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.

Oh what a cutie! I agree that you have a good reason to not have a lot of time. I've been reminding of that time in my life the last two years that I've been babysitting our grandson. Who cares about decorating when you have a precious little one to love. And I can understand more about why hubby doesn't like changing things or doing more than "has" to be done. He's more worried about being a good daddy and supporting his family than having a "pretty" updated home. Our home was rather sparse with mostly hand me down or used furniture when our first born was a baby. Heck it wasn't much difference by the time our second baby was born. Not saying it wasn't warm and welcoming. It was, but not everything was perfect. I've learned with age, that it's not so important. Perfection, that is. I went through a period where things had to be just so. Maybe it's more living in a unfinished home with a hubby that works a full time job year round and umpires most of the rest evenings and weekends to keep in shape and it pays nice too. We'll be in good shape for retirement and that's a good thing. I'm glad you like the corner door shelf. It's really easy to do. The hardest part was cutting the door in half. It's heavy so it took three of us to do. But if you used two doors you wouldn't have to worry about that. I bought the door through Craigslist since I was going to distress it, it didn't have to be perfect to start with. Habitat Restores are a good source for used doors too. As for the lighting in the entry I was wondering if you'd be able to use a decorative type track lighting in there. They have some really nice looking ones that the "track" curves and all you need is the one box for the fixture.

I loved Horchow's tv wall cabs, but they wouldn't work on my adobe walls. We went with a tv lift console and I've been very pleased with it. I love not having to look at a big black screen most of the day, no matter how thin it is! The only downside to these consoles, other than the fact that they could be a lot cheaper, is that the top hinged door that lifts up makes it impossible to put anything on the top of them, decor-wise. Our lamp needed to be on the tower next to the console (which still needs to be replaced eventually) and all decor had to be on the wall above it. Here's mine open: And closed: Since we first looked at them, I've seen some other very nice wall mounted cabinets on the market. The prices are getting more reasonable and they're so darn practical, too! Lynn

Missymoo, we have a television screen mounted unapologetically above the mantel, but it is in our tertiary living area downstairs. I'm not ashamed of watching movies, we just don't need it in the living room or library--- there's an iPad in every room if someone wants to watch----anything except live television, we don't have service. IMO the tv screen looks perfectly fine with some decor (modern, contemporary, transitional, etc) and not so good with other styles (country, traditional, French, etc.). I agree with you though---snark shouldn't come from people who watch tv but hide the boxðÂÂÂ. Adding, Carsonheim, your solution is very elegant! This post was edited by kswl on Sat, Jan 24, 15 at 18:18