Any chance you could put the TV in another, dedicated TV room?

Not really. Working with a small house: <1500 sq. feet. Behind fireplace is kitchen and to the right is the entry to the dining room.

what's on the wall opposite the stairs?

just_jls: To the opposite of the stairs are two more windows, great light, but also creates these situations.

lefty47: All great suggestions, we have a low modern sofa that shouldn't block the windows much so that should work, I also have this tv stand/low console from cb2 that should do the trick:

https://www.cb2.com/go-cart-white-rolling-tv-stand-coffee-table/s328784?a=501&campaignid=657846450&adgroupid=38843267928&targetid=pla-47421412448&pla_sku=328784&scid=scplp328784&sc_intid=328784&gclid=CPH915ComNMCFZRMDQodpwcJ5g

we plan on refinishing floors and painting the walls a really light gray to spruce it up a bit. I think your suggestions may go well.

Ahhhhhh... then if you can make the TV work on the stair wall without making the entryway awkward that's probably the best solution

Depending on the size I would add a built in book case under the stairs and put the flat screen in there with built in shelves and drawers below. Have a sectional so one side faces the Tv and one side faces the fireplace

I agree with alot of other people about the stairs. It looks like this is an old house (I'm guessing 20's?????) and with an old house comes certain quirks you have to accept. obviously the TV situation isn't ideal, but it's an old house! never made to accommodate a large flatscreen. I like the console table you picked out and would encourage you to try and mix in some modern pieces with some older ones. as for sprucing up the fireplace, some cool artwork goes a long way. if you're doing gray for the walls then you have plenty of freedom on what you could do. I'd find a bunch of small things and take a less traditional approach, maybe botanical prints arranged in an upside down L shape around the mantle, I'm talking pictures similar to what I have below (just a thought) as for painting the brick....I always advise people really consider this. painting fireplace surrounds are often trendy and detract from the architectural detail of the mantle in addition to being incredibly hard to reverse once finished. I would consider finding a way to tie in the red somewhere. could be something as simple as a cool accent lamp or a pop of color in a rug...or nothing! it's a fireplace, not necessarily a piece of furniture. matching something so architectural to the room is unnecessary in my opinion

Heather that is a novel idea, something I'd have to think about, as it is permanent and may affect resale value in the future, strongly considering it though.

schiavoneluke, it is a very old house (1927), awkward sometimes, but very quirky and original and we like that. I do like your suggestions of mixing old and new furnishings/decor, but I'm still torn about the brick - not my taste at all. Regarding tying it in with the rest of the house, there is no reference to it on the exterior, so I won't feel as bad getting rid of the color. I plan on keeping the white trim and painting the brick a darker gray than the walls, very much like this:

http://www.bhg.com/decorating/fireplace/styles/before-and-after-fireplaces/#page=45

very understandable about the fire place, the darker grey will keep the contrast around that mantle. Were you doing anything with lighting? if so that might be an interesting place to give the room some interest. Two other things I also try to suggest to anyone, regardless of style, is: old paintings and old rugs. Oriental rugs are a love hate deal with most people, but if most of your furniture is sleek and modern and you don't absolutely despise these old rugs, a handmade oriental is a great way to provide color and interest to a space, and can usually be found at a good price (they're also more durable than anything else you can buy) as for the artwork, even a single painting with a gilt frame can really get people's attention when they walk through the door and they're easy enough to find. if the antique artwork isnt your forte, ive seen alot of people doing oversized artwork, nearly filling a whole wallspace with a cool print modestly framed and have really come the like that look. below I found some good examples of this sort of eclectic style and would be curious to know what you think

I like the mix of styles, mostly the first and last photo. I'd probably go with a large graphic print versus vintage wall art.

TV ended up fitting great by the stairs. CB2 tv stand and IKEA woven boxes worked great together.

Looks good. Ima let you get by with the vase of sticks because it obscures the view from the front door, but any chance of replacing them with a live plant? ;-)

We bought an old house (1890s) that's being renovated and I am having the same dilemma as you (very similar layout.) I was assuming we wouldn't be able to have a tv downstairs but now I am considering doing it exactly this way. It looks fabulous!

We have a plan to groveraxle, We LOVE live plants. Concentrating on our outside garden moment, then we'll look into some indoor plants.