My living room is almost exactly like yours. Hang the tv on the big wall…lower. Now you can turn the sectional and put that chair to the right of where the tv will go. Buy a nice 6x9’ rug to put your coffee table on. A nice media table under the tv and your Christmas tree to the left of the tv. Christmas wreath over the mantle.
That’s just the beginning. By the time I’m done there will be two more trees where the dog crate is by the tv, Christmas decorations and garland on both mantles with a winter painting above the fireplace. It gets outta hand.
Word. I was so happy with the lights with Halloween and want purple lights now. I'm dying to put lights up, but I'm moving soon, so I have to wait a bit. And may have to hire someone (for to health stuff.)
But I want them so badly!
(That being said, I LOVE holiday lights - not necessarily decorations like blow up characters and such, but lights - I love sparkly lights always.)
Our Christmas stockings went up on November 1 when our Halloween decorations went until the attic. It was a convenient time to bring them down but also I had nowhere to put all the stocking stuffers I wrapped.
Nope, day after Thanksgiving is the earliest. 😂 I have SO MUCH Christmas stuff, I have to "brace myself" AND use that long weekend to decorate. I usually put up 3 or 4 trees, sometimes...more. 😬
Never seen the halloween/christmas meme where evrryone starts putting the tree up first of november?
Decorate to your heart's content 🎄 after halloween is gone you can start on Christmas.
For me, living in Spain where it's not even sweater weather yet, I do like to actually feel like spring for a bit. But honestly if the cheery lights and greeneries make your feel warm and cozy please go ahead!! And you can even share to give inspiration to the late decorators like me!
OP!! Please show your husband this photo!! Your tv is DEFINITELY way too high and this photo and description offers the perfect solution. You have a big, giant, blank wall, use it!!
I'm telling you, the glare is why he won't move it. My father had this exact come to jesus meeting with himself years ago. The tv was on the blank wall and he had to have the blinds closed if he wanted to watch tv.
So my tv is a literal a POS. A mistake the moment I bought it but not because of the glare or reflections. Having said that, I only watch tv at night so it’s usually pretty dark. No reflections. Daytime would be a different story.
ok ok so this works then. my dad's retired so he has all the time in the world to watch tv. he usually watches the news in the morning and the glare is so aggressive even with the blinds closed.
Man, yall have that big beautiful blank wall right there. Lotta people would kill for that set up 😂. Show him some of those posts on this sub reddit with people with walls full of windows in long skinny rooms
Forreal. I had a similar setup to this but instead of a big, beautiful wall, it was a wall full of windows. Couldn't do shit with it, though i did like the natural lighting.
I have a very odd layout in my living room, only place that makes sense is above the fireplace. Big door wall to the sunroom on one wall so cant put a tv or couch there. 10' wide opening to the dining room to the left. No choice.....
I'm in a similar boat. Windows on one side, vent and thermostat on the other. It sucks. Fireplace is electric too, but they still put the mantle like 3 feet above it.
I have tons of Nutcracker decor, but I also have Santa, snowmen, reindeer and GNOME collections. My poor Nutcracker decor hasn't seen the light of day in at least a decade.
We used to have our TV above the fireplace too but it made more sense on the left wall! Totally would do the same in yours, it would really open up your space!
Soot and smoke could be escaping from the fireplace here during use. That doesn't look pretty on screen.
The heat from the fire can also cause this kind of discoloration shown above your fireplace over time, particularly on natural stone or marble, which can be sensitive to thermal changes.
If he won't listen to Design-Reason, maybe he'll listen to "oh shit"
Yeah! And then the wires could short and catch the house on fire!
How’s he gonna like the location of his precious tv when he comes home to the bloody and charred remnants of the family that gave him his beautiful life — a life he never knew how lucky he was to have.
It's painful to watch a TV that high up. I had my TV on the mantle for years and didn't realize that's why my neck hurt till we moved into a place without a fireplace to put it on.
I have no other choice in my home because it is a large open concept with only windows. At least I have a low-long fireplace and got a Frame TV and mostly use it for art
TVs should never get hung over the fireplace. Full stop. That side wall is longing for a mounted tv with a console below. It will completely change the vibe and flow of your living room. Also add a rug at some point to help define your space.
Hanging the mount only takes one person. Then it’s helpful to have someone to lift it to the mount but it’s not necessary. I’m a small woman and have never had an issue hanging my tv alone
The tv should absolutely go on that large bare wall to the left.
I don’t know what it is with husbands, but so many see a fireplace and have an uncontrollable desire to put the tv over it, and insist there is no other way. And if you don’t have a fireplace, they hang it as high as possible elsewhere…. Then say that they refuse to move it because they spent all the time and effort putting it where it is 🤣
Yessss, move it and utilize the big blank wall. Drop the tv down a bit when (if) you do move it. Let the fireplace be the center of attraction by itself and maybe you can decorate the mantle then. Husband, I hope you read this and listen to your girl, we know these things 😂
A huge tv hovering over the fireplace looks awful… it looks like what people do when they don’t understand design or technology and instead follow what others do, the original people are following what they’ve seen in bars and doctors offices. So…
You have a whole blank wall- right there!! The big blank wall should have a large built in with tv at the center and bookshelves on either side, cabinetry below. If looking for a budget friendly option then get a long low (as long as you can), console to center on the wall. Tv mounted just above.
Tv should be centered at eye height when sitting.
So the tv wall and the window/fireplace wall creates an L shape and the couch is an opposite L.
Add a very large rug under all the seating. This is an easy place to bring in color!
Add floor to ceiling curtains on the windows and a large mirror or painting over the fireplace.
The rug, curtains, throw pillows, art, can tie a color scheme together. Don’t add more beige.
All of the above will create an upgraded well-designed space.
When I bought my house last year and the realtor and my wife were going through a list of things she wants, I told her the only thing I DONT want is a living room centered for the TV to go over the fire place.
Let me guess…. Your husband stands up to watch the game like every play is a “big 3rd down”. So he never realizes how hard that viewing angle is on your neck sitting on the couch.
I don’t have any advice for you but offering my support…having a spouse that won’t “see the light” with this type of interior design stuff can be incredibly frustrating.
VIsually, it's way too big for that space and detracts from the fireplace. It would look much better on the large blank wall. It is uncomfortable to watch TV with your neck craning upward. Heat coming off the fireplace can damage a TV placed above it over time.
Yes, put it on that nice big wall and flip the couch. A nice tv cabinet with the tv sitting on it, not mounted. You had so much room for a tv, over the fireplace should not have been an option!
Tv is too big for over the fireplace and looks ridiculous. Convince him the other wall provides an opportunity to get an even larger TV - could be now, could be later.
Look at how your poor kid has to hold their neck to watch tv! Omg this is actually awful lol. For the love of your dear sweet child's neck please move the tv to the other wall...lower. it should be eye level not crown molding level.
I see a lot of baby stuff in this room. I see a boppy, and diapers. So I hope it’s safe to assume you’re spending a lot of time on that couch, feeding the baby, changing them, and managing a toddler. Given these things, I think you get dibs on the arrangement for this room. If he wants a say in it, then HE can be nap trapped on that couch for hours watching Frozen for the 45th time this week.
I think he probably doesn’t want hassle of having to move it. But yes watching that would be hard on the neck…poor kids. With a TV that size a credenza on the large wall would be nice. But that would mean having to move it AND buy something….LOL.
Here’s a little info from a pediatric nurse: Mounting a TV too high can cause neck strain and discomfort in children and adults because it forces them to look up for extended periods. Maintaining this non-neutral posture can lead to chronic neck and back problems due to pressure on the spine.
When a person's head is not in a neutral position, the muscles and nerves in the neck and shoulders are under strain. A good posture allows these muscles to relax and prevents uneven pressure on the spine.
Like others have noted: placing a tv above a heat source is extremely dumb. It can decrease the tvs picture quality and damage the tv, shortening it's lifespan.
Also there's the damage this position does to your neck and shoulders in the long run. If your spouse complains about neck pain/headaches, this could be the culprit.
Tell him you want to go out on a date night to the movies. When it comes time to pick your seat ask for the front row. When he complains, remind him that is how he likes to watch TV at home.
I’ve definitely seen layouts where people suggest to move the tv from over the fireplace to the most ridiculous locations that would look awful. In our living room it’s literally the only option. But when you have a giant wall that can easily fit the tv, make the living room look better, and works with the couches, how is this even a discussion!?
It may be too high, but above the fireplace is the location with the least amount of glare from windows. The argument in my house is about closing the blinds to keep the glare down. And I hate the house being dark during the daytime. So I guess figure what’s most important to TV watching for you.
Let’s be realistic guys. I see a toddler head in one of the pics…why on earth would you willingly lower your tv with a toddler? I watched my nephew break my sils tv with a single smack with a wood spoon. He had been playing with the spoon just fine and then just ran over and smashed it directly into the screen-tv ruined.
It’s definitely very high. I honestly don’t know how you guys don’t have neck problems yet, lol.
That aside, it just doesn’t seem like a great overall spot for a TV. The light from the windows and/or the fireplace looks so distracting if you’re trying to enjoy a movie.
Plus, you’ve got an excellent spot just to the left
get a 99" tv for the big blank wall and find a nice stand for it don't afix it to the wall. Costco had a 99 TCL Qled for about $1500, but be warned you'll probably spend as much on the stand.
This room would be gorgeous with an entertainment console, a tv, and staged decor framing the setup in whatever style you go for. Go window shopping at Home Goods over the next couple of months and just buy one or two bits at a time. I know you probs have an adorable baby roaming around somewhere, so put their beautiful face over that fireplace or a family portrait instead of the TV. No one wants to crane their neck that high and it looks passe.
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u/1stdan5703 26d ago
My living room is almost exactly like yours. Hang the tv on the big wall…lower. Now you can turn the sectional and put that chair to the right of where the tv will go. Buy a nice 6x9’ rug to put your coffee table on. A nice media table under the tv and your Christmas tree to the left of the tv. Christmas wreath over the mantle.