Design Debate: Are you FOR or AGAINST hanging a TV over a fireplace?
Mitchell Parker
7 years ago
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Comments (133)
L W
7 years agopvkshouse
7 years agoRelated Discussions
TV Over Fireplace vs TV On Separate Wall
Comments (35)I put the TV on a separate wall than the wall which will eventually have a wood burning stove. (The mantle and backdrop is already in place. Right now I am dealing with homeowners insurance that doesn't want me to have one.) I don't watch much TV at all, and I really dislike - for me - having an ugly black box being the center of living room attention. When I have guests over, we're here to talk. I can think of exceedingly few occasions I'd be watching the idiot box with guests. Probably if they were here several days, we'd rent a movie or two via Amazon Prime. (Moot point right now, COVID and all.... but hopefully that won't last...) And with a wood burning stove, the exhaust pipe will go up and bisect the view of any TV over the mantle. I sat down on the couch to figure out the best viewing height - which is well below what the mantle might ever be, at least on this couch. It would be fine if I could lean back and rest my head, to have something over mantle height - assuming I'd go with a regular fireplace. But at six feet tall - there just isn't a couch or sofa like that. Plus as others have said, what about decorations? I enjoy decorating my mantle for various holidays! After all, that's really what mantles are for, right? The thing is off to the side, and it does not get glare there, either....See MoreTV Over Fireplace: Please Show Me How You Designed Yours, Thanks!
Comments (23)I would not do it. It puts unnecessary strain on your neck or forces people to lie back like the dead and it's hard enough to teach my kids to not slouch. You might not think the neck thing matters but we all get old .. if we're lucky. It also makes me feel like I'm in a bar, an airport, or a bad restaurant. Sorry, if that offends anyone, it's how I feel and so far all of my clients have agreed without needing any persuasion.But that doesn't mean it's wrong to do it. Only the owner's family needs to like it. To me it's just not that difficult to put the TV to one side with the great adjustable brackets now available. The proper height of a TV is easy to determine, just sit on a couch, look straight ahead, and have someone measure the point you feel comfortable looking at. Perhaps take an average of your family members. If I had to do it, I would at least put the fireplace box tight to the floor, the mantel low, and be able to enclose the TV when not in use. These things are not pretty. It would also help to recess it and tip it downward for better viewing and less reflected light. I was in an Italian restaurant in the 60's called Charlie's that had multiple gas fireplaces recessed into the wall above seated head height. Would that work?...See MoreFlat screen TV over fireplace - ideas for making it look nice?
Comments (69)I needed to mount a TV above the fireplace because it was really the only place in the room it could be viewed by everyone and not in the way. The mantel of our fireplace is rather high (almost 6 feet) which would put the center of the TV well above a comfortable viewing angle. I spent months searching for a TV mount that could lower the TV to a decent height. I quickly discovered that anything motorized would cost several times what I paid for the TV. Beyond that, there were 2 options: Omnimount or Down and Out by Dynamic Mounting (http://www.dynamicmounting.com/index.php). The Omnimount is cheaper ($200-$300 vs. $400-$500) but an inferior product for my purposes. The Down and Out mount is much thinner (protrudes ~4 inches from the wall) and can lower the TV much farther (~30 inches!). I should also say that I have engineering degrees and tend to do all my own work. I thought about making my own mount but was a bit surprised at both the cost and level of difficulty. The Down and Out was fairly simple to mount on the wall and works VERY well....See MoreTv placement over fireplace or to the right?
Comments (27)"They" say its bad to mount a TV over a fireplace but sometimes its the best option. I think its only bad if you use the fireplace regularly and heat may be a problem. we rarely used ours so it was the best place in our small open concept home. the pluses were that it eliminated the glare factor from our windows, easier viewing from our recliners, we can watch from dining area and kitchen and can still watch if someone walks in front of it. (some reasons why hospital rooms have them mounted high). like all tv locations sitting too close doesn't give the best viewing and will give you a stiff neck. I think the TV consoles and stands for TVs in my youth were much worse because the were basically on the floor but it was the "normal" then. I remember laying on the floor to watch as a kid because you could see it better but hated when someone walked in front of it. times have changed and some people take a lot longer to adjust to the change. Rather than mounting it to the brick I would think about just beefing up the mantel. my husband made ours wide enough to use the TV stand and not mount it one the wall. hiding the wiring and associated equipment is the bigger problem. you need to have somewhere to put them beside the fireplace....See MoreStudio NOO Design
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