What would you do with my room.. Pics

[admin_exported]

Hey

I want to get rid of the Ateca Bordaux I have in my alcove and change it for a hi-fi rack, but...

The TV is sitting at 850mm from floor, and the floorstands I want are just over 900mm so it will look dumb.

Also the wife wont allow me to take down the fire, even though we dont use it. and I think the TV is too high to put above the fire.

My room is so wonky. and I cant turn the sofa anyway, so it needs to stay.

Any ideas guys, maybe some I have not thought of.

The only thing I can think of is move the TV up in the alcove to 1000mm and that will allow a centre chanel and a blox 500 stand underneath, and one floorstander to the one alcove and the other on the other side of the fire.

I really wish the wife would allow me to take down the fire, we used it twice in 3 years, but it looks nice.

Thanks guys

http://i997.photobucket.com/albums/af92/vsx819/P1010202.jpg

 

[GW93]

Canada,

After looking at your photo i think you'll always be a tad unhappy if you keep the tv in the alcove. My old man and brother both had a similar set of circumstances - (nice fireplace that both their wicked fairies had installed only for the effect) - and they decided to mount the tv above the fireplace. It's like everything at first, it's different cause the tv is higher up but they soon ended up really pleased it.

If you bite the bullet now, enlist the help of a couple of mates, get the chisels out and raggle in all your cabling so the lot is hidden, I'm sure you'll be well pleased. It just takes the bottle to get on with it.

I've read a lot of your posts, you've got good gear and seem to be planning on some upgrading in the near future but, I bet if you keep the tv in the corner it will always cause you some frustration.

Just my opinion old boy

 

[Anonymous]

My room is the same lay out as you and ive put the tv in the other alcove but angled it so it faces the corner of the sofa but then i am using a tv stand and dont have to worry about floorstanders.

 

[Anonymous]

Cheers mate.

I think the only way around to have the ideal placement is put my foot down and say to the wife.... OYYY.... I AM MAN...

LOL then the bags are packed.

Maybe I buy her some chocs and flowers for a month before the big question maybe she will say yes.

Why cant we have a 42" as a focal point with some RX6's, at least they will get used everyday, unlike the fire.

Really hate were my tv is, and I sat down and looked at the fire, and I will be looking up quite a bit to see the tv, which is something I dont want, and then the question, if i were to put it above the fire were will the centre go?

I hate my chimney breasts, and cant take them down as it shares. with another breast and goes into one stack in the attic, so I would have to take down both... And thats a BIG job.

 

[hammill]

I removed the fire - never used it anyway. Widened the chimney breast so the TV fitted nicely.

http://community.whathifi.com/forums/t/312535.aspx

 

[SnowyJohn]

hammill, that living room of yours looks wonderful and very well thought out. Although I must say, I've never been keen on mounting televisions around head height. Personally, I like the centre of my TV set to be a few inches higher than eye level when sitting... But nonetheless, that setup looks (and I bet sounds) great.

Canada, from the photo provided of your room it's obviously hard to tell how we (as a collective) could post our suggestions. Although, as you see from hammill's example - beauty is all about symmetry. And sadly, unless you have 2 chimney breasts, it's rather tricky to be symmetric without positioning the tv above (or infront

) of the fireplace. IMO, I would look at changing the whole orientation of the room, which as you said, might not be possible. Either way, I'd have to have that telly facing the centre of the room.

... my tuppence worth

 

[SnowyJohn]

ps... I can't make out what that TV is sitting on. Is it a speaker?

 

[Anonymous]

Hey my tv is wall mounted, and I have my centre just on a cube that I bought from next.

I think I am stuck with it in the corner, or get the missus to let me take the fire down.

The plasma generates heat, so that whould be good enough for her... LOL

 

[hammill]

SnowyJohn:

hammill, that living room of yours looks wonderful and very well thought out. Although I must say, I've never been keen on mounting televisions around head height. Personally, I like the centre of my TV set to be a few inches higher than eye level when sitting... But nonetheless, that setup looks (and I bet sounds) great.

Thanks, I am currently sitting with a big smile om my face.

 

[SnowyJohn]

canada16:
The plasma generates heat, so that whould be good enough for her... LOL

Neat idea! Get a fairly inconspicuous, low profile plasma that generates plenty of heat and buy yourself one of these.

 

[Anonymous]

SnowyJohn:canada16:

The plasma generates heat, so that whould be good enough for her... LOL

Neat idea! Get a fairly inconspicuous, low profile plasma that generates plenty of heat and buy yourself one of these.

Now were cooking with gas... LOL

Will put that forward to the warden for change.

You wanted a fire HERE!!!

Take the fire down whilst she is at work and have a nice blu-ray fire when she gets in .... , that will go down like a house on fire

 

[Oldenbroke]

Is it possible to fit a cantilever bracket for the tv which would allow the

set to be lowered more in front of the fireplace?

Just had a quick Google and there are a great many options, but

didn't see what I was thinking of.

 

[SnowyJohn]

I'm imagining a pull-down projector screen but smaller, heavier and more expensive! You would also have to contend with all those cables moving up and down...

A rising television (like Tom Cruise has in Vanilla Sky) would be more sensible. But what would you have it coming out of... a fireplace?!

 

[Anonymous]

Why don,t you re-mount the tv exactly where it is or slightly higher but use a swing bracket, one of the larger, better ones that allows you to swing the tv out into the room at a better angle, then you can push it back in for convenience. Think you can actually get brackets that swing about 4 foot out so should solve your viewing problems. If it was my living room and the wife wanted to keep the fire just for a glow in the winter as they all say, then i would take away the hearth and surround and replace with a surround that was not as high then mount the tv to exact height you want, problem solved.

 

[SnowyJohn]

I can't seem to insert the image, but here's the link. Something like that Oldenbroke?

 

[Anonymous]

I think thats going to be the only way I think

I really wish the wife was not so attched to a usless fireplace, but you know what women are like..... We will use it again.

I really wanted the floorstands either side of the fireplace, but were the bookshelves are right now, is not to bad, just not a even left and right sound

 

[Anonymous]

Canada, like i said, if the wife wants to keep the fire then that,s ok, keep the nest, fire-back and fire and just replace the hearth and surround for like for like but smaller in height then mount tv above.

 

[Anonymous]

Is there a 42" bracket that will allow me to lower to tv and tilt it ect.

Can seem to find one that will do everything, without it costing 300.00

Thanks

 

[JoelSim]

I'm with your wife on this one. Removing the fireplace is a silly idea. Not only will it damage the value of the property a fireplace is much better as a focal point to an old house than a plasma telly.

 

[Anonymous]

"Heavens to betsy" Keep the fireplace, change the surround.

 

[Anonymous]

Thats is the lowest profile surround that we could see that would fit the breast as its quite narrow.

Why spend another possible 500.00 on a surround only to lose a couple inches height?

I dont think the fire ads value, as people like modern, and I dont think fires are that modern.

I would rather see a nice tv placed central, with nice equipment, than a unused hole in the wall

 

[Anonymous]

Any fireplace company will manufacture and fit a surround to your specs, i have designed many a fireplace surround out of marble, granite, onglomerate etc and fitted very easily to many a property. You could make the surround height above the fire the same width as both sides are from the fire that would give you more than a couple of inches. In my opinion a nice warm cosy fire does improve the price of your property and in the properties that i have sold in the past the fireplace was a feature that hepled to sell .

 

[SnowyJohn]

I agree with the modern home not having a traditional fireplace. Especially when they can be replaced by a plasma/fireplace combo.

 

[6th.replicant]

FWIW...

My living room had a similar layout. So, in the right-hand alcove I built/installed a unit that in one half has 22cm-high shelves for DVDs, hifi and AV kit; the other half has 14.5cm-high shelves for CDs.

In the left-hand alcove I built/installed a bookcase with shelves of varying height for LPs and, er, books.

And the TV is now above the fireplace, at head-height (when seated).

'Er Indoors was initially very reluctant. However, she now concedes that the room now looks bigger, the AV and hifi kit appears integrated - "And all those 'orrible wires/cables have 'disappeared' - hooray!" - and the TV (42in plasma) seems less intrusive.

Three estate agents recently valued our flat and all remarked that the TV/AV/hifi layout is "perfect, either for a 'professional' couple or a family with young children". Ergo, my Tom Foolery has actually added to the property's value.

One note of caution: be aware that when fixing a TV above a fireplace in an Edwardian, or older, property - mine's Vic' - then the mortar 'tween the bricks will probably have perished...

BTW canada16, which period is your property? I only ask because there could be a compromise solution re your fireplace...

 

[dave_k]

Agree with the Missus to a trial run?

Get a rack of some sort in front of the fire that will put the TV at the height you'ld like it to be and as close to the chimney breast as possible. Then, neatly arrange all your hifi/av kit, including speakers, where you'ld like them to be. Sit back, watch some movies with the sounds coming from where they ought to be and the TV straight ahead. See if that convinces her to allow some room changes?

I think a small flame effect stove set into an appropriate size alcove in the chimney breast with the tv above (not too high, maybe even recessed into the wall) would look really good. Then you could have stove off for movies, on for winter music listening sessions...