This type of fireplace probably doesn't throw much heat into the room, so the tv is safe. It's a great look!

Thank you. Another concern (of my husband's) is that the "stacked" fireplace and tv makes it awkward to watch television as you'll be looking up rather than straight at the tv. Anyone have experience with this? Thoughts?

I too do not like to look up at the TV.

We are concerned about that and frankly I never thought I'd consider this option. But the photo shows a lower fireplace and I'm intrigued, but not convinced. We are also looking at side-by-side (tv and Fireplace) but I have been looking at the site and haven't really seen anything that I love. That look is slightly awkward too....

To avoid the "look up neck strain" you have to pick the right size TV for your space. This looks like a pretty large room. First multiply the diagonal width of your TV screen by 3 to determine optimal viewing distance. So if you want that 60” screen, you’ll need about 180”, that’s around 15’ of distance to the sofa. Do you have that much space? If not, consider a side by side.

So you professional interior designers approve of this look? It seems very popular option lately. We're building a home so we have to make a ton of decisions, but this is the one that weighs heaviest for me. Basically, the fireplace and entertainment area will serve as a room divider between family room and kitchen -- we love the see-through fire place idea and I fell for this modern one with the wide gap. So if I put the TV next to this fire place option, the opening will shrink dramatically and change the look and feel of the two rooms. Dilemma! I appreciate hearing back others thoughts so thank you!

I like the stacked look, and I would probably lower the fireplace slightly, but agree that the best rule of thumb is diagonal width times 3 for optimal TV viewing. Closer, and your eyes almost have to move from side-to-side to take in the whole picture at once. This would also help the upward viewing angle

Thank you Aaron. I just found this site - and it's been so helpful to get input from a bunch of strangers who really seem to know what you're all doing! THANK YOU. And if there are other images out there that capture our need to gently separate family room and kitchen, I'd love to see them.

I have this set up. I have no issue with looking up somewhat, I got used to it. HOWEVER my wife hates it. She got rid of our low back couches and brought in high back couches so she can rest her head....... and she still hates it. We are 13 feet from a 46" tv. Kind of small for that distance. It really needs a 55" for better viewing.

and no heat issues either.................

Here is part of article in New York Times (February 9, 2012, on page B5 of the New York edition with the headline: The Really Big Picture, From Pixels to Placement) concerning TV size and distance:

"The most important thing you want to consider is how far away you will be sitting. Larger sets require a longer distance, so you can take in as much of the display as possible. A good rule of thumb is to take the diagonal measurement of the display and multiply it by 1.5. That number will tell you how many inches you should be sitting from the screen.

In the interest of providing equal time to opposing viewpoints, it should be mentioned that this 1.5 figure is subject to fervent debate in the videophile community. Some groups recommend a multiple of 2.5, while others go down to 1.2. On the one hand, you do not want to be so close to a display that you begin to notice individual pixels. On the other, you do want to be close enough that the experience is sufficiently immersive, like having your own private Imax theater in the den.

The video resolution you most commonly watch will affect this distance calculation. The higher the resolution, the closer you can sit. If your giant TV will mostly display Blu-ray discs, you can probably use a smaller multiplier, as Blu-ray content is shown at 1080p, the highest available resolution. If, however, you are mostly going to watch lower-quality transmissions (no cable network transmits in 1080p, although there is some on-demand content), you do not want to get too close and may want to go for that higher multiplier."

Thanks you, but our biggest worry is the viewing angle with the tv hung above a fireplace. My husband's worry is that he'll will look at the tv at an awkward angle. Maybe I'm overthinking this.....

Suggest you (bring a chair?) go to store and have your husband view different tvs at different heights and angles. You don't want him seeing a chiropractor down the road.

Check out http://myhometheater.homestead.com/viewingdistancecalculator.html for viewing distance calculation.

Here is one way to calculate viewing angle:
Find ratio (Height of center of TV - Seating height)/Horizontal distance of TV from the seat. For example, TV center height is 6', Seating height 2.5', distance from seat to TV is 15'. In that case ratio = (6 - 2.5)/15 = 0.23

In google search, type tanh(0.23) * 57.2726 (replace your ratio). This should give viewing angle in degrees, which in this case is ~13 degrees.

Anything smaller than 15" should be comfortable according to various websites.

What does building code in Caifornia have to do with the clients real issues? You are off base and missing the point.

We have deviated from the original plan of hanging TV over fireplace (it is sort of an awkward look I think) and now we're looking to build an entertainment center next to fireplace. Fire place will go all the way to ceiling but the entertainment center will only be about 5 feet tall. We will still have 5 feet on either side of fireplace/entertainment for passage. If any of you designers have photos or ideas on how to best successfully implement -- I'm all ears! THANK YOU.

astridmohn, I'm glad you came up with a solution that will keep you from cooking your TV and keeping you from getting a crick in your neck.

I don't want to be a party-pooper, but the Montigo fireplace shown is a 150,000 BTU fireplace and not even typically used in a residence, but is more designed for commercial applications.

That's a lot of heat, in fact, five times the heat of a typical gas fireplace (about 30,000 BTUs). While the power-vent design keeps it from being very efficient, there's a considerable amount of heat radiating in all directions.

Be very careful when incorporating any electronics around a fireplace. The area immediately around the fireplace gets easily to 200-300 degrees Fahrenheit, the glass itself may get well over 400 degrees.

Sorry we are late to the party:) Yes you must do heat calculations to have this TV installed properly, The one shown above is a Montigo fire place which is the only brand I would recommend using. The owners absolutely love it and have never complained about neck strain...I would love to see pictures of anyone who has done a similar design...Thanks for all the comments!