One of the biggest challenges many homeowners face is trying to find a way to style a room where a fireplace and large screen TV need to coexist in the same living space.
You’re dealing with heat and two competing focal points. We’ve collected twenty-nine of the best living room with fireplace and TV ideas.
- How do you style a living room with a TV and fireplace?
It will depend on the style of your room and include many factors regarding the type of fireplace you have. A wood-burning fireplace has different considerations when compared to an electric fireplace insert.
The most common living room idea is to build a combination TV fireplace overmantel. It isn’t to everyone’s taste, but it takes up less wall space than other home decor ideas.
- How do you arrange furniture with a TV and fireplace?
To get a better idea for optimizing a room layout, determine the main function of the room. Is it a place for watching TV, or is it a place for gathering and talking with TV as an afterthought?
If you want the living room fireplace without the hassle, consider a fireplace TV stand combo. You can find electric fireplaces from places like Home Depot. They’ve already solved the heat issues for you and are usually renter-friendly, although their engineered wood construction may make it heavier to carry up flights of stairs.
One common trick for positioning living room furniture is to use lightweight chairs near the couch that can be moved to face the other seats or turned around to watch a movie.
- Can you put TV opposite fireplace?
TV placement on the opposite wall from the fireplace is possible with the right furniture and furniture layout. In this case, a couch or couches will probably be positioned perpendicular to the walls and lightweight chairs set in the middle so they can easily be repositioned depending on the situation.
1. Overmantel with a Secret Hiding Place
If you’re absolutely against hanging the TV over the mantel and yet, that’s the only place it can go, mount it in a recessed cabinet and install doors that can be closed when it isn’t in use. Using this idea here, the top will look like a plain, white wall when the doors are closed.
Another way to disguise the TV would be to drop a wall hanging in front of it. A woven textile could be dropped using a Roman shade type of roller.
via DiGiacomo Homes & Renovation
2. Over an Electric Fireplace
While it isn’t a good idea to place a TV directly over a mantel, it’s less problematic with a gas fireplace. You have more control over how the heat is contained and directed.
This modern fireplace and TV combination wouldn’t be possible with a traditional fireplace and TV console. Gas and electric fireplaces open up a lot more opportunities for interior design when compared to a wood burning fireplace.
3. Create a Room Divider
Without standard safety protocols around the fireplace, we can assume that this is a fake or electric freestanding fireplace whose main purpose is to create separation between the living room and dining room.
It’s easy to place a TV over the mantel without consideration for heat dissipation. You get a nice room divider with a nice focal point.
4. Hide the Electronics
This fireplace and TV are set in a stone facade. Using flanking built-in bookcases, all the electronics are hidden behind the stone wall.
With no mantel acting as a shelf, the look is clean and modern. The couch and chairs are set back in now that neck strain isn’t an issue with the TV being set so high.
5. Horseshoe-Shaped Furniture Arrangement
This seating arrangement is set up for movie fans. Reclining chairs are set up directly across from the fireplace. The couch is set to the side.
The soft neutral palette keeps the room light and friendly while avoiding anything that could distract from the show.
via Markalunas Architecture Group
6. Show Off Art
While the TV and modern fireplace take center stage, the two vases set back under spotlights are the true show pieces in this setting.
The textured walls match the overall color scheme in this Asian-influenced small living room.
7. TV Recessed Into the Wall
This TV is set back into a nook in the overmantel. It’s a great example of how symmetry works when installing a TV over a fireplace.
The flanking blue gray doors slate grade doors add a cool vibe to the room. They work well with the tufted coffee table.
8. A Fireplace in the Corner
A small fireplace is set in the corner of a small room. The TV is on the wall adjacent to the fireplace.
The angled seating creates an easy view for both walls and focal points.
9. Frame it in Wood
This TV is framed using the same wood as the bookcases. This works to hide the electronics and connect the wood trim.
An L-shaped leather couch and large leather tufted coffee table help bring a lodge feel to the room.
via Copper Leaf Interior Design Studio
10. Go Lengthwise
The fireplace and adjacent bookshelves are painted white. This keeps the room feeling light and breezy.
The fireplace is situated at the end of a room on a narrow wall, limiting full facing seating options. By running the couches parallel to the long walls, you can accommodate a larger seating area.
11. Angle the TV
In this room, the fireplace and bookcases run along the length of a long wall. Need to make it easier on the eyes and neck.
The TV is raised a little higher from the mantel and angled downward. It’s an easy solution for getting a larger TV screen into a shorter viewing seating.
12. Define the Space
In this open concept space, the seating area around the TV and fireplace is defined by the placement of the sofa and chair.
Spotlighting on the overmantel using recessed lights in the ceiling enhances the focal point.
13. Shiplap Fixes Everything
The electric fireplace and large TV work together to connect the wall. Extending the shiplap across the overmantel creates the illusion of a continuous wall.
The cabinets to the left are large enough to hold an entertainment center.
via MK Development & Investment LLC
14. Build a Wall
A corner fireplace gets the spotlight treatment. There was no adjacent wall in which to mount the TV. The solution is to create a cabinet in front of some windows near the fireplace.
This isn’t necessarily an ideal situation, but it’s an acceptable solution if the view outside the window is less than desirable.
via LDa Architecture & Interiors
15. Focus on Discussion
A modern stacked quartz tile wall sets the tone for the electric fireplace set lower to the floor. The TV is at a comfortable viewing height for this seating arrangement.
The seating arrangement itself is set more for communicating with others. The fireplace is less of a focal point than another accessory in a large room.
via Francesca Owings Interior Design
16. Install a Flat Screen TV
A traditional hearth has a flat screen TV installed over the mantel. The ventilation is over the television. A flat screen TV works well here, as all the electronics can be hidden in the wall. It looks like poster art flanked by glass door cases.
17. TV Installed in Bookcase
The electric fireplace sits behind tempered glass and in front of a caramel brown wall.
The TV is mounted next to it. While this might look awkward for viewing, there are hardware kits that will allow the TV to swing out from the wall and point towards the couch and chair on the other side of the room.
via Markay Johnson Construction
18. Super Sized Fireplace
A room designed for entertaining. Three sofas form a horseshoe around the handsome tan fireplace hearth. There’s plenty of seating and the TV is angled downward for easy viewing.
While the fireplace looks fantastic, the glass walls are the true stars of the room.
19. Reclaimed Brick Fireplace
The bricks underneath the mantel look decidedly older than those over the mantel, we’re guessing there was work done after the original fireplace and fire box were set in place.
20. Mount a TV on the Wall
The magnificent red brick fireplace commands all the attention in the room. In this situation, the simplest idea is to have your TV mounted on the wall over the fireplace mantel.
There should be at least six inches of clearance between the mantel and the TV. This setup looks like it had just enough clearance. Reclining chairs make viewing easy on the neck.
via MILLER + MILLER Architectural Photography
21. Wide Wall Fireplace Idea
With a room and wall this large, there’s no problem adding a TV over the fireplace. You even have an opportunity here to add a couple of lounge chairs at each end of the couch for more seating.
via Talianko Design Group, LLC
22. TV and Fireplace on Adjacent Walls
Space was left between the bookshelves to include a TV. It allows the builder to hide the wiring and avoid extra clutter by having to use a TV stand.
Painting the overmantel the same creamy coffee color connects it with the wall unit.
23. Frame Your TV in a Vintage Room
The TV over this fireplace was framed in a period piece wooden frame. It helps the TV blend into a room with lots of antique furniture.
via Renae Keller Interior Design, Inc.
24. Stone Wall Warmth
A gorgeous contemporary room uses a full length stone wall as the basis for the fireplace.
The furniture arrangement is based on the idea that the low leather chair in the corner can be swung around near the couch when it’s time for viewing movies or football games.
via Ashton Woods
25. Framed TV Matches Fireplace Wall
The TV rests directly on the mantel in this Arts & Crafts style living room space. It rests in a slim stone-like frame, mimicking the flagstone fireplace.
via Irvin Serrano
26. TV Fireplace Combination Wall
This TV is hung on top of the overmantel. We can see the main sound bar and planking speakers and speakers flanking each side of the fireplace.
It’s a nice setup for a casual living room layout or a family room entertainment area.
27. Magnificent Modern TV & Fireplace Idea
The fireplace build-out in mid-century modern furniture proves the fireplace and TV combination can work in any room.
The seating arrangement is straightforward and again, we see a chair, this time a red high-back, light enough to be able to reposition it in front of the TV when needed.
28. Build Along the Long Walls
If a long room calls for a long TV. A long room calls for a wide TV and a wide fireplace.
This freestanding fireplace is positioned on one of the narrow sides of the room because the windows would be blocked otherwise be blocked. In this instance, we see built-ins behind the couch behind the sofa as opposed to flanking the fireplace focal point.
29. Freestanding Corner Fireplace
A large free standing fireplace takes its position in the corner of a room with high ceilings. The TV has been situated in the bookcase on the wall next to the fireplace.
