Is it trendy to build your entertainment wall on top of the fireplace?
Is it functional?
What are the pros and cons of such setup?
In this article we tried to bring some insights on those questions and expend a little more about this interior design feature.
Are TV Walls with Fireplaces in trend?
They were, around 2000-ish. Nowadays some designers use it as an interior element, but for particular rooms only. Such setup looks good in a room that needs the fireplace to control the temperature – for example basement entertainment area. It fits well in the darkish space of basement and warms it up during wintertime, so having the fireplace at the “movie room” adds coziness to resting time of the family, or even creates romantic atmosphere for a couple’s time together.
On the other hand, on the main level, a combination of a fireplace and a large TV might be too busy or even kitschy, especially if the space is the guestroom, or large living room where all the socializing takes place. Fireplace is the hearth of the home, a symbol of the family and household connection; TV is the symbol of entertainment, in many cases even status symbol (especially a huge and heavy “theater” style screen). Combining these two elements into one fancy “featured wall” creates stylish design element but also makes house atmosphere a bit “colder”.
Is it functional at all?
Well, in terms of interior design – yes. It is easy to build an impressive “accent wall” combining fireplace with the TV, especially if this is a gas fireplace, which requires less safety measures. Property owner can apply some wall decorations around the setup – like decorative wall panels, wooden ledge, or special cabinetry box around the TV station, in short make this piece of wall an “art-deco” spot of the living room.
But there are some consequences as well:
a. With fireplace on the bottom, TV setup would require some extra space, or in other words to be raised higher. Which is not always comfortable, especially if the family members want to relax on enjoy their movie time on the low coaches.
b. Its not going to be easy to use traditional, wood-burning fireplace, property owner would be limited to a gas fireplace only.
c. Building a “TV station”, or custom cabinets system around such setup is risky – cabinets, especially if natural hardwood is used, will start to deform after a short while. In terms of life cycle such setup would hold much longer with natural stone; but again, creating it would cost much more, and the style will become even less elegant when TV is inlaid in a beautiful stone fireplace wall.
On the opposite, creating a custom TV Wall without a fireplace attached opens more space of flexibility – for both interior designers and homeowners:
– You can plan a setup of cabinets to include large “theater style” speakers or special shelves for CD, Blue-Rays or devices
– You can choose materials of your entertainment wall easily
– You can choose the height of the TV, adjusted to your house setup and family watchers age
– Finally, it is easier to remove comparing to a solid accent wall cover
Here are some design ideas on the custom TV wall setup:
Standard design of the wall, with a notches for devices, remotes or side decorations
A TV located on the low part of the on a featured wall panel, minimalistic Japanese-contemporary style
“Wall-island”, designed from cabinets floating in in the air
A combination of TV, fireplace and custom cabinets on the sides, a functional and well-design solution
A light color entertainment wall with multiple small cabinets, great setup if you like to feature accent souvenirs or little atmospheric elements
Custom cabinets around the TV – a unique combination of storage and entertainment wall. Could be great for drinking gourmands – to store fancy glasses and bottles in the guest room or office.
Visual ideas were taken from Pinterest.ca
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