I have not done mine......but plans are to find some old shutters & put them on barn door sliders to slide to the side of the tv niche. I am on the look out & will be one of those things that I just run up on. Otherwise you can also do pocket doors & could incorporate artwork into the doors that slide back into the niche.

Smiles:)

It would be VERY cool to have the TV niche completely concealed by a piece of art -- including the hinges or whatever device you use to open it.

Just a thought before you do this, is to make sure you're comfortable watching TV that high. We were going to mount a flat screen above a mantle, and experimented first with our TV up that high. We found we hated having to "look up to" our TV. But then we sit in fairly straight backed chairs when we watch.

Is your niche recessed? Will be easier to cover with sliding whatever.

Our is recessed and I had a local woodworker make sliding panels. You can use two, three, four. Cover/frame anything you want - wallpaper, fabric, metal, wood, etc. Our panels are connected to the biggest drawers slides known to mankind. The panels are "boxed" so that when closed/from the sides, it appears to be a framed piece on the wall.

Room does need to be quiet large in order to sit far enough from the TV to where it won't bother your neck. Wishing ours was about 6-10 inches lower.

How high up would the TV be? Don't forget that TVs are best viewed at eye level.

Since you're building, have you considered whether you'd prefer the tv elsewhere? As pointed out, eye level is better. Perhaps your builder will issue a credit if you don't add the niche.

Thanks for your input! Yes, the niche is recessed and, as far as I know, that's really the only place we could have an recessed area for the TV. If it isn't above the mantle, it makes for a strange seating situation...two focal points and all that. And since I don't want the TV exposed, that seems to be the best option. I've talked with a friend who has hers above the mantle, and she said it isn't uncomfortable.

Who knows what we'll actually end up doing, but it's fun to dream!

I guess I don't understand the two "focal point" concepts. You mean between the TV and fireplace? We're building a great room right now, and the builder and my dh got out there and measured where his TV would go and the fireplace. We want to be able to watch BOTH at the same time. The fireplace is going in a corner, along with a stone bench to the side of it. TV about ten feen away from FP.

Since it's in the early stages, I vote for TV at eye level.

Yeah, I'll post a link to the floorplan so you can see what I'm talking about. If the TV isn't above the fireplace, it'll have to go against the right side wall. I'm by no means an expert at furniture arranging, but it seems like it would be awkward to have all the furniture facing a wall and its back facing the open kitchen eat-in area. I think our only option is to put it above the fireplace.

Here is a link that might be useful: Houseplan

I hope it's not too uncomfortable to put the tv above the fireplace because that's the only place ours can go. We've got nothing but windows, doors & a fireplace in our living room. So far we've just had one in front of the fireplace - literally - while we work on the room. Our new flat panel gets here tomorrow & we're going to hang it.....

kellilou, that is a lovely and interesting floor plan. You're right, you've got a lot going on in that room. Open floor plans are challenging. I can see why you want to put it above the FP, but really and truly before paper goes to reality, you should rig your TV to that height and watch it that way for a couple weeks.

I suppose with a few changes you could move the fireplace into the foyer area, which could be very cozy. But of course you are going to want it to be the focal point of your family room. I'm stumped! I would not want to see you move the FP to the the right of where it is now (in the corner) and the TV where the FP now is. We have that situation in this house -- corner FP and no place to put the TV cabinet but on the adjacent wall. Thanks to a very talented and expensive designer, it has been worked out to look good. But it is not optimal!

Have they poured concrete yet? Your floor plan GR is similar to the way my son's was, but he had them move the FP to the corner of the room which gave them a whole lot more wall space. I'm sold on corner FP's. It free's up more room for you to play with.

Oakley, they're just starting to clear the land for the house footprint on Monday. But I don't see how we'd put the fireplace in the corner, because there's a window there. I don't want to lose that window because on the other side of it is a screened-in porch which would cut down on the light inside the room, so we really need to keep that window. I think we're stuck with it as-is. Plus, my husband just said he likes it the way it is. :)

Bigdoglover, thanks for your kind words!