great article, just incase folks dont read it here is a clip from it "Will the heat from the fireplace harm the plasma TV? There are a few precautions to take before hanging a plasma screen TV over your fireplace. First, take a thermometer and tape it to the wall above the mantel, in the place where the plasma TV will reside. Then build a fire, and let it roar awhile. Now, check the thermometer. If the temperature is above 90 degrees F, then the area is receiving too much heat -- either escaping from the front of the fireplace and rising up the face, or radiating through the chimney to warm the outside wall -- for a plasma TV to hang there without receiving some modicum of residual damage. It would not be advisable to run the plasma for a long period of time while its environment is this hot. Though the Plasma TV has its own cooling system, the surrounding heat will force the Plasma display to work harder to cool itself, thus shortening the overall lifespan of the unit over time. A Plasma TV may still be run for short periods of time without harming the unit (even with the environment heat at 90 degrees F or above). If the plasma display is not turned on while a fire burn in the fireplace, then the unit will not be harmed at all even though the temperature surrounding the unit may be warm. Of course, this might not be an option for people living in places where winter lasts seemingly forever, and fires are an everyday fact of life. In such cases, you should be advised to monitor the amount of heat your plasma display is exposed to while it is running."

Well, you point the remote at the device you wish to control, however, human nature always makes you want to point it at the television. If the cable box and television are roughly in the same area, the cable box will hopefully "see" the remote control's IR (infrared) signal. If they are too far away, or if the A/V components are in a cabinet, you can purchase an "IR repeater". The repeater consists of a IR receiver which you discreetly place near the television. It then sends the IR signal to small IR emitters that you place near your A/V components. They come in both wired and wireless versions between the receiver and emitters. You may need some help from somebody that can look at the outputs available on your A/V components: Cable Box, DVD player, etc, and the input options of the television to determine what types of connection/cables you will need between the two. You may also want to add some additional cables for "future components." Additionally, Ethernet wiring (for an internet connection) should be run to the television and also another to where your A/V components are located. If you're installing a home theater sound system, the wiring for that needs to be figured out as well. The single HDMI cable reference I made earlier refers to connecting all you A/V components to the receiver for the sound system, and using it to control which source is displayed on the television. Many people end up preferring to send the signals to both the receiver and the television. That way, if you are "just watching TV" you can use just the TV. If you are watching a movie on DVD and want the full surround sound, then you turn on the receiver as well. By the way, the cables/wiring used in-wall to the television (and speakers wiring if done in-wall) need to be in-wall rated. That refers to the type of insulation used in the cable for safety purposes.

I moved the DVD player to the bottom shelf which is really too short to hold anything else. Then I moved the baskets to the center. That should be enough to allow you to hide the cords. Of course, I just spent $115 on the chair and I don't know how much on the monstera, but I suppose it's still cheaper than a new media cabinet. I decided against art on the wall.

I like the banquette ideas from DecoEnthusiaste, above. If you put comfortable banquette seating under the windows, put the TV on the wall perpendicular to the slider, and get an adjustable height table that can be switched from coffee table to dining height, it might work. But very expensive if you’re going to go custom. How many people in your family? Is there any way to make that room just a seating area/tv but build table height counter seating under the bar counter for eating? Here’s an example: