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I personally think it looks bad about 80% of the time. It's my # 2 peeve right after # 1 - ceiling fans (in any room with ceilings under 16 feet). It also makes no sense, as electronics are sensitive to heat, smoke and dust particles. Why put it right above such an environment.
the eyes shouldn't be in the "looking up" position for long periods of time, it isn't natural, nor comfortable, that's why TV's were made to be eye level and below for decades, before this terrible trend came into play.
like laying on the couch on your side, you cant look up for a long period of time, not comfortable....
We have a relatively large family room. (Kitchen opens on to family room).
Using the kitchen as the reference point (6 on the clock face) - Window wall is 9, Fireplace is midnight, wall shared with garage is 3).
So there are only 3 walls - one is full of windows, one has the fireplace, one is bare.
The room is also longer than wide (though marginally)
We considered putting the TV on the bare (3'oclock) wall ... but then if you were standing in the kitchen/cooking/talking - you'd have to orient yourself oddly to see the TV.
So - above the fireplace was quickly decided on. Yes, its wood burning, yes we only use it 2 or 3 times a year.
We have Chests on either side of the fireplace, with art above. We have wall sconces on either side of the fireplace (TV is centered between).
Personally I don't think the TV is anymore of a blackhole than the fireplace itself is, and think it looks balanced.
We didn't want to have competing focal points (the fireplace is clearly set up to be the focus point), and we watch TV every day, so the idea of tucking it away in an awkward corner would be a pain. After all - the furniture is all oriented toward the fireplace, so it would be annoying to have the TV someplace else and have to move chairs/loveseat to watch.
We do have a split living room / family room. (LR in front of the house, FR in back of the house off kitchen) - so the living room does not have a tv and is more formally decorated. The family room is where we hang out, therefore TV is a fundamental activity (even if its just having the news on when I'm cooking after work), and a part of the comfy/informal vibe.
Anyway - no neck aches. But again - our room is large and the sofa is likely 12', maybe 15' from the TV. (TV is a 55").
As far as people buying my house in the future not liking the TV above the fireplace... I'm not leaving the TV for them anyway!! They can put there's wherever they want, or they can watch netflix on their laptop ...
Before flat screens came out, we all had a place for our televisions, no one ever had a problem. But now fireplaces for some reason are the rage in newer homes, and they are really where the TV would go....so now that we have flat screens and no console furniture TV's, someone came up with the idea of the TV over the FP.
I wonder if the problem is the focus on windows and the removal of walls. Now the fireplace is centered on the only wall, because the room is open on 2 sides and has windows across the other wall.
I like TV way more than a fireplace. I generally put it where it is most comfortable to view it, which is not 5 ft off the ground.
I wonder if the problem is the focus on windows and the removal of walls. Now the fireplace is centered on the only wall, because the room is open on 2 sides and has windows across the other wall.
I like TV way more than a fireplace. I generally put it where it is most comfortable to view it, which is not 5 ft off the ground.
One of our friends bought a beautiful new home that has huge windows in the living room looking upon the back yard, but the builder purposely left one large wall for the fireplace (centered) and two huge built-ins on both sides of the fireplace. One side of the built-in was specifically designed for a large flat panel TV (up to 70+ inches) and had glass cabinets below for an AV receiver and was pre-wired for surround sound. The fireplace itself is beautiful on its own.
As long as the builder considers this ahead of time, you can have large windows, an open floor plan, and a TV in a logical space thats NOT above the fireplace.
Maybe in a large room, tv above the fireplace makes sense. A large enough room where the sofa can be far enough back from the tv so as not to cause a neck strain when viewing. But in my small family room, I opted for the tv to be in an entertainment center when I had my gas fireplace insert installed. My nephews who helped with drywall & texturing the walls, suggested I put the tv above the fireplace. My room was just too small to comfortably watch tv from the sofa & loveseat.
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They can put there's wherever they want, or they can watch netflix on their laptop ...
