Can you more post pictures of room.p-- other side. Fireplaces are typically focal points and your couch is almost pushed up against it.

Dawn, just edited to add a third photo. I know the love seat is practically against the FP but I can't see another way. Any ideas?

I would suggest re-arranging your furniture to make the fireplace the focal point! Here are some ideas:

Bev, thanks. I wish my room was half the size of the pics u sent. If I face the back of the love seat to my DR, it's then against the path of the hall to the back door and directly across from a window with the tv to the left.

Hmmm I see what you mean. What about the wall that your cabinet is on to the left and then the wall where the door is for the love seat? Hopefully this link works.

See how this arrangement includes the fireplace. Then you'd have to work on the fireplace just a bit.

One of the sofas in my living room has the back facing the dining room and I left enough walking space when carrying items because it is a direct path to the dining room from the stairs. Here is a photo:

Having a sofa with the back by a path is not a deal breaker just as long as you leave enough room for walking and carrying items!

Dawn, I would love to put the love seat against the wall to the right of the door. That's a perfect spot. But...with the open top fireplace directly across that, there is no place to put the tv. Personally, I could take the tv and throw it in the trash, however, my husbands obvious retirement plan has been to sit in front of it around 14 hrs per day. I have no place else to put the tv.

Bev, thanks, but the entire area is quite small and putting the back of the love seat there cuts off the area and leaves no place for the tv. Directly across from the love seat would be a fully draped double window.

I would put the tv over there...since you wanted to wrap it anyway, I don't think framing and drywall being much more as far as cost and work goes. The sofa moved across from it would work better, I think.

Can you move the TV to the wall where your doggie picture is? Then move the couch directly across from it? You can then see the fireplace and TV from the couch. Then move your chair on the wall where your TV is now. Then find some left-over granite or marble at the bone yard to cover your hearth and trim around your fireplace. You might even use it! lol

Thank you all for your comments. Here are other pics of the area. I'm not sheet rocking above the fireplace thus can't put the tv there. I can't afford to take out the hearth so would probably just replace the tile surround but this room set up is just not good.

Could you put the love seat in front of the window where the two chairs are and the two chairs either side of the fireplace. Is the dining room large enough to switch spaces?

Maybe I'm a little confused what your question is then...

Kjbjw, it was really a question of how to redo the fireplace. However, my family room setup leaves a little to be desired.

laura53, I would love to do that, but the chairs, although comfy, don't make for great tv watching chairs for my hubby; he likes the loves seat.

theres absolutely no other place for the tv, except the trash!

Another view. See tv on left. The "hall" leading to that back door is a straight shot to the front door, where my living room is on the other side of the fireplace.

What if you used the living room for watching tv? Would it give you a better layout?

Laura53, no. Same problem.

Reading between the lines here, I'm going to take a wild guess and ask if your husband insists on watching the TV head on and not from an angle. Because it looks like you could angle the love seat and coffee table about 30 degrees so the left arm of love seat was against the brick hearth. It might mean taking a little detour around it to get to back door and watching TV from a slight angle. But it may be worth a try. But if hubby is dead set against it any thing you might do to improve the fireplace wouldn't be worth the effort IMO.

I would keep looking until you find a contractor willing to remove the hearth, then add a pretty stone tile to the face of it.

Put the TV on an articulated arm then put the loveseat in front of the window and the arm chairs in front of the fireplace. Your husband can pull the TV right out so he can watch the TV head on and it will make the space seem more open. Better than that would be sofa opposite fireplace with TV on articulated arm where doggy art is. Cute dog too!!

From what I can gather you don't use the fireplace. Why not remove it. Do you have a living room too, and is that an eat in area or your dining room?

Ant hip! You hit the nail on the head!!! That is a great idea! Now I need to find one at a decent price. Thanks so much!!! I'm looking online now!!!