I really like the first option

Does the TV have to go on this wall?

Where are you putting its components under your stone-wall scenarios?

Yep, I see the first option for this setup.

I like #1. Do you have to heat the house with wood or is this for esthetics? Can you switch to gas or electric. It will help save the life of the TV to have less intense heat under it.

I'd like to see the rest of the room before casting a final vote. But with what you've shared, my vote is tile all the way up to the ceiling with the mantle.

This is the only wall for the TV, and the entire set up is wireless. It's a wood/gas fireplace. We don't use the fireplace much since we're in SoCal. Yes the occasional heat is a concern so we would have to get a mantle to buffer the heat from the TV.

And I should have been more clear in the order of the pics! .... and now I'm confused. Is the consensus "#1", as in the concrete surround, or the first grouping of pics (the tiles).

Here's the same room, sectional facing the fireplace/TV. The entire room is a work in progress, needing an area rug, artwork, a tall plant in corner, etc. I have to admit this re-do hasn't been smooth. The couch is too grey (it's new) and I'm trying to work with what I have (floors, espresso reed shades). Any ideas are welcomed!

I'm partial to stone that is real, so perhaps a layout like this.

You don't have to have wood stacked. You can create a hatch faced with wood ends like you see below

That hatch door is genius!

Getting rid of the fireplace might be considered. I live in SoCal too and haven’t used mine in a number of years.

I like some of Beverly options. What bothers me is how some of the options make the the TV the largest part of the design. I like your first picture with the niche being a taller rectangle. The proportions make the asymmetrical balance more appealing to me. It could work with tile or stone to ceiling.

With a TV over the fireplace i would keep the Tv the width of firebox surround, or it will lok top heavy.

Anne, I'd LOVE to get rid of that gas fireplace, and perhaps even replace with a centered modern electric one, but that idea was veto'd by my husband.

Kathleen, unfortunately, our new flatscreen TV won't fit in the upper cubby any more. What you see is our old 300lb TV that broke and stayed in the cubby for a year because it was too heavy to get out! Our new flatscreen is already up on the raw wall and I have to admit I love it and the surround sound! I'm at the movies every night in my PJs! But I definitely see what you mean about being top heavy.

I understand about big flat screens. We had to rearrange furniture because the boys insisted on one wider than our media console. It even blocks a seldom used door.

Maybe a hefty mantel spanning the wall with stone below would balance the larger screen. I like Beverly's first one with the wood box and firebox being symmetrical.. You could build out the stone base a bit and make that cool stacked wood hatch to hide the smaller woodbox. A darker stain for the mantel would echo the color of the reed shades and keep the darkness of the TV from jumping out so much. Wouldn't it be nice if we could program the screen color when the TV is off?