We don’t have a family room, or a den, or a finished basement. We do have a living room, and we do most of our living in that room (haha), and that includes watching television. The floor plan is a little limiting – there is really only one spot where the TV can go and only one wall where the sofa can fit, so they’re opposite each other. It works just fine. If I’m going to be facing the TV even when it’s off though, I want it to look as nice as it can.
Here it is in the old apartment too (photo on the right). Pretty similar. After I posted that photo, Holly from decor8 said that has the same TV and the same stand (from west elm)! Pretty funny.
I was glad that it fit so well in the new house because I really do like it a lot. We have a gazillion video game consoles that I just can’t stand looking at all the time (you can see the Playstation 2 above the DVD player there, but there are 3 more systems behind the doors). The stand we had before was from IKEA, and it was all open.
What do you do with your TV? Is it behind closed doors? I like it when people do that, but I don’t think it works for all spaces. I know in my home, it would be a big hulking piece of furniture (and everyone would know the TV was in there anyway!).
p.s. I painted the living room! It’s “wild aster” by Benjamin Moore.
Betsy
May 16, 2007 at 10:06 amjust found your blog–your home is coming together beautifully! i love the mix of modern shapes and feminine colors. so wonderful!
just had to let you know.
LauraB
May 16, 2007 at 10:24 amHey there,
I’ve been reading for awhile, never commented, but I have a strong opinion about tvs! I really like them covered up. Just something about a big piece of electronic equipment mixed in with all my nice furnishings that gets to me. It’s why I don’t have a tv in the bedroom. However, the way you have it is really nice, mixed in with the vase and “B”. If you’re not into a big piece of furniture with doors, you’ve done the best you can, in my opinion. And the rest of your house is looking awesome too!
PS: I’m from Oak Park actually, but I live in nyc. I miss “the OP” :)
Donna
May 16, 2007 at 10:28 amHow weird! That’s the exact tv stand we have been eyeing from West Elm. Not sure if/when we’ll ever get it, butI love it!
Margretteee
May 16, 2007 at 10:56 amI always felt the TV ruined a room and love it in decorating magazines when it’s hidden. But – the main purpose of my living room is to watch TV and the room is so small the sofa faces the TV. So I just deal with it.
I always disliked when people decorated around their TV, making like a shrine to a TV. But – I also think that every where you look in your home should look beautiful.
Love the TV stand and love the vase and love the new paint. Hmmm … maybe the Amy Ruppel should go above the TV.
Melissa
May 16, 2007 at 11:58 amMy tv stand is a similar size. It’s the Elements one from Crate & Barrel. No doors though. And the sides are shelves for cds/dvds. Eh, could be worse, could be better. Luckily in our upcoming home, the tv will have to be off to the side so the couch can face the fireplace. :-) I can’t wait for that! By the way, love the paint color!
deerseason87
May 16, 2007 at 12:21 pmI have the same tv, too! I keep mine on a really similar piece of furniture, only it’s an antique, and it’s not quite wide enough for the decorative pieces you have, so I just try to keep something nice and horizontal on top (kind of a throw back to the old tv cabinets, I guess). I am always so impressed with how you make pinks and purples work for you without them seeming too feminine!
kerflop
May 16, 2007 at 3:39 pmMine is behind closed doors, but I didn’t have much choice, the fireplace/television cabinet is built into the family room:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/verymom/485869308/in/set-72157594539387892/
I do like being able to close the doors, and surprisingly not many guess a TV is above the fireplace.
Audrey
May 16, 2007 at 4:29 pmI like this tableau. I see you’ve lost the bust of … Shakespeare? Cicero? Caesar? It helps that the t.v. is silver and not black. I’m trying to find a white t.v. — not easy. I love the paint color! It’s subtle but adds some warmth. Your arms must be rock-solid from all the painting!!
decor8
May 17, 2007 at 9:07 am:) Well I *did* have the same TV until about 2 weeks ago when I purchased a new flat screen plasma for my husband as THANK YOU gift for letting me quite my job and go freelance. I’ve wanted to get him something as a way to thank him for becoming ‘head of household’ without 1 drop of hesitation, but I’ve had to wait and save money. He was so excited, and in the end, I love the new look.
:)
Mandy
May 17, 2007 at 12:49 pmWe have an older home and there was only one spot we could put our TV also…opposite the sofa. Recently, we purchased a flat screen TV and put it up on the mantle. We were able to rearrange the furniture that way and we really like it. I have a flickr account too if you ever want to check out our house…my name is {mandyford} :)
** Terramia **
May 18, 2007 at 12:51 amComing along so beautifully. I love this little TV vignette… the colours, grouping, and accessories look heavenly together. You are proof that boobtubes can work well in design!!
Mama Chilanga
May 31, 2007 at 10:30 pmWhat paint did you use in your *old* living room?
We’re trying to find just the right shade of lavender or purple for our living room… Sigh.
Jenn
June 11, 2007 at 4:20 pmI like the flowering branches in the vase…. What are they?