liner for the edges for a finished look. I attached a picture of a fireplace I did in grey with the TV up high with a tilt mount so you can see an example of it in action. If you have any questions feel free to check out my site! www.designmacs.com or my blog on Facebook at the Design MACS page Here is a link that might be useful: Design MACS