Do you have other pics of your room? Hard to see if other options might possible.

Can you post a few more pictures of the room. I would love to see if there are more options available to you.

I bet the guy on your couch wants a TV. :)

We were in the same predicament and decided to put the tv over the fireplace. We are far from done. Can you hide the wires? I'm not sure how you could do that on brick.

Here is another example

http://houzz.com/photos/5187647

Ok - here are a few more pics. the tv is in a temporary spot right now - and i hate that it blocks the windows! and the big wall on the other side is where i want to put some great art, so i don't want to put the TV there either...

as you can see we're JUST getting things together.... this couch will be gone soon too...

It sounds like either you will have a tv over the fireplace or you won't have a tv in the room at all. Is that correct? If yes, it is more a personal preference. Do you have another TV room? Do you want this to be a formal room without a tv? How will YOU want to use it everyday?

good point - i do think i want it over the fireplace, but i am concerned about too much heat and if i'll be looking UP too much??

I'd put it on the wall where you want the artwork. Put the artwork on the fireplace. It will be uncomfortable watching tv that high up. Maybe buy a loveseat and two chairs and angle them facing the tv.

I'd say no. Too hot and too high (amongst others).

You could of course have an extra layer of framing&drywall around the mantle to reduce heat damage and get rid of wires. And place the couch on the other side of the room.. But still, first consider all other options.

http://www.digitaltrends.com/home-theater/please-dont-mount-your-tv-over-the-fireplace/
and
http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-33199_7-20120053-221/how-high-should-i-put-my-tv-morrisons-mailbag/

I agree with no TV over fireplace. You will have to reconfigure the furniture. I am sure someone here can suggest a good arrangement. If you are getting rid of the sofa, you may want to decide placement before buying something new. Arm chairs that swivel would allow for facing the TV or the fireplace by the way!

In CRP1234's example- above- the TY is unwatchable because of the couch placement and the height of the unit. I have had this same issue and decided against putting the TV above. Go for a great piece of art.

Just add more depth over the bricks 10 cm, and incorporate the tv an all its cable in this new hollow structure, and if you want add some details from gypsum, eps dekoration or stone depending on budget. You can end up with somethink like the pic above, good luck, you can use also timbet for casing of the tv, dekoration with stones, you can go so many ways with that project,

I have a few suggestions for you to consider:

1) SECTIONAL SOFA - In the perfect world, one focal point in the room works best. Installing the TV on the same wall as the fireplace is ideal. (and sadly, has been given a bad rap.....I disagree) However, when you split those focal points and install the TV on the other wall, then a sectional sofa is the best piece of furniture to balance those two focuses. (One side facing the fireplace, one side facing the tv)

2) FIREPLACE MANTLE - Installing a mantle between the TV and the fireplace itself can make all the difference in protecting your flat screen from heat.

3) DISTANCE - This is one of the many suggestions for choosing an optimal distance between your sofa and tv. Keep in mind, these formulas are just suggestions and don't work in all cases.

2.75 x Screen Size: Place your sofa at a distance of 2.75 inches away for each inch of diagonal screen size.

I hope this helps you to plan a functional and comfortable space.
Good luck and keep us posted!
Caroline :)
P.S. I just noticed.....how about a low entertainment unit between the fireplace and the corner windows?

Similar to this, but to the left of your fireplace. (This is a quick sketch I did for a client)

Erincg,
My dilemma was the same as yours. 1950's construction, wood burning fireplace, small room. The hardest thing to figure out with a brick fireplace is cord management. I built a valence over the brick and tucked all of the cords into the valence. By using cabinets that didn't reach the ceiling and then capping with crown moulding, I was also able to create a chase above the bookshelves and then down the wall behind the bookshelves. You can see a little bit of the cords. Some may find them unsightly, but I guess my OCD doesn't always get the best of me. Having a mantle over the fireplace will keep the heat away from the TV. I don't think it looks '90's, so I say have fun with it. The viewing angle isn't that bad if you mount it with a tiltable mount. A slight 5-10 degree angle will give you the perfect line of sight.

Put it on the pony wall where you have that wood credenza now.

or next to the fireplace, turn the whole thing into a wall unit

You have a great credenza under the pony wall left of the corner windows. Have you tried the TV there?

When you have a small room the flat screen dilemma always can cause issues. I agree that by adding a proper mantel this can be achieved. Also using a trained tech to install your flat screen will assure that all wires are hidden from view! Good Luck!

OMG - thanks so much everyone!!! I really appreciate the input! We've been trying to figure this out for over 3 months so you can see how torn we are...

hmph...

the pony wall won't work because the room is very long and not very wide, so any furniture placed to view the TV on the pony wall would snub the fireplace viewing.

i think we need to look at creating a larger space around the fireplace to see what we can do.

Thanks to what's inside design, rinqreation, jimbobui, crp1234 and boyan savov for the photo ideas!!! That's very helpful.

i wish someone could just come over, tell me the heat and viewing angle won't be a problem and just mount the darn thing and be done with it!

FYI - our TV has been mounted and is easy to watch. It doesn't hurt our necks at all. As long as your sofa isn't an inch away from the tv, your fine. I worried about this as well, but in our opinion it isn't a strain to watch at all.

I would opt to use the space between the windows and the fireplace to configure another bricked-in space with a shelf where the tv could be mounted on something (extending lazy Susan or wall mount) that could allow the tv to sit flush on the shelf, or be pulled out and angled toward the sofas. Many rooms are so limited by the fireplace being the only focal point. But this room is not symmetrical, and therefore you could create a brick fireplace/tv space as a focal point - maybe paint it s different color than the walls. Of course, the tv could not be too too wide for this solution to work.

What is behind the couch? Is there a wall for the TV there? Then you could arrange your furniture accordingly. Where you want to put art is really the best spot for the TV...you can arrange the furniture to see both the fireplace and the TV.

behind the couch is the entry with steps. and the biggest issue with putting the tv on the big wall to the right is that we'll never get to look out all the windows to the yard. i'm thinking over the fireplace is the best option after getting all this great feedback! looking into a mirror TV as well. does anyone have any experience with these?

I've only seen one mirror TV and the picture wasn't great. My TV is on my fireplace and I had it professionally installed. Heat has not been an issue but I don't use it much either. I have not had any viewing issues and based on your photo, I think mine sits higher than yours will. Because of the style of your brick fireplace, I would suggest possibly looking at adding a floating shelf as a mantle. This would allow you to hide all the wires inside it. You could also sit your TV on the mantle itself. This would give you an opportunity to see how you like the TV there. Then, you can decide whether to have it mounted on the brick. You'll have a nice mantle for your fireplace as well. First things first though, call a couple of people who do these installations and get a professional opinion as to whether you can do it (and their bid of course) before you do anything else.