Help remodling the family side of ths great room

10 years ago

Hi, I've been posting and reading on this forum because we are remodeling the kitchen, almost done. Reveal coming soon!

But now we need to tackle the other side of this great room . I posted on the remodling forum, but I haven't gotten any feedback from there so if it's ok I'm going to post this here.

The space is basically one big rectangle. Between the kitchen side and the seating/TV side there will be a large old pine farm table and chairs. And then there will be a sofa facing the fireplace, 2 chairs, coffee and end table.

I want to change the fireplace area and the TV cabinet area. I've gathered some ideas from friends and family and here are a couple of things we are considering. But I feel like I need more input.

In general, the kitchen is transitional, a bit modern-leaning, the farm table is rustic. I like the mix of rustic and modern.

We're thinking of:

Option 1:

Fireplace: Raise hearth. Remove the white painted mantle and moulding. Surround entire fireplace and all the way to the ceiling with stone. Place an old piece of wood for the mantle (or do something else a bit edgy such as metal or do a painted piece to reflect something in the kitchen). Hang existing painting of horse above fireplace.

TV cabinet: Replace existing cabinet with a new cabinet that will house a new larger flat TV. Not sure how to design this new cabinet or if maybe it should just be a console, not cabinetry above TV. It's in the corner of the room. Components go under the TV.

Option 2:

Fireplace: Same as above, except hang the TV above the fireplace and hide it somehow with some kind of sliding doors on a rail so that sometimes it can be covered. Would the TV be too high? I've always thought it would be uncomfortable to hang it there.

TV cabinet: Remove it completely and just regain that as regular floor space which would give the space more breathing room or a spot for an additional chair or maybe card table or something else. If we do that where do the components for the TV go?

Option 3? Option 4? ..

Thank you in advance for the input!

This picture is the family room , looking from the kitchen. Yucky ceiling fan; that's going too. The paint is SW Monorail Silver, it's a blue-grey. Some old green is still showing because I took the picture before the painters finished up.

Thanks!!

This post was edited by strayer on Thu, Mar 20, 14 at 9:12

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Comments (15)

ssdarb
Original Author
10 years ago
This picture is the kitchen side of this great room. Since this pic, we've gotten the hardware and lighting in. The backsplash is marble subway tiles that have some grey and brown in them.
ssdarb
Original Author
10 years ago
I saw this pic on Houzz that I like. I would want a raised hearth and not to have the TV exposed above the fireplace. But I like the stone.

[Traditional Living Room[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-living-room-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_718~s_2107) by Saratoga Springs Design-Build Firms Witt Construction
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ssdarb
Original Author
10 years ago
I like this pic too but the TV placement looks awkward to me.

[Traditional Living Room[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-living-room-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_718~s_2107) by Marina Del Rey Interior Designers & Decorators ZD Interiors
fishymom
10 years ago
Your kitchen is lovely, can't wait for the reveal! I think the TV above the fireplace is too high, we have friends with that setup and I find it uncomfortable for viewing.
robo (z6a)
10 years ago
Personally I think the asymmetrical setup that you have would look nicer with the more modern direction that you are going for.

What if you did a larger raised hearth across the whole space with the fireplace on the left and the TV on some very low profile shelving on the right?

[Contemporary Family Room[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/contemporary-family-room-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_720~s_2103) by San Francisco Architects & Designers modern house architects

Or I like this idea with a very low profile TV installation:

[Rustic Family Room[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/rustic-family-room-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_720~s_2111) by Park City Architects & Designers Jaffa Group Design Build

Another low profile TV installation with a more traditional look.

[Traditional Living Room[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-living-room-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_718~s_2107) by Saratoga Springs Design-Build Firms Witt Construction
ssdarb
Original Author
10 years ago
Thanks! They're doing the backsplash right now.

I was also thinking a TV over the fireplace would be too high.

What should I do about the corner TV area? I really dislike that cabinet. We could remove it completely and have someone build a corner TV console that is not built in. Or we could basically cut to top parts off and keep/reface/paint the bottom have and it would be like a simple corner console.

Do you like the idea of the stone going to the ceiling for the fireplace or is that too over the top?

I think my DH would like the stone, so that's why I was leaning that way. I felt pretty confident making kitchen choices, but this family room side has me stumped.
ssdarb
Original Author
10 years ago
robotropolis, thanks! I think I was typing when you were posting those pics.

Would you take out the corner cabinet completely and just hang the TV on the wall? Or have some kind of console or cabinet there? I guess the TV could face straight instead of going into the corner at all.

I like the long hearth idea. Maybe the long hearth could continue to the right and dead-end into the wall. And above that would go the TV area, straight, without turning the corner.
tuxedord2
10 years ago
Our tv is mounted on the wall next to the fire place. We do have a free standing cabinet (not built in) underneath it to house consoles et cetera. The TV is mounted on a swing arm so it can angle many directions and extend quite far out. It can extend so far beyond the fireplace that it can almost form a ninety degree angle. But when not in use, it lays flat and tucked on the wall. The TV is black and the console is rustic black so the fireplace still is really the focal point.
robo (z6a)
10 years ago
You know what, if you can afford to not turn the corner (the space is big enough for however big tv you want) I think I'd keep the whole thing flat. The TV will intrude less and also have less glare from the windows on it.

If it were my space personally, I think I'd do the raised hearth all the way over to the corner and have it die into the corner wall. I'd have some unobtrusive shelving housing a few components (as little as you can) below the TV. I'd have the tv on a swing arm as lesmobo describes, and in such a way that it can tuck back. And then I might run the mantel all the way across as well, above the TV? Would that look weird? And do the stone up to the ceiling only on the fireplace side.

But I do like the stone all the way up on both sides as well.

[Craftsman Living Room[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/craftsman-living-room-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_718~s_2116) by Austin Architects & Designers Cornerstone Architects

TV hidden on the right -- I like that this photo has an example of the stone wall, the wood mantel, and the raised hearth. I think this could still be successful without doors hiding the TV as the next picture would show.

[Traditional Living Room[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-living-room-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_718~s_2107) by Edina General Contractors REFINED LLC

Example of low profile shelving for components.

[Contemporary Living Room[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/contemporary-living-room-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_718~s_2103) by Edina General Contractors REFINED LLC
ssdarb
Original Author
10 years ago
These are such great ideas. Thanks!! I will spend some time over the weekend thinking about it and try to draw some sketches.

I really appreciate the input from everyone.
canuckplayer
10 years ago
Can you post your dimensions with those sketches, as well as the location of the kitchen and other surrounding rooms?
amykath
10 years ago
To start, I would rip out the cabinetry holding the tv, that is if you have enough room for your flat screen on that wall. If so, I would try some sort of console there and mount the tv. Or you could use furniture you already have and place the tv on top to get an idea.

After you figure that out, then I would see what you want to do with the fireplace.

Very nice space and cannot wait to see your kitchen reveal!
ssdarb
Original Author
10 years ago
Thank you. I will try to get time to measure and provide better information in some sketches. It might take me a few days.
raee_gw zone 5b-6a Ohio
10 years ago
In a house I owned a few decades ago (no flat LED tv!) I had a brick fireplace wall with a large hearth that extended across the whole wall; at the other end of the space was the kitchen, and off to the left was the rest of the family room. The TV was on a wooden swivel base built on the left side of the hearth, and I did love this set-up. It could be swiveled to allow me to watch from the kitchen/table, the family room sofa, or from a rocking chair up close to the fire. (Basically nearly 180 degrees of rotation)
I have no design imagination but perhaps you could incorporate that idea, instead of fastening the TV to the wall. With your layout you wouldn't need as much rotation either.
Your current built in is a very nice use of an awkward corner but you surely don't need to devote so much space to the TV with a flat screen.
Cloud Swift
10 years ago
Here is our TV mounted to the wall on an arm that allows it to pull out (and rotate though we don't need the rotation in our room) next to our fireplace.

The console below the TV would provide plenty of space for components. In our case, the components are in the cabinet to the left of the TV behind speaker cloth which allows the remotes to be used. The speaker cloth also allows for some airflow for cooling. The center speaker is behind the speaker cloth in the console.

A component rack that pulls out and rotates makes it easier to get the wires into the back of the components which is nice if you have a receiver and several components. Not as important if you just have a Blueray/DVD player and a cable box.

Cables between the components and the TV run through the wall so there are no visible cables.