Thanks for your thoughts, decoenthusiaste. We have seen pictures of built-ins that extend out and overwhelm the fireplace, and we do not want that look. Storage would be great to have but since the fireplace position in the room changed, we are having to re-think our options. Yes - TV will be on the right side. We are probably not doing drapes. We like open windows and are pretty secluded. We will probably need to have film put on windows or some sort of shade for sun. The wall on the left is about 28' long consisting of 6' tall windows.

Thanks Mattman. I was just thinking about floating shelves. Would you suggest dark shelves like the mantel/beam?

We are doing something very similar to this, minus the window between the FP and TV.

So for your situation, get a floating cabinet and shelf above in a wood tone that matches your mantel. It will balance it out and tie the two features together.

Modern Eichler Living Room · More Info

Now the FP is the center of attention, because it's all that's there (and it's nice - it should draw attention). Once you paint, add window treatments, bring in furniture and the TV, you may find that you don't want to add a lot to that wall.

Do you have a special collection or something that you want to display on shelves in that room, or were you more thinking of adding built-ins because it seems like the thing to do? If you want a display area, is there another location in the house that would work? If you were planning to build something and decide what to put on it later, I would most definitely hold off until you've lived there a while. Shelving can always be added later.

I agree - just a long console on the right with the TV over it. If you're doing drapes, then you won't need much more than andirons on the left, or you could do a bookcase in the corner beyond the TV. I'll do a mock-up in a second. This is not a situation for built-in cabinetry.

We had wanted built-ins for storage. Switching to open concept, we obviously lost much wall/furniture for storage space. Since the position of the fireplace changed from the plans, we are realizing that built-ins don't make sense now. We agree that we need to live in the space and figure out what works in the room. Will be looking at lots of pictures. Don't know that we will mount the tv on the wall here. Thinking of putting it on a piece of furniture, with components underneath.

Just guessing at your style, of course...

Sometimes these walls look huge when they're empty. Sketch out the things you know you'll put there, and you'll probably find it fills naturally...

I think if you need storage, a natural solution could be the wall to the right -- you could do a whole wall of white bookcases from Ikea, with a mix of cupboards and open shelving, and it wouldn't have to pull focus from this main wall.

aamkz, when you say "storage", what were you thinking about? Since this is a new build, hopefully you have adequate storage in other parts of the house.

It might be that once you move in and live here for a while, you find your storage needs are different than where you live now. If you need great room storage, I would definitely do something like acm suggests. Again, easy to do down the road, when your needs are more clearly defined.

Even though you don’t need drapes and your house is secluded, you can still have drapes. Just don’t cover the windows!

Drapes can add softness and color.

Window coverings are also handy in a room with a big TV - cuts the glare during Saturday afternoon football and Sunday afternoon movies (I'm more of a college football fan than NFL).

Just thinking it would probably be $$ to hang drapes on this full wall of windows, if we don't plan to use them.

Agree that the glare is a big issue at times. A friend recommended solar shades. Need to look into them.

What a stunning view!

Thanks - we designed the house so that is the view from the front door. Love to watch the boats go by.

Thanks for your suggestions and the mock up! We agree once we are living there, we will figure out what we need. For now, we hope to put a small bar area on the wall to the right. It is the back of the stairs and across from kitchen.

Agree no drapes! wow, what a view. Maybe a small wall-hanging in that spot, or it's ok to have some empty space so you can look out the windows instead! :) In fact, a narrow chair or ottoman could be there as well, for fire-huddling or unexpected guests.

We are putting swivel chairs on that side so you can easily watch tv/fire or turn and look at the water. Think we'll look for a console for tv. We don't want it up on the stone and not sure about hanging it on the wall. My husband has a lot of audio components to store below tv.

Curious acm, what software do you use to add items to images?

@ aamkz Photoshop. Cut, paste, resize, adjust brightness... Lots of control but not quick or mindless. :)

Thanks. Never tried Photoshop. I have Corel Draw.