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landings98

Need Help with my Living Room

Landings98
9 years ago

Ive been trying to think of how to deal with this living room for a few years, and Im at my wits end. Its a pretty small room about 12x12 give or take. The biggest problem for me is the corner fireplace that is not only IN THE CORNER, but its not centered there. The "inset" next to it is difficult as well. I cant really afford to remove the fireplace and make the room square, so I need some advice how to deal with this room. The room is small and kind of dark, I had thought of lowering the mantle and making it a little less chunky and maybe white and then a bookshelf in the inset with sconce lights and a picture or some artwork above them, but I need some advice, what could fix this awkward space and maybe make it appealing?

Comments (26)

  • ellendi
    9 years ago

    Can we see the rest of the room? I am wondering if you could arrange things differently and possibly disguise the fireplace.
    The mantle draws attention to that wall and makes the unevenness stand out even more. I would remove it.

  • junco East Georgia zone 8a
    9 years ago

    I think your idea to lower the mantle is a good one--lower it to the level of the small shelf where you have a pot, and then continue it as a shelf all the way above the TV. I think you could keep the stained wood. After you have done that you can decide what to put in the niche.

  • ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
    9 years ago

    the first thing i thought of.. with your weird nook thinggee jigger bob ...

    was the very old dutch tile stoves ... see link .. are you any good at tiling.. lol ...

    doing something like that.... would be going way out of your box ......

    i can not.. on any level.. understand the nook .. crikey.. the whole setup ...

    BTW.. you can get an idea of the rest of the room in the mirror .. including OP ... lol

    its probably the lighting on some level.. but the yellow walls.. with the yellow tiles ... needs to go ... changing the3 wall color would be rather fast and easy to change ....

    whats the thing in front of the fireplace ... anything functional ??? ...

    anyway ... good luck

    ken

    Here is a link that might be useful: EDIT: man i hate when i forget the link ...

    This post was edited by ken_adrian on Wed, Jan 7, 15 at 18:37

  • graywings123
    9 years ago

    I would remove everything above the fireplace and leave that wall blank.

    Is it possible to either mount the TV so that it is centered in the nook, or to find a taller bookcase to set the TV on so that it comes close to being centered in the nook?

  • PRO
    BeverlyFLADeziner
    9 years ago

    Maybe getting rid of the mantel and filling in the shape of the niche to the right of the fireplace could simplify the wall.

  • bbstx
    9 years ago

    Is the fireplace functional? Can you take down the mirror and the mantel? Do you want to change the color of the room? What is the gizmo with white horizontal bars in from of the fireplace?

  • Karenseb
    9 years ago

    I wonder if part of the inset could be dry walled in so that the top and bottom front of the fireplace line up.

  • amykath
    9 years ago

    Beverly, that's a great idea!

  • LucyStar1
    9 years ago

    Remove the mantel, mirror and everything above the fireplace. Paint the shelf the same color as the wall. In other words, de-emphasize everything. The fireplace screen is extremely unattractive. Do you use the fireplace? If not, buy a decorative painted fireplace screen and make that the centerpiece. I wouldn't put bookshelves in the nook area, as that will emphasize it being off-centered as well.

  • ellendi
    9 years ago

    I like what Beverly did too. By putting shelves there is that niche a purpose.

  • k9arlene
    9 years ago

    How about removing the mantle, leaving the TV where it is and putting up shelves above the TV rather than below as in Beverly's mock up.

  • k9arlene
    9 years ago

    How about removing the mantle, leaving the TV where it is and putting up shelves above the TV rather than below as in Beverly's mock up.

  • rina_Ontario,Canada 5a
    9 years ago

    If I may suggest - remove mantel, remove mirror & shelve (already suggested); remove tiles, extend the right side (drywall) as far as possible to 'meet' the wall on right and up to ceiling. Paint everything same color. FP will not be centered but having wall on that side will make it look 'almost' centered.
    Try mounting TV above FP & put a 'something' tall in that niche (floor lamp? vase ?).
    Could you watch TV if over the FP? Could you move sofa to face FP & TV? If not, TV could be wall mounted in new, narrower niche - if it fits.
    Or drywall rest of the niche to extend the wall on right side to meet with extended part by FP. TV could go on that new part of the wall.
    If you have TV mounted on the wall, leave space over FP empty - there is too much on the walls already.

    Do you know if there is a heating duct boxed in just below the ceiling?

  • justgotabme
    9 years ago

    Without seeing the rest of the room it's impossible to help with the furniture layout, but you really wanted to know what to do with the fireplace so here's my ideas.
    Remove the current larger mantle and the little shelf on the right. Use that height for the new mantel, making the shelf area on the right as part of the new mantel. Oh and I'd also stop the mantel on the left side to match the distance on the right side as it looks as though you'd have the opposite problem if you went to the wall on the left. Here's a really rough virtual.

  • arcy_gw
    9 years ago

    I want to see the space with the suggestions above but hang the TV or get a stand to lift it to the height of the suggested new mantle. It seems too low here, beverly's suggestion seems too high. What would it look like to extend the NEW, suggested mantle all the way across the inset? A wood box would be typical there so I think shelves below the mantle or a painting above, if not the TV, would look cohesive. It is a shallow spot..some would do something artsy with stacked birch logs perhaps.
    Do you know why that inset was built? There is often a structural reason. What is on the other side of that wall? Not that it matters--I was just wondering.

  • PRO
    BeverlyFLADeziner
    9 years ago

    Flatscreen moved down

  • kidrowlam
    9 years ago

    Well lowering mantle is a great idea. Placing a traditional rug can also elaborate the looks or interiors. As you have cream walls therefore something contrast like teal would work the best with it.

  • lazy_gardens
    9 years ago

    That's odd, to say the least.

    Remove the mantel and mirror - although they are centered on their patch of wall, having them so obviously off center from the fireplace opening emphasizes the problem.

    Use the tan line I drew as the visual edge of the wall for centering. Your eyue will WANT to see it a center, so you can fake it.

    Place a fairly chunky mantel directly over the fireplace, extending the full width of the surround, or extending equally on both sides of the surround, and place several tall skinny things on it to break up the wall surface so you don't see the assymetry. A couple of slender paintings, some statues ... whatever.

    Fill that funky niche with shelving, painted to match the walls, and put the TV on a shelf with the controls below it.

  • louisianapurchase
    9 years ago

    I was first going to suggest removing everything from above the fireplace box itself and hanging the tv there and then install floating shelves in the niche as beverly suggested. However, I think your room is too small to hang the tv over the fp so I would leave it in the niche but hang it and install the shelves either above or below (not sure which would be most practical) still removing everything else from above the fireplace box. Attached is a picture of my den which shows a fireplace with no mantle and floating shelves in a recessed area. I don't think your space is big enough to handle the same thickness of shelves as mine, but will help you to get the idea.

    lp

  • arcy_gw
    9 years ago

    I read a lot about TV height here. Many feel above the fireplace is too high. Ours is on top of a credenza and the bottom edge of the TV sits at about 39"--which happens to be the same line as the top of our fireplace box. I would not want it any lower. Our mantle is two feet above the fire box. Removing the mantle would give your room a more modern flare and removed visual clutter, making that "corner" seem larger.

  • teacats
    9 years ago

    Yes -- a big vote to remove the mirror and the mantel .... that would REALLY help to re-direct the viewer's eye .....

    Paint out the small shelf in the wall color -- and mount a shelf just over that small shelf and then a shelf or two (also painted the same color as the walls) Add darker baskets/books etc. to fill in that niche ....

    THEN add a much darker black simple-lined fireplace screen (or paint the one that is currently there in black -- use high-heat paint or barbecue paint) -- this change will help the fireplace screen to disappear ....

  • Beemer
    9 years ago

    I like a high TV.

    I'd put the TV over the fireplace, perhaps get a different fireplace screen. I'd also build in shelves all the way up the niche for books and other objects.

    If the fireplace is not in use, you could hang a quilt or throw over a rack (or fireplace screen) to cover the fireplace.

  • Errant_gw
    9 years ago

    As justgotabeme said, it's the mirror and mantel that aren't centered. Lower the mantel and center it over the fireplace, hang the TV in the nook, then take another look :)

  • k9arlene
    9 years ago

    I think the reason that raising the TV doesn't work is that the room is so small you can't get far enough away from it to view it without bending your head too far back.

  • arcy_gw
    9 years ago

    The mirror and mantle are too high. They seem crammed against the ceiling which is throwing everything off. It seems to me a person in this room would get a crick in their neck from looking down at the TV. I would attempt to get it eye level when seated. Plus one has to be sitting very close and at just the right angle to see a TV that low to the ground.

  • Annie Deighnaugh
    9 years ago

    I'm with Beverly. Eliminate the mantel, add shelving to the nook so the TV is part of a "unit" and center the mirror over the fireplace. It takes the corner from being odd to functional.

    I would take it a little further by getting some ikea type cabinetry to "build in" the bottom of the nook to rest the TV on...it can be capped with anything...maybe tile that is similar to the fireplace surround. Then add shelving above. Given the narrowness of the nook, probably upper cabinets would fit in nicely, add storage and provide a place to put components.