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sirjohn_gw

Large clock above TV A/V area?

9 years ago

We just redid the AV area in our living room ( I know that some of you will be immediately repulsed when confronted by large speakers when decorating, but I'm a music/thome theater guy). We are having a difficult time deciding what to do immediately above the TV. It's a large expanse of wall to 12 ft up and then vaulted to the 2nd floor. Curtains/rods were changed since this photo to ones with browns/reds. We will eventually repaint, but stick to a lighter neutral color. My wife and I both want to keep a clock in that location above the TV. We were thinking about a single large clock to fill that space and I wanted to get some opinions on if people would think that would work.

https://www.houzz.com/products/metal-wall-clock-37d-prvw-vr~82407850

Of the hundreds we've seen, we like the look of this one best, but at 37" would it overwhelm the space? Should we just go a smaller clock and get some other items to decorate/ frame around it instead? Does the style of this clock go with the room? Open to suggestions. I'll try to get a better pic of the space above the TV later, but this is what was handy. Hidden from view is an identical window to the one on the right. The two windows frame the space that the AV center is in.


Comments (35)

  • 9 years ago

    My first thought about the clock is that it would be a constant reminder that you're watching too much TV.

  • 9 years ago

    I think the clock, while very pretty, will overwhelm your TV area. Have you thought of getting a larger cabinet for under your TV, which will hold all of your components and speakers. Right now your TV and stand look a little top heavy. You could hang your TV on the wall above it (at eye level when sitting) and let that be your focal point of your room......no pictures, clocks or anything. Your room is very neat and tidy and maybe someday you will want a rug going from couch to chair and under the cooffee table. If you really want the clock, would it work over your couch?

  • 9 years ago

    There will be a clock there no matter what. My wife is adamant on needing a clock there. The question is do we just go with a single large clock (and how large is too large) or whether we do a smaller clock and try to figure out other stuff to go with it to fill the space. A normal size 12-14" clock in that area with nothing else looks ridiculous so if we stick to that size we would need to come up with ideas of how to add things to go with it.

  • 9 years ago

    Yep, I nice wall unit to house all of that and more would be ideal there.

  • 9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    The TV stand is new. To balance functionality and appearance, this was by far the best option to do what I need for music and movies. Proper home theater set-up is often at odds with interior decorating without spending a lot for custom work, especially when trying to combine living room with home theater. The considerations required for each are often in opposition, unfortunately. The smaller stand also gives more flexibility for future changes and room rearrangements. My wife likes the speaker stand set-up as the lower shelves give her ideas for decorating. I'd rather not have a 7 ft wide TV stand either.

  • 9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Any other option for TV stand/wall mount is not addressing my issue, which is the huge expanse of blank wall above the TV. If I wall mount the TV, it would not be any higher than it is currently as it is currently at the correct height for watching TV. TV's are not supposed to be mounted at the same height as picture frames, which is a mistake that many, many people make, unless it is your plan to always watch TV standing up. The TV is currently at eye level when sitting. I wonder if people are off on their sense of scale. the TV is 55". There is currently 34" of space between the floor and bottom of the tv, putting center line at 48" The TV stand is 50" wide. The wall the TV stand is on is 12 ft high. That means there is about 7 ft of blank wall above the top of the TV.

  • 9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I would leave the space above the TV alone. Why do you need anything there? The clock above it would be so distracting while watching TV. How are you going to get totally immersed in the penultimate season of Game of Thrones with a clock right over Jon Snow's head while he is galvanizing his troops with a stirring speech in the frozen tundra?

    If you must have a clock, put it on a different wall or get one that sits on a table.

    Enjoy your AV area which is for--by its name--AV. Not clocks or something stuck on the wall cause you felt you needed something to hang there.

  • 9 years ago

    You might want to make a paper cutout of the clock - a 37 inch round piece of paper and tape it above the TV and see if you like the look. I fear that it is going to have a tower effect - TV stand, TV, and clock all roughly the same width in a column with blank space on the sides, except for the window.

    With a 12 foot high ceiling, generally you just ignore the space above 8 feet high. There are decorating styles that go above that, but they are the exception, and mostly you just need to think about decorating the lower part of the wall.

    I have seen very few "decorate above the TV" attempts that I have liked. One thing you might consider is painting the entire room or that one wall a darker color. It lessens the contrast between the black equipment and the wall.

    If you post a photo of the entire wall, you might get alternative suggestions. But in the end, if you want a big clock above your TV, then that's what you should do.

    SirJohn thanked graywings123
  • 9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Here's a pic that may help. Sorry I had to get home to take a pic or I would have posted it earlier. There is about 9 ft of space between the windows. The clock is just there from what we had on the wall before. It's a 14" so that gives you a sense of scale. Ignore the teddy bears. We were just playing around to see if the dogs would bother them. You may have to click it to see the whole pic as it looks like it is being cropped pretty bad.

    Another thought would be this clock, though I wonder if it may be a little too small and get lost in the space.

    [https://www.houzz.com/products/this-20-mid-century-modern-prvw-vr~36813341[(https://www.houzz.com/products/this-20-mid-century-modern-prvw-vr~36813341)

  • 9 years ago

    I would look for a clock that starts about 6 inches above the TV (guessing), is no wider than the TV, and is not higher than the curtain rods. The one in the photo is too small, the 37 inch is probably too large, but the 20 inch should work. But test it with a paper circle first.

    SirJohn thanked graywings123
  • 9 years ago

    graywings makes an excellent suggestion. Get some pieces of cardboard out of the recycle bin and mock up some clocks in various diameters, tape them to the wall temporarily and see what works for you.

    What about multiple clocks, instead of just one?

    SirJohn thanked hoovb zone 9 sunset 23
  • 9 years ago

    I wouldn't mind a smaller clock and then some smaller complementary pieces. I tried to talk my wife into doing a music theme in that space with a few metal notes, music staff as a couple of small pieces and a clock in a style that was musically oriented. We're a big music family, but she said she didn't want that in the living room. Whatever we do, my wife just wants to have a clock in that location so either one large clock as a single piece or a smaller clock as a set of three or four items. I just haven't figured out what pieces I could match up that would look good and wouldn't know where to begin at this point. I appreciate the thought of trying paper circle for clock size

  • 9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Ok. Quick photoshop job


  • PRO
    9 years ago

    I think there should be only one focal point - the TV. If the blank space bothers you, you could wallpaper that one wall - or maybe paint it an accent color that is dark and recedes.

    SirJohn thanked Lars/J. Robert Scott
  • 9 years ago

    First one is too big, The size of the middle one seems to work. The bottom one is too heavy on the black on a wall that has lots of dark with your av equipment. I think you could get away with a 25 inch clock.

    SirJohn thanked k9arlene
  • 9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Your pup is sweet! The bears would be totally shredded within three minutes in my home.

    I really like the first clock, but that's just a personal choice.

    I am a huge fan of paper/cardboard mockups. They prevent a lot of agony.

    I don't understand how people have "living rooms" with no television, stereo or sound system, speakers, photos, or books in those rooms. Do they have two "living rooms?"

    I really don't know anyone without A/V in various levels in their living rooms. Well,, there is one older couple here with a "formal front room." It has lovely furniture and carpets which no one is allowed to use except at Holidays.

    Their "family room" has sofas, recliners, club chairs, games, books, tables, A/V equipment to die for, and is always filled with family and friends.

    I love being in their family room, even when all the A/V equipment is turned off. The hubby has a private den that also has a TV, DVD player, and docking station along with his compute and desk, file cabinets, and drinks bar. It's a cool room, too.

    SirJohn thanked caroline94535
  • 9 years ago

    My wife and I both really like the look and style of the first clock too. We keep going back to that one, but I just worry that it is so large it overwhelms the space. It does make it easy to read. If it was even 30 inches instead, it would probably be fine. My sense is that the 24-25 inch range is the best for the space, which is what I was thinking before I posted here. My wife still likes the big one best based on my photoshop so I am going to see if I can create a 37" cutout of some sort.

  • 9 years ago

    I don't mind the big one. I'd rather have that than a contrived, cluttered arrangement. I say if you like it get it.

    SirJohn thanked 3katz4me
  • 9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Go big! If the outer "ring" shows the wall through it, the clock won't be as overwhelming as you may be imagining. If you do a solid mockup don't forget about the open spaces of the outer "ring". The solid mockup will appear to take up more space.

    SirJohn thanked User
  • 9 years ago

    Big, especially since it isn't solid. As mentioned above, if you do a smaller one then you have to add some more things to balance it out and then you risk everything looking cluttered.

    SirJohn thanked deegw
  • 9 years ago

    From what I've found out online the face portion is 24" and then the metal trim around it is open to the wall. I cut a 37" circle and a 24" circle to compare the two sizes. My wife liked both but favored the 37" more. One son liked the bigger circle better, the other son liked the smaller circle better. I think I would like something in between best, but really couldn't decide of the two sizes. Maybe with the open trim ring, it will work fine as the ring is more like subtle decoration around a 24" clockface.

  • 9 years ago

    If the first one is correct to scale, I like it best.

    SirJohn thanked graywings123
  • 9 years ago

    I like the scale on the 1st Clock!!

    SirJohn thanked bambooze212
  • 9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks everyone. Yes, I tried to scale the pictures as close as possible. I think we are going to go ahead and try the big clock (the first one). We've looked at tons of stuff now and just can't find anything we like better.

  • 9 years ago

    I like it too, I also like the addition of a shelf like the one pictured above. Dying to see your clock installed.

    SirJohn thanked Yayagal
  • 9 years ago

    I like the first one best....looks really nice!

    SirJohn thanked lizzie_grow
  • 9 years ago

    I got the clock. Here's how it looks:


    Now we just need to figure out what we want for a rug.

  • 9 years ago

    Thumbs up!

    SirJohn thanked Rose Druckman
  • 9 years ago

    Sir John, I like it!

    As far as a rug goes, can you show us more of the room? What colors might you favor?

    SirJohn thanked artemis_ma
  • 9 years ago

    Love the clock...now how about doing away with the tiebacks on your curtains and let them fall free?

  • 9 years ago

    artemis-ma. Thanks for the offer. My wife and I still need to think about what direction we want go with the rug some more so not quite ready for recommendations, but thanks for the offer.

  • 9 years ago

    Clock looks amazing! Good Call

    SirJohn thanked bambooze212
  • 9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    erinsean - I appreciate the sentiment but my wife and I both like the tiebacks. Besides, years of experience has taught me that when dealing with that much height in a window, tiebacks are the easiest, quickest, cleanest, and most reliable way to open and close the curtain (unless the windows are wider). Sometimes the old ways are better. Besides, 10 years from now or less, everyone will be saying how you should be using tiebacks on your curtains. Besides now I can recreate the bedroom scene from Sound of Music :)

  • PRO
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Forget the rug for now…window treatments need to be addressed ASAP.

    Tie backs or not, they are too fru fru and too short for the size of the window…and, please, no valance. They look like petticoats.

    You wanted a clock over the t v? Now you have to balance those two things and the heavy, dark leather furniture with appropriate window treatments.


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