I put the TV on a separate wall than the wall which will eventually have a wood burning stove. (The mantle and backdrop is already in place. Right now I am dealing with homeowners insurance that doesn't want me to have one.) I don't watch much TV at all, and I really dislike - for me - having an ugly black box being the center of living room attention. When I have guests over, we're here to talk. I can think of exceedingly few occasions I'd be watching the idiot box with guests. Probably if they were here several days, we'd rent a movie or two via Amazon Prime. (Moot point right now, COVID and all.... but hopefully that won't last...) And with a wood burning stove, the exhaust pipe will go up and bisect the view of any TV over the mantle. I sat down on the couch to figure out the best viewing height - which is well below what the mantle might ever be, at least on this couch. It would be fine if I could lean back and rest my head, to have something over mantle height - assuming I'd go with a regular fireplace. But at six feet tall - there just isn't a couch or sofa like that. Plus as others have said, what about decorations? I enjoy decorating my mantle for various holidays! After all, that's really what mantles are for, right? The thing is off to the side, and it does not get glare there, either.

GreenDesigns, I can appreciate your point of view, but it is subjective. Many designers plan TVs over fireplaces and they look fantastic when properly planned out, which doesn't need to include a lot of black accents. In an ideal set up I would love to have a room where the fireplace and TV were on entirely separate walls, but that often doesn't work, and from my own perspective having the TV and fireplace on the same wall but not stacked creates an asymmetry that I personally don't like. That said, I can see why other people prefer that design and I wouldn't try to talk anyone out of it. Here are some TV over the fireplace inspiration photos: [[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/orchard-family-room-a-contemporary-family-room-chicago-phvw-vp~213942) [Contemporary Family Room design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/contemporary-family-room-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_720~s_2103) by Chicago Interior Designer Michael Abrams Limited [[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/orchard-family-room-b-contemporary-family-room-chicago-phvw-vp~213947) [Contemporary Family Room design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/contemporary-family-room-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_720~s_2103) by Chicago Interior Designer Michael Abrams Limited [[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/c3d-design-portfolio-traditional-family-room-toronto-phvw-vp~30500) [Traditional Family Room design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-family-room-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_720~s_2107) by Toronto Interior Designer c3d design [[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/upper-east-side-contemporary-living-room-new-york-phvw-vp~76170) [Contemporary Living Room design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/contemporary-living-room-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_718~s_2103) by New York Photographer Alexander Johnson Photography [[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/woodvalley-house-interiors-contemporary-living-room-baltimore-phvw-vp~170464) [Contemporary Living Room design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/contemporary-living-room-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_718~s_2103) by Baltimore Architect Ziger/Snead Architects [[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/private-party-contemporary-entry-vancouver-phvw-vp~164210) [Contemporary Entry design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/contemporary-entryway-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_741~s_2103) by Vancouver General Contractor Klondike Contracting [[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/living-room-and-fireplace-contemporary-living-room-los-angeles-phvw-vp~302373) [Contemporary Living Room design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/contemporary-living-room-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_718~s_2103) by Los Angeles Design-build Stonebrook Design Build [[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/rocky-ledge-living-room-with-fireplace-transitional-living-room-boston-phvw-vp~215246) [Contemporary Living Room design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/contemporary-living-room-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_718~s_2103) by Boston Architect LDa Architecture & Interiors [[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/sf-media-room-traditional-family-room-san-francisco-phvw-vp~47212) [Traditional Media Room design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-home-theater-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_719~s_2107) by San Francisco General Contractor Mueller Nicholls Cabinets and Construction [[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/san-carlos-craftsman-2nd-story-addition-craftsman-living-room-san-francisco-phvw-vp~138997) [Traditional Living Room design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-living-room-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_718~s_2107) by San Francisco Architect Studio S Squared Architecture, Inc. At first I considered different solutions as well, however I've decided the TV over the fireplace is my preference when compared to the TV being in a cabinet next to the fireplace, or the TV being on a console table with the fireplace in the corner. TV in cabinet next to fireplace - the furniture is always off center. This may good in a room (like a formal living room) where the TV is seldom turned on, but in a family room where the TV is on for a couple hours most evenings it isn't my preference. [[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/mahoney-architects-and-interiors-more-than-cookies-in-the-oven-contemporary-family-room-san-francisco-phvw-vp~18241) [Contemporary Family Room design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/contemporary-family-room-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_720~s_2103) by San Francisco Architect Mahoney Architects and Interiors Fireplace in corner - I don't like the loss of symmetry and needing to use a console table. I suppose built in cabnitry would be possible, but again, I really appreciatte symmetry in design. [[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/our-home-contemporary-family-room-chicago-phvw-vp~571927) [Contemporary Family Room design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/contemporary-family-room-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_720~s_2103) by Chicago Media And Blogs Jiye Lee, Pearls and Green Tea [[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/transitional-basement-transitional-family-room-minneapolis-phvw-vp~84118) [Eclectic Family Room design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/eclectic-family-room-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_720~s_2104) by Minneapolis Interior Designer Happy Interiors Though, if I could put the fireplace on a different wall altogether I may do something like this: [[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/eliyahu-berlin-modern-home-theater-tel-aviv-phvw-vp~66329) [Modern Media Room design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/modern-home-theater-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_719~s_2105) by Tel Aviv Architect SK Designers - Shimrit Kaufman [[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/study-contemporary-home-theater-new-york-phvw-vp~42919) [Contemporary Media Room design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/contemporary-home-theater-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_719~s_2103) by New York Architect Dufner Heighes Inc

Thanks, @ElleN - I do love the idea of storage being closed off, just don't want anything that feels super heavy there. It is SO hard to find the right length, size, visual weight, color, etc. From the kitchen you can also see the breakfast nook area, for which we recently ordered this Arana table from Wisteria - http://www.wisteria.com/Arana-Wood-Dining-Table/productinfo/T19331 and Milano gray dining chairs from Pier 1 https://www.pier1.com/milano-portobello-dining-chair/3507194.html#internal-search-product&autocplt=milano.  I've included pic from kitchen view so you can see how the space flows. I've also included pic from bottom of stairs facing kitchen - don't mind the toddler and mess. :) Hoping it'll all work together and the console I choose jives with it all.

Is that a functioning fireplace? It appears to just have candles inside of it? If it is not a functioning fireplace, then mounting a TV above it, may not be bad if you can remove that mantle and mount TV a little lower. That's a small room to watch a TV mounted high on a wall. PLace TV above the shelf wooden cube shelf & have sofa float/face it. You can move sofa now & take pics to see if it seems too cramped. Or but a corner TV stand with a wall mounted TV you can pull out & angle when TV is being used. Or buy a smaller flat screen and mount on 32" wall & down the line, have built in made cooperating fireplace. If this is not the only TV viewing room, I would consider not using it for main TV viewing.