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Design Dilemma Fireplaces

historic home fireplace wooden panel and cabinet wall - tv?

4 years ago

We are considering buying a home that has this wooden panel and cabinet wall above the fire place. There is not really anywhere else in the room to hang a tv. Is it at all possible to hang a tv over the fire place by somehow renovating the cabinet space above? How would you go about this ?

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PRO

Beth H. :

4 years ago

you could prob remove those two doors and modify it so you could inset a tv. Although, the height is very high and not conducive to proper viewing

Plus, the atheistic look of a modern tv mixed in w/something 200 years old really doesn't jive well!

there has to be somewhere else you could fit a tv.

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Comments (13)

tatts
4 years ago
What's behind the doors? We don't now anything about what's there, so can't really tell. Is the wood original? Then No.

But I can tell you that it's not only way too high for comfort, but also that the wood-burning stove is going to crank out heat like no fireplace does (most fireplace heat goes up the chimney, the stove radiates intensely),, and most TVs are only rated to operate up to 104 degree F. And I'd bet that area will easily get that hot when the stove is fired up.
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Lyds, Thank you. The tv is recessed in a niche we put in during construction. DH picked out tv width and we went from there. We'll never do one larger, but there is a little room on each end and even more top/bottom. I went from trying to find an antique folding screen to having a four panel folding screen made using wallpaper but never found the perfect pattern. I ordered a screen from Gump's and the colors were horrible when it arrived. TWO years I tried to come up with a solution and FINALLY I wake up in the middle of the night and it came to me! TxGal, Thanks! I had a thread on Decorating but I can't locate for whatever reason. It was custom. They made the shutter into a door to hide the tv equipment and DVDs also. It's on sliders. I have no idea who they ordered them from. The sliders are attached to 2"x2" strips of wood. They built the sliding panels sort of box-like in that the side/top/bottom are to the wall. In other words, when you're coming in the front door you see the side of the panel and it looks like a wide picture molding. slc2053, we don't have a problem with glare since the house faces south and we have a deep veranda. Also have window film across the back side of house. Found the thread: Here is a link that might be useful: Decorating Forum Thread
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Hi Mnsportsgeek, From the sounds of it you would like a functional living and viewing space without involving to much construction. Here is my suggestion: 1. Wall mount your 50" TV with a Chief TS525TU Thinstall Articulating wall mount just to the left of the fire place. This has a approx. extension of 24" with wide range of movement to allow you to center the TV on your couches viewing are when in use and put in back out of the way when not. 2. Power is located in the wall below to allow for an easy fish of power cords to conceal wires in the wall. Or leave them run externally if so desired. 3. Entertainment center and equipment can be placed below TV leaving plenty of room to walk through. 4. For internet: If signal throughout house is not strong enough look into the "eero" in Home Wifi System (link https://eero.com/shop). Extremely easy to setup and very affordable for the DIYer. Got to have that Netflix! 5. Set up couches and coffee table in the 90 degree layout with the focal point being the fire place. The TV swivel out and angled to the same center point of the couch layout. I believe this will give you a great space saving setup with a great viewing area of the TV and Fire place. Couches can be placed in view of the fire place and TV. All without to much construction till your ready for the "big upgrade". Hope this helps!
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Diana Savani
Original Author
4 years ago
The house was built in 1700s, I believe the wood is very old but not sure if original. The doors open to empty cabinets (hollow space behind the doors). We were not sure if there was any way to fill them in to make it solid enough to hang the tv. Our tv is over our mantle above a gas fire place in our current home and we are on with the height, especially since it’s a large tv. We weren’t sure if we could also build out a large mantel to keep heat from it? We are new to this “old house” stuff so just trying to learn all possible options before committing
yvonnecmartin
4 years ago
How about on a cabinet in front of the brick to the left of the stove opening.
Diana Savani
Original Author
4 years ago
We have a big tv lol. Wouldn’t fit. We have a 55 inch tv
PRO
HALLETT & Co.
4 years ago
Ceiling mount tv bracket so you aren’t destroying 200 years old woodwork...
plf12652
4 years ago
Listen to “tatts” about the heat from a wood stove! We have had 2 wood stoves for 25 years and I can say there’s no way I would put a tv above either stove. Electronics would not like it!
PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
Definately not above a wood stove, could you post pictures of the whole space .Even if somehow you could do this the TV would need to be hung so the top of it would be a t the ceiling. Are you actually needing the wood stove at all I mean like is this your only source of heat.?Is this historic in that it is listed so you can’t make changes without checking with someone or just an old house ?
pds290
4 years ago
I have to agree about putting a tv near a wood stove. The heat from your gas fireplace can’t compare. The wood stove will be much too hot for electronics to be above it. It would also be a shame to convert this beautiful old cabinetry to accommodate a large tv. You don’t share dimensions, but these look much too small to easily accommodate a 55” tv, which means you would have to tear it out and start again.
njmomma
4 years ago
Not a Pro.

I am sure you have a wall with windows that you cannot hang a tv on. So as not to touch the original wood, wall, history, you may want to consider something like this. The tv lift can also be used to divide a room.

Inspiration:

TV Lift Cabinet by Cabinet Tronix. US Made Titan TV Lift Cabinet · More Info

living room · More Info

TV lift kit cabinet in family room is retractable by remote in San Francisco · More Info
st5330
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
as you already said, height is fine. our tv is mounted as well. you can move your eyes independently of your head. we have never had any issues of comfort with our tv. is there another room that can be your tv room? this could be for something else
Diana Savani
Original Author
4 years ago
Thank you everyone for this feedback! We are just using photos available on the public listing for their house and unfortunately there is no better photo showing that entire space. We wouldn’t use the wood stove for primary heat but would use it to supplement the cost of the propane heat. They said it does not have any historical limitations as far as needing permission to change things.

Honestly we don’t want to remove the character of the room and ruin the wood structure on the wall. We are trying to determine if this is the right house for us to put an offer on, and one thing we usually value is hanging a nice tv and enjoying the entertainment in the living room space but we are trying to figure out if this space could work for us or if we’d have to reprioritize and just not have our Tv set up that way anymore.

The only other space in the room is on a tiny table between two doorways, as the rest of the walls are either all windows or built in shelving

I appreciate everyone’s feedback !!
decoenthusiaste
4 years ago
Where in the house could you meet these prerequisites? Maybe this is not the room for TV.

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