James, it is called floor and table lamps that you want for main lighting. Majority of people in their homes don't have overhead lighting. I have had 3 homes with soffit lighting and I never turned it on. Floor and table lamps are better as they still light up the room but don't give off the harshness of the overheads. They are great for "mood' lighting but to me not worth the expense. And I have to tell you that I'm working on a project right now and the architect came up with soffits in the living room and I told him to remove them. The room is a bit larger than yours and I think they just overwhelm it and would rather put the dollars into something that is more visually pleasing.

I like the wall sconces look of that one with the fireplace. I guess I've always perferred downlighting over uplighting, maybe all of my years in the operating room lol plus my kids end up turning floor lamps into scarf hangers which drives me crazy.

Ha-ha. I don't know what is funnier, the scarf lamps or the lights and the operating room. You do have some creative kids though! And of course they can contain this to their bedrooms and not the rest of the house.

Keep in mind that the soffit is going to light up the perimeter and not the center of the room.

Theres great lighting in the kitchen so the soffit lights help a ton reflected light off the walls

Yeah but that's the kitchen and not the livingrm and do you leave all the kitchen lights on when no one is in the kitchen? Sorry but your logic is not holding up here-lol.. Let's just be real here. You are going to do the soffit no matter what, right?

I like soffits alot....happy to rework it though.

SMH

Proper lighting is a “layering” of lighting. Not just from one location. Does this room have a fan in center of ceiling? If so, nice chandelier would be second source, accompanied by perhaps a pair of plug in wall sconces behind sofa. An arc lamp over sectional provides another source. So by layering you get ambient, task and mood lighting in rooms. All are needed.

Examples

That's a nice lighting overview Flo! There's a box at the top of the ceiling that's wired for a fan and light but haven't gotten anything for it yet. Right now the only lighting in the room is the soffit lighting, the two lights at the top of the fireplace and two lights under the catwalk. There are three bright lights over the catwalk that also spill into the living room when on.

You're happy to rework it but not get rid of it, right?

Totally insufficient. ;)

Haha yes....trying to compromise. What if I cut it back so it's more similar to this?

You just don’t need it. Open concepts eliminate these features. Sorry we didn’t get to help you earlier. But it is what it is and I know you put a lot of time and effort into it. Don’t know if you are familiar with Stephen Covey but one of his 7 steps of highly successful people that applies to design is: Start with the end in mind. So lay out everything you are thinking, develop a plan and priorities and the rest of what you do will be more successful. You say you can’t afford a designer but avoiding mistakes often covers designer fees. Putting assets into furnishings that will work well in your “next home” is another example. Large sectionals rarely fit in next houses. So everything is up to you but it is not too late to get a good designer in to help you develop a master plan. Then you can execute that plan as time and resources permit.

I think before you go any further you need to figure out what you want to do with the fireplace. Whether it is trimming it out, facing it with all the same material, etc. Once you do that you can figure out how and if the soffit works into that design and then from there figure out what happens to the TV wall.

You may want to spend some time browsing through Houzz and put any ideas that grab your attention into an Ideabook. As you may find bits and pieces from different photos will end up being your fireplace. And keep return investment in mind vs your personal style. It's short term housing for you and your family.

Just some ideas..

Note how you may incorporate your current mantel ( you could redo the tile) and have a more modern traditional trim.. Also, note the stairway wall trim. IMO more visual impact than soffit.

The Hamlin · More Info

Two tone -since you mentioned you have purchased gray paint.

Regal Reflection · More Info

If you take the TV off the mount then you may have room to move the TV away from the fireplace. Note that this room has crown molding keeping it a bit eclectic traditional.

URBAN MOD · More Info

The Urban Mod pic is perfect for James' space.

I do like the wainscoting on the stairs, you probably can’t see from my photos but we actually have two stair cases that join in the middle. I am still looking through Houzz for ideas but in the meantime tried to sketch a combo of some ideas we discussed. See what you think.

Maybe paint the entire fireplace up to the ceiling black (assuming no stone)...try to balance out the black boxes somehow.. maybe make that beam out of wood so you eliminate the problem of where to stop painting one colour and starting the next on the part above the fireplace. I think it would look nicer with wood going across the black fireplace than the white

But that beam would look best if it were just chunky enough to have your lights in them...not the big gigantic thing you have in the beginning of your post. I’m no Pro though

Are you a minimalist type person or one who likes lots of stuff, or a little stuff? Do you want it warm and cozy there? or something else?

I’m much more of a minimalist. I like things clean and sophisticated with stone, cement, wood. My wife on the other hand likes farmhouse chic

Could you remove (electronically) all the soffit and trim and colors. I would like a clean slate to consider options. Thanks!

So based on what direction you were going so far with what you've done and your wife likes farmhouse, she has been fine with your direction? Not to get into your married life but just want to make sure that the ideas thrown forth aren't going to cause a divorce.. And maybe that's more of a reason to go more traditional as it a neutral style for both of you-lol...

Lol she liked the last sketch I posted

My vote: stick with tedbixby's first reply--extend the soffit to fireplace; streamline the fireplace with a modern stone or paint all the way up, solid color; make the tv console match fireplace; and call it a day. He and others have posted photos throughout with different versions of this.

I would not worry about the rest of the house except the front steps. Get a contractor or electrician, to help re soffit and wiring over fireplace.

Color will be your next issue. I would make the tv console the same color as the fireplace (charcoal gray, brown, black). This way the two blend. The console can be modern or transitional. Your wall color can be different but make the walls all 1 color (off white, beige). Paint the tv mount to match the walls. On the soffits, paint them in either color. Make your furniture neutral (sectional?) and transitional or modern using 1-2 wood pieces similar to your existing wood.

I don't think you need to build any more soffits in the house. After you finish, get with a realtor about ROI on the other things you are planning. You want to make money when you sell.

FYI you can use modern furniture in a traditional home and have it look great. If you like, create more threads on Houzz for any of your other rooms. Keep us updated!

Here you go Flo

Came across this that gives a good visual for a black wall behind the TV. Note that it has a nice clean look without having to have the TV mounted on a board.

Hudson River Park · More Info

I like that alot, do you think that would work with my last plan?

Add it to your plan and lets see. Though I think with the soffit and the trim on the fireplace that adding the shelving is just too many things going on.

With black behind TV

Too busy with all the square & rectangle boxes everywhere. No where to rest the eye. Your Ideabook is full of modern ideas not seeing much that leans towards traditional...

I agree with you on it being too busy. I think the closest thing I found more traditional was that fireplace photo with the more modern wainscoting and the stone surround

You need to simplify. The less detailing the better. Can you reduce the depth of the soffit? It looks like a ball cap.

I can easily take off the front trim piece and flush the bottom piece so it just looks like a box

Reduce the overhang light soffit by at least half and remove all trim from FP, that streamlines where your eye roams.

Note the size of this "soffit" which appears not as deep as yours. I know it is part of the box but gives you an idea of how it looks a bit more streamlined. I almost cringe to show you this photo because of the TV mount. But I think they did it because the TV is so much smaller than yours. Though I don't know why one would want to highlight the TV... It's not something visually exciting nor does that mount do that.

GREAT FAMILY ROOM · More Info

Note in that photo how the top of fireplace and top the trim around the TV are at same height. This is a strategy you can use. We live below 9’ so keep that upper line across spaces.

Hello Mr. Weinberg, any updates on your family room fireplace wall? Also sincerely hoping you are well.

Hey! Thanks for the well wishes. Sorry it’s taken a few to write back. I took down the middle section of trim on the fireplace wall and started framing out the connecting piece to the soffit. That’s as far as I got before the pandemic but will resume it once I get some more time away from the hospital!

Oh, yes, it slipped my mind you are a resident. No worries then about the house. If no one has told you we are praying for you and all health care professionals. We thank you for everything you are doing for us to fight this virus!

God Bless you James Weinberg. Sending you a virtual bubble to protect yourself with.

Dr. Weinberg are you okay? Just making sure.

Doing ok! Thanks for the support! My hospital has been planning for weeks and continues to evolve care to meet the demand, which I know will get worse in the coming weeks. How are you doing?

Ditto Ted! Stay safe James♥️ we are sheltering in place so we won’t burden the wonderful healthcare professionals like you James! Please stay safe and well ! Hoping everyone does♥️♥️♥️

I am ok, thank you. Praying for you and all healthcare workers on the front lines.

People are doing a pretty good job here and so far our hospitals and staff seem ready. Our hospitals are near capacity on a normal day so this is a concern but we have a lot of hospitals. Staffing IMO will be critical resource. Next couple weeks will tell the tail. We have been shelter in place for over two weeks and so far this seems to be helping. Bless you good Doctor! Everyone is praying each in their own way for safety and wellness. 🤗

Why isn't a tv above your fireplace? Seems visually crowded to add it (and assoc soffit) right next to fireplace. 2 centers of attention too busy.