I am deep in “fireplace wall” research mode on both the river house and the farm. Both houses have the same problem which made me realize that this a bigger problem. Where do you put the fireplace and TV so that you can enjoy looking at both? I have found this is a challenge because both TV and fireplaces are important focal points in a room, likely will dictate the orientation of your sofa, and if you are renovating you have the opportunity to do it right so that you can enjoy looking at both at the same time without craning your neck. Now if you aren’t renovating we have options and tips for you to, but if you are I have NEWS FOR YOU. I finally figured out the formulas and I so wish I had known earlier or I probably wouldn’t have put the TV above the fireplace in our family room. Allow me to demonstrate:
Option #1: TV Over Fireplace – But Make Sure It Is Low And Wide
Pros: It’s a shared singular focal point and it makes designing and laying out your room really easy. You can have symmetry with either windows or say bookshelves on either side. You know exactly where to look to get the benefits of both, so it really simplifies your design.
Cons: Unless you have a really low more linear fireplace your TV might be too high to watch comfortably. A lot of fireplaces need at least 12″ above them to be safe, and some require more. And if you want to add a mantel you are going even higher – be careful. We have a deep sofa so its OK, but if I’m honest with myself I do wish our TV was lower. We could have avoided this by choosing a lower/linear fireplace (even this one can be great but I wish it had a faux wood option) or doing option 3 (what I wish we would have done). I actually really like how we designed this, with the TV set back versus flush with the fireplace front but I now realize its a bit high.
Here are more tips for this one:
1. Don’t choose a huge fireplace to avoid it being too high (but you don’t want it looking dinky either). Take into account the clearance of the fireplace before you choose this option to see how close you can hang it to the floor and the TV.
2. So yes, opt for a linear fireplace if it works stylistically in your home. I like these because then it breaks up the box shapes and scales a bit and of course, allows you to hang it lower (but better in a more contemporary home, IMHO)
3. Skip the large mantel and just do it on sheetrock, plaster, brick, or tile. I prefer this look even in more traditional houses I’ve decided. You can add a subtle mantle or surround (like a slab), but just be careful not to keep adding and adding making your TV higher and higher.
4. Add a built-in bench on both sides so its not just box over box – a bench flanking it adds even another shape (I love ours) and you can put pillows on it which softens all the squares.
5. My biggest advice is to use the Frame TV if you can. It looks like art and because it isn’t a big black box that screams “watch me” it is less distracting to kids.
Option #2: Fireplace In Corner, TV On Wall In Front On Sofa
So this is a GREAT option in theory, but corner fireplaces have historically been, well not aesthetically our favorite (I’m not alone in this, Orlando is actually taking his out). Now I actually love mine in our living room and it allows us to see the fire from both the kitchen and living room. I don’t think I would design this fireplace now though if I were putting in one that doesn’t already exist. Instead, I would have a hanging corner fireplace. I’m obsessed with the idea of these:
Pros: They look VERY COOl and because they are round they feel appropriate hanging in the corner, off to the side. You can still see and enjoy them and they anchor the corner, while being able to place a TV directly in front of you. ALSO, you can put them in front of windows so you also have the “fireplace, TV, view” problem (which is definitely a good problem to have). A hanging fireplace actually looks very cool in front of windows.
Cons: I haven’t found a ton on the market that aren’t bioethanol, or sold in America.
Option #3: Stove Style Fireplace Off To The Side, TV In The Center
Having the TV and fireplace oriented side by side is also an option and can look really cool and modern too. This is the one I sorta wish we would have done for our family room. Ideally, you want to have the TV centered with the sofa and at eye level and vary the size and height of the TV and fireplace so they don’t mirror each other.
Pros: You can avoid having a fireplace in the corner which is less aesthetically pleasing and you can have the TV eye level instead of having it above a too tall fireplace. To add even more architectural interest an exposed chimney will help draw the eye up and it also looks SO COOL.
Cons: You need enough wall space for it to make sense to have the two be side by side. If the room is too small having them next to one another can make the room feel stuffy and crowded.
Option #4: If You Are Not Renovating And The Fireplace Is Too High, Place Your TV On A Credenza
If you are a renter or not renovating and your fireplace is taking center stage, you can put your TV to the side over a credenza. In Arlyn’s rental, she had a fireplace in her living room and the fireplace was too high and too close to the sofa for a TV to be installed over the mantel. She opted to place a credenza to the side and mount her TV over the credenza. The solution for the whole TV-off-center situation is an articulating, pivoting wall mount which allows her to pull it outwards and angle the TV towards the sofa to avoid craning necks.
Pros: You can avoid renovating and still have your fireplace be the focal point. Especially in older homes, fireplaces can provide architectural interest and charm and this formula preserves the fireplace as the focal point.
Cons: Depending on the size and layout of the room it can be tricky to fit a credenza and a fireplace on the same wall.
So there you have it. Which formula would you opt for if you were renovating? Do you also struggle with the fireplace/TV conundrum? Tell me your thoughts below!
I also want to point out that fireplaces – natural gas and wood, do have environmental problems both with interior air and external air quality. Currently there isn’t much of a solid alternative solution except A. don’t have a fireplace or B. Get an Electric fireplace. Bioethanol can be an option but its typically not a replacement for the gas or wood. My philosophy is only have a fireplace if you need one and only use it when you need it. And make sure you don’t do what I did at the mountain house in the living room and just get a set of logs with a gas line, instead opt for a direct vent with glass that provides way more heat (like we have in the family room), which doesn’t suck your warm air OUT of the home through the chimney and doesn’t pollute your interior air. I’ll write more about the alternatives (and I did shop for electric in person and ITS HARD). I wrote this post before I knew so much about fireplaces so I wanted to make sure my current opinion about usage and choices was reflected to give you guys the most information and of course try to stave our natural gas consumption to help the environment.
Opener Image Credit: Photo by Sara Ligorria-Tramp | From: How To Design A Quiet, Neural Yet Exciting Living Room
Very smart propositions, it’s not so easy to integrate nicely a TV in an environment, that’s why I usually like to work with projector setups. Thanks!
I really hate the aesthetics of a tv center stage above a fireplace (and, as you point out, it’s always too high). Sarah Richardson recently did a family room with tv on credenza next to fireplace (image attached) and I think that’s my favorite approach. In my own home, we have kind of a front parlor/second parlor set up (think Brooklyn brownstone). So we have no tv in the front parlor (living room) where the fireplace is and use a projector with screen instead of a traditional tv in the second parlor (den). The two rooms are separated by pocket doors, and we have the screen mounted above them. The furniture is oriented so that the two rooms flow well together for parties (remember parties?) with no visible tv pulling focus, but we have a (big enough to satisfy my husband, giant to me) tv when we want it.
I was just about to mention the Sarah Henderson reveal – I think the way she did it was one of the best I’ve seen – although as Emily mentioned it only works in a big room
I like this too. It’s not too off center for comfort, and also good when someone doesn’t want it to be the main feature
I live in a historic home with a fireplace in both the sitting room and the family room. In both rooms two walls are windows, one wall is the fireplace and one wall is a cased opening. We don’t have a tv in the sitting room but it meant for the family room we had no choice but to hang the tv over the fireplace. I think we’re getting away with it because (i) we do have a room with no tv, so it’s not in the main space, (ii) we did get the Frame and yes I think that makes all the difference, and (iii) our tv seems to be quite a bit lower than Emily’s family room tv, we have never had issues with finding the height of the tv awkward (I think that’s probably more of an issue for more modern fireplaces vs. old fireplaces). I admit when we made the choice I struggled and thought long and hard about projectors, and corner mounted TVs, and all sorts of nutty ideas, just because people are so anti-tv over the fireplace. But I haven’t looked back for a second.
Old houses love to do this, don’t they? Every wall is a mantel, bay window, or some kind of doorway in our house. We put the TV in a room on the second floor (we have no shortage of rooms, fortunately) to let the living room be pretty.
I can hardly hang photos or art, because there are windows on every free wall in my Craftsman home. And where there are not walls, there are built ins or columned openings to the next room. Beautiful architecture, but not conducive to art or TVs.
Same here! Craftsman’s are HARD, but beautiful. For me it’s less about where I can put art and the TV (bc there are so few options) and more about furniture type and positioning.
Kelly, I tend to be okay with furniture floating in the room, as long as I create clear paths. My furniture is mostly MCM and Shaker, or very simple transitional pieces. Also, less is more when it comes to furniture, since the rooms still tend to be smaller than new homes being built today (no great rooms).
okay, so great post for right now for me because i’m having this dilemma in my head for my new house. the living room (no separate family room) is set up a lot like your mountain house family room (fireplace centered between two windows). but, i do NOT want to do the tv above the fireplace because the fireplace is a huge brick one with a built in brick mantel, so the tv would be really high, which i totally hate. (second and third swipe pic here: https://www.instagram.com/p/CODf5W4jX8b/ ) , but i’d like all the furniture oriented towards the fireplace. soooooo, i can only think to put it over a credenza on a side wall, but not sure how i would do the sofas to be able to see the tvs. even if i had 2 sofas facing each other in front of the fireplace, they would each be facing either the opening to the dining room, or a glass doorwall to a sunroom. totally stumped on this one. totally learned my lesson on the whole height of the tv over the fireplace from my old house (currently living in it until we close on selling it) because my husband… Read more »
also. i’m still obsessed with that vintage chair in your mountain house living room (i think you got it for your 40th birthday?)
Not sure if you would be able to do this, money and space will both be A LOT, but there are double-sided sofas. I think I’ve also seen them referred to as “two-way sofas”, although with that term you have to check that the full length is two-way, not just an end piece. You would be able to do the layout how you want it re: the fireplace and the tv.
Ok, the height in your current home is insane. WTF to your husband and FIL!
My suggestion for the new place- could you place two sofas in an L-shape, to the left and in front of the fireplace. Then a credenza on the wall on the right (where there’s currently some kind of sideboard?), with a wall-mounted tv? Plus maybe an armchair to the right of the fireplace/left of the credenza. This way you have an orientation to both the fireplace and the tv.
by ‘in front’ I mean ‘facing’. So west and south have sofas, north has the fireplace, east has the credenza + tv.
Liking this discussion.. We have wanted to add a fireplace to our tiny bungalow living room to get us through long minnesota winters but we also watch TV in the same room and it’s only 11 x 14 with a giant picture window on one wall, a pair of windows on the adjacent wall, and opening to the dining room entry (no wall at all for 3rd wall. The only long wall with no windows or doors is the one we have our couch on because we love looking out the windows in all seasons. Just have not figured out how to make it work which makes me sad. Ideally I’d want fp centered between 2 smaller windows with a window seat on each side of fp but a low fireplace would look weird and putting TV up there would be too high. Maybe TV on a bracket that drops down for viewing but I can’t see me loving how that looks hovering low over the fp plus cooking the TV by accident. Sigh…
I also like when TVs are disguised on a bookshelf, but that usually means it can’t be too big. I stubbornly refuse to make the TV a focal point.
It’s a very specific setup, but I have my TV on the wall opposite the fireplace. The couch is perpendicular to both, so you can watch it while laying sideways in the couch (my husband’s preferred posture anyway). It‘a also on arm, like Aryln’s, which I love.
My dream setup would be something like Jenna Lyons’ pop out TV that lives in the fireplace somehow. Am sure that is not cheap though. Will try to find a link.
You have to watch the video to see it but it’s the first thing shown.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/01/t-magazine/jenna-lyons-home-soho.html
Woah
Oooh I think we’re headed here. What if you want like 6 people to be able to watch a movie togethre though? That’s where I’m struggling!
I’d like to complain about a related problem – there are so few wood burning stove choices for the U.S. market. European makers – please import more!
We placed our tv to the side of the fireplace. This was really the best option in part because of the couch location (there’s a cased opening directly across from the fireplace) and let us get a little carried away with an oversized TV. No regrets!
For a hanging fireplace, you may be able to find an older piece that’s the metal frame only and retrofit with a gas line and new insert. We bought a house with a hanging fireplace that was totally defunct and ended up having to do this anyway, it was fairly painless!
I am curious when it became the norm for all TVs to be wall mounted…they just give off such strong dentist office vibes to me. And looks aside, I cannot imagine what a PITA it would be to mount mine in my ancient plaster walls. So I have a regular tv that sits nicely on a credenza with a gallery wall arrayed around it.
I think it was when they became so big and also thin enough to hang on a wall. Back when a big old 32″ CRT TV was top of the line, we were all putting them in armoires. All fancy-like with self-storing doors, pull out shelves with a swivel to angle the TV. I’m very old, so I remember this stuff!
I mounted my TV to my plaster walls, it was fine! As long as you have the right equipment for dealing with plaster it’s no biggie. I like having it mounted because my space is so small – having it on the wall is so much more streamlined, and I concealed the cables so nothing is visible. Having it against the wall also means you have a wider viewing angle – for instance, I can watch a show while I wash dishes. Another plus is that I was able to get rid of the chunky stand it came with, although a lot of the newer TVs have much nicer looking stands!
I’m glad you addressed this. Seeing heads thrown back, necks curved backwards, while people watch tv stresses me out but probably gives chiropractors job security.
In our current house we didn’t have much choice but to go with TV over credenza next to the fireplace. It works. But in our first home we had a modern Rais woodstove in the corner and the focal point was french doors to the backyard. NO TV. Those were the days!
I have a long narrow living room with a fireplace in the center and a dining area at one end. I also hate TV’s over the fireplace so had to put it off the side over a small credenza. It isn’t the perfect set up but sometimes there is no other option. I’m buying a new tv soon and I’m going to mount it flush to the wall and put an old school map in front of it that pulls down. I hope it turns out ok and doesn’t look too contrived. The wall is too small to do a gallery wall unfortunately.
We did what Brady did in his bedroom where he DIY’d a vintage high boy dresser to put the TV in. I love it because it’s not a huge armoire, it’s small and stylish and we were lucky to find one that fits a 36” TV perfectly but we aren’t into huge TV’s. I really love this option!! We have this on the opposite wall of our fireplace because our fireplace is flanked by 2 sliding glass doors.
Our fireplace commands all the attention which is funny considering we live at the beach in Florida (in the north it does get cold part of the year)
Right now we have a sectional so you can face either way but for this room I think we are changing it out for a sofa with 2 lounge chairs because I love funky but comfortable chairs!
I am anti TV on top of a fireplace because of neck and back issues that I think would be inevitable.
I like all these suggestions but in our house there isn’t a good space to the side of the fireplace to put the TV. We’re thinking of putting it on the wall facing the fireplace and trying to figure out furniture that makes lounging to watch the TV comfortable without totally cutting off the fireplace. So sectional doesn’t really make sense and I looove a sectional. It’s a huge challenge! (Love this post, but it’s really kinda two answers: above or next to fireplace, no?)
I have the Haven sectional from West Elm and did this and it worked really well. The sectional is low so it’s not blocking off sight to the fireplace or tv from kitchen/living. Tthe short end has a seat part without a back (sort of like a chaise lounge and sectional combined) and it kept our open floor plan living/dining/kitchen feeling really open while still being able to enjoy both the tv and fireplace easily.
Varaition on 4. Our fireplace has five foot tall bookecase built in on either side and there is a smallish tv in one side with a shelf of books above. Fireplace is the focus, but TV is in the mix too and seating works for both.
Projector in the basement for big TV (and the flipping play station) use.
Can I ask what to do with sound or sound bars? Thank you!!!
Are you are still planning to share research on greener fireplace options? (Fingers crossed hard!) I would love to hear if you’ve been able to check out some of the new options mentioned in the induction post. Thanks!
We went down the wood burning stove rabbit hole last winter, and the reason that a lot of the models you see in Europe aren’t available here is because they don’t meet EPA specifications or haven’t been approved yet. When you dig deeper on clearances, you realize that a lot of the pictures online are not to spec…piling wood next to your stove is a terrible idea once you think about it! We decided to hold off and re-evaluate, it was making my brain hurt.
If you go the #4 route, what do you put on the other side of the fireplace? Our space has two coves, with the fireplace and mantel sticking out from the wall. We had planned on putting the tv to one side, what do we do with the other side of the fireplace? (The non-credenza side)
And thank you for this discussion, perfect timing we are renovating a room and had planned to do tv on the side of fireplace, glad this post is reinforcing that idea. When I saw the headline I was so worried it would be in the “what not to do” column lol.
We have the same setup you describe – a fireplace in the center with a cove on either side. The fireplace is the focal point. In the cove to the left of the fireplace is a cornered-in credenza with a tv sitting on it (not mounted to the wall). For symmetry, in the cove to the right of the fireplace is a cornered-in small drop leaf table. There is a larger piece of art on the fireplace mantle, three pictures in vertical arrangement to left of fireplace (between cornered-in credenza and fireplace), and a stand alone piece of art to right of the fireplace (between cornered in drop leaf table and fireplace).
The only place in our house that we could put the tv is high over the (gas) fireplace. We have a wall ‘mantel mount’ that pulls the tv down (about 2′ off wall to clear the mantle) and swivels so we can orient the tv where we want, at a height that is comfortable when we want to watch it. But that also means we turn off the fireplace whenever we pull the tv down. Has never been an issue for us, we LOVE it. We also mounted the soundbar to the bottom of the tv so it moves/orients with the tv.
So the focal point of our living room is a big beautiful original arched brick fireplace. It’s what you see when you walk in the front door. A TV could theoretically go above, but it would be such a shame – not to mention, too high. We have seating flanking the fireplace, pulled well away from the walls on either side (it’s a long narrow space). To the left of the fireplace is a sofa; to the right is a pair of big chairs. It creates this really cozy intimate area that feels centered around the fireplace, and then, behind the chairs directly across from the sofa, our TV is mounted above a long credenza. It’s a secondary focal point that you don’t really notice right away, and yet it is perfectly situated for watching TV. I love it. Just a reminder that, if your space allows, the fireplace and TV can be on different walls!
We tucked a lil 32″ flatscreen in a bookshelf in the den. Kinda like how Sara’s house is set up. Now we actually TALK in our living room (wild!)
While aesthetically it’s not my preference, over the fireplace is literally the only option for the TV in our living room/house layout. We installed a “MantelMount,” which is a pull down mounting mechanism that lets you easily pull your TV down to appropriate viewing height when you’re using it (and also supports a soundbar if you have one). We went for the recessed model to keep the TV as close to the wall as possible when not pulled out for show watching or gaming. It’s great and has been super functional/neck saving for us!
TVs have better picture quality, but for a combination where you can’t put the TV at a comfortable height, I suggest a projector and screen. If you’re doing a full renovation, you can incorporate a motorized one into the ceiling and lower and raise as needed. This option works well for people who watch TV less. We have a portable screen that we set up in front of our fireplace for this reason (in a 100-year old home that we won’t be tearing apart to recess the green into the ceiling). I’m a fan of the no fireplace plan, because of air quality. People in my neighborhood have wood ones (ours is natural gas), and they affect even my indoor air, because I don’t have a tightly seal home. I’ve also been a fan of no TV in the past, but this is not a popular choice for most.
I hate tvs over a fireplace! Just my preference….. but they are always too high and just don’t look right. You have a separate family room at the farmhouse so I say put it over a credenza for sure!!! No tv in the main living room 🙂
We’ve been really struggling with this exact problem in our small living room. We have a corner fireplace, but there isn’t enough space in the room to orient the furniture around the fireplace without blocking pathways and wasting space. There’s a platform above the fireplace that’s clearly where the TV is meant to go, but because it’s not possible to orient the furniture to the fireplace, you’re always going to be looking at the TV from an angle. What’s more, it’s not an actual fireplace, but a forced air heater—the only heater on that main floor, in fact. I wish I could just get rid of the fireplace but I don’t even know if that’s possible because of the heating set up, and we’re in a condo so we have fewer options for renovations. I think we’re going to get a frame TV to mount on the wall opposite our couch, above our piano (yes, despite the awkward layout and space limitations, the piano was a necessity) but then the fireplace still has that awkward platform above it that I feel needs to be filled, but I don’t know with what. Art? Vases? Just accept that the cats are going… Read more »
We just bought a frame tv. So when it’s off, it looks like a nice painting over the fireplace.
So does everyone who has the Frame TV leave it on 24 hours a day? Does anyone n=know how much energy that uses?
All that information is readily available on product pages: https://www.bestbuy.com/site/samsung-55-class-the-frame-series-led-4k-uhd-smart-tizen-tv/6403065.p?skuId=6403065
https://www.samsung.com/us/tvs/the-frame/highlights/
Estimated cost is $19/year for 156 kWh. It has a motion sensor and turns itself off when nobody is around. It is not Energy Star certified.
Perfect timing for this post! My reality is that I need a TV in the primary living room—or else the room doesn’t really get used much. We are finally going to see our Italy house for the first time, and trying to figure out the barn/living room layout. At the moment, we are planning to leave the existing WBFP in the Library (where we will keep our books, laptops, etc.), and have a TV on a credenza, no FP, in the barn/living room. I actually love Emily’s mountain house living room layout and was thinking of using that kind of corner with a low and wide electric fireplace, with the RV above it, low enough for a good viewing angle. But things are changing, so right now, the design has no fireplace…but will that be ok in a northern Italy winter?
My solution has been to have a sectional with one side facing the fireplace and one side facing the tv wall. It’s the best of both worlds. I always want to have something pretty over the fireplace, not a tv.
Camouflage it. Whether over the fireplace or on a credenza, I find that a very dark wall behind that big black screen works wonders.
We are lucky enough to have a ‘family room’ aka second living room, but even there we didn’t want the space always centered on a TV. We put ours on a rolling table (from CB2 but looks like they don’t make it any more) tucked to the side of the fireplace. It is inobtrusive there but can be watched from one part of the sectional without moving it, or by pivoting it out a little bit it is in full theater mode. Something like this could works for a lot of living room setups so that the TV isn’t front and center ALL the time, but can be.
I have a very unique floor plan, my fireplace is flanked by 2 entrances into the room. The free standing chimney is massive (7’ x 4’) and open to the foyer. And the den is sunken, so above the fireplace would be too high even if there was an outlet. So I’ve done a version of tv in the corner, fireplace in the center. It really the only place in the open concept room that makes sense.
I do love my quirky floor plan, but it does limit my furniture placement options.
I think we need to see actual “real” TV set-ups from all your readers. I think that would be interesting and far more helpful. Maybe a separate post? Very few people can gut renovate to the studs and design things from scratch.
Guys, do I have exciting news for you! There’s a mantel mount you can install that lowers the TV to a comfortable viewing height that you can just raise back up when you’re finished watching TV. It also has heat sensing pull down handles so it lets you know if the TV is too hot from the fireplace. It’s genius. My fiancé and I have had one since September and so far we’ve experienced zero issues. You’re welcome. 🙂
I am very anti TV-over-the-fireplace. It just looks trashy.
We have a sectional where the shorter end final piece doesn’t have a back cushion- like a sectional and chaise lounge sectional mix. (The Haven Leather 2 piece sectional from West Elm to be exact. We have it in taupe leather and it’s sort of a greige/mushroom color and I really love it. That’s a bit of a tangent). We had the short end facing the fireplace and the long end facing the long blank wall where we put our tv and a credenza. Worked super great! We just bought a new house and thankfully the exact same setup will work there with our current couch.
Speaking of, our couch is LOOOOW, which would have made putting the tv over the fireplace as the previous owners had done pretty uncomfortable. But it’s also low enough that the living space which opened to our kitchen/dining still felt open with the less substantial side of the sectional there. Our couch also has a pretty back, which helps.
We had a wood burning fireplace in our NorCal house and barely used it the first year (pain to clean out, made the house smell like a campfire and not much heat). We researched and ended up with a pellet stove insert. Wow! Lots of heat (didn’t even use our heater to heat the house) and we feel like it was a win for the environment. Not as pretty to look at but was a super wise decision for cost savings over the 13 yrs we were there.
Shout out to you Emily H💜. We lived in Fair Oaks…miss that area 🥰
My first thought is who needs a TV? For many years of my life I did not own one. (The last time I looked at live TV on over-the-air-broadcast TV was the January 6th insurrection against the government.) If I had a working fireplace I would NEVER install a TV above it. Nope! A TV over a fireplace is a non starter for me.
A TV should be placed ergonomically correct, then to minimize it as the eyesore that is IMHO.
I mean, anyone who wants to watch television, movies, sports, or play video games likely wants to own a TV – what a weird thing to be judgmental about. During college it was pretty miserable trying to watch movie with friends when all we had was laptops and computer monitors, and projectors are such poor video quality and can’t be used with any natural light in the room.
I have a long, narrow living room that is on the smaller side. I don’t have a fireplace, but I do have a woodstove (at the end of the room, in a little nook). The wall facing the couch (there’s only one place for the couch because of how narrow the room is) has several openings. Figuring out where to put the tv is pretty much impossible! I can only fit a 32″ directly across from the sectional I have, which I would be okay with, but there isn’t an outlet and wiring to that particular location is not going to be easy due to some structural components within the wall (also, my walls are lath and plaster but in good condition, so I do not want to mess with cutting big holes in them). Such a hard thing to figure out!
I went with option Z: no fireplace OR TV in my living room. Is that crazy weird? Our architects’ first plan had a gas fireplace and over-mantel TV, but we requested to remove both of them. We are putting a TV in the basement family room, but we watch TV rarely enough that it didn’t justify the amount of wall space required in the primary living area. And I’ve never really been a fireplace person — I don’t like the smell of a real fire and don’t get any positive vibes from the “look” of fake burning logs, so why not just turn up the heat in my well-insulated new house and snuggle under a blanket instead.