For all the added function, I might do it. And I might put a console table behind the sofa to provide a more welcoming look.

https://biggerthanthethreeofus.com/10-stunning-couch-table-ideas-to-get-you-inspired/

If I can get someone to help me move the sofa, I'll give it a try. :)

Still confused as to why your husband is so opposed. If it is between sofa and chairs on the bookcase wall you can extend the arm into the middle of the room, tilt the face of the TV towards you, and then push the long extended arm back towards the dining table so it isn't too close. We have this same arrangement and it does not limit the distance from where we sit to the TV. We can bring it close or far away.

With a good arm, you can place it anywhere along the bookcase wall - symmetrical or asymmetrical composition, and watch it from the sofa in front of the window and adjust it so the face of the TV is near or far from the sofa. Or watch it from the table. Or anywhere else. A good arm will allow you to adjust in every direction in many ways. Maybe see if there are some YouTube videos that demonstrate the range of motion of a good arm. It is not just about pulling out, but around swinging 180 degrees while telescoping and angling the facing and tilting the facing.

Thanks, Kendrah, that is actually really helpful. I clearly need to do more research on arms. We didn't realize that we could get a model that could extend out from the wall and then also back--we thought we were stuck with it being 180 degrees but at the same north/south position as the mounting arm. DH is not opposed to to mounting it on the bookshelf wall, just to mounting it above the chair. If we can mount it symetrically but then push it further back from the sofa, that actually solves a lot of problems.

agree with Kendrah - def do some research, the right arm gives you tons of utility

Could you swap the bookshelves with the buffet? Then you could put the tv above the buffet.

Yes, we can swap. We can also easily reconfigure the shelves to accomodate the TV---they are modular Lundia shelves, and I've got stacks of 3 different widths in the garage. The trick is just agreeing on the TV placement, and accompanying furniture can be sorted out after that. So figuring out the TV arm options is the crucial thing.

It turns out that my husband's objection to using the bookshelf wall and the arm is a belief that the TV won't get pushed back against the wall regularly, so it will frequently be in a position that blocks a chair. We are currently testing his idea--TV on an angled stand between bookshelves and buffet. I'm not a fan but he's been pushing this idea for a year, so we might as well try it, and negotiate from there. Bookshelves and buffet can be moved around (or out of the room) if needed.

Potential solution--testing right now on our temporary angled bench setup. We can use an arm to swing TV out for viewing, and hang it just high enough to clear the sightlines of the chair. Maybe convert one or both chairs to a swivel base. Thanks everyone, advice so far has been very helpful in finding ideas!

Having a sofa backed up to windows is not the best, from a Feng Shui perspective. Sofa backed up to house entry is even worse. And hanging a tv on the stone would imo destroy the look. Not to mention maybe damage the stone. If you did the tv on fireplace - the Mantel Mount suggestion is a good one, but again how does that installation work on the stone. Also, personally, I would install some type of electric fireplace insert - or something; its a beautiful fireplace structure. I’d use it.

The best suggestion for tv setup for this room has come from @Paul F .

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ogIlWb24G_A

The bookshelves are too busy for this space.

Have you experimented with floating the sofa either with the back toward the fireplace or the back toward the dining room table.

If you float the sofa, leaving a walkway between the fireplace and the sofa you can use the long wall for the TV.

If you float the sofa with the back toward the dining room table you could place the TV in the corner beside the window.

Make sure the TV will not be affected by heat from the fireplace if you install it there. The wreath will need to be moved. You may want to rearrange the furniture better for watching TV.

I was totally new to the world of TV arms as well until this year. I love that you have such flexibility with extra bookcases and moving things about, and that you can experiment in the space so much with his year long idea and some new ones. With swivel chairs, would you just do one? If you do two, wouldn't the person nearest the TV block the other person?

You have a lovely space and I'm glad you are open to preserving the beautiful fireplace wall and searching for other options.

Thanks again to everyone for helping us think through this! And for helpful info on TV arms. We're testing out DH's angled table idea, with a shelf unit I can easily move flat against tall shelving when I want the room to look decent. With luck, a week or two of this arrangement will have DH ready to go with to a TV arm. We will probably switch to a 32" TV as well.

We actually watched 30 minutes of TV as an entire family tonight. All 4 of us fit onto the sofa surprisingly well. It should work great to use the sofa and one blue chair, with the TV swinging out behind, or possibly in front of, the other blue chair. And we might keep playing with the furniture arrangement. A neighbor just handed me a new ottoman (picture foreground)--it's giving me some new ideas to test out.

Picture of the current test set-up--letting things stay messy for a week while we decide whether this is really the new plan.

Test the TV in the corner and sofa floating in front of dining table. Just a reversed arrangement but the tv stays in place and not look awkward. Don’t need mounted arm. Plus sofa gets a view outside.

Thanks husterd. We've tested that arrangement before, and we really don't like it. It made the room feel very cramped and difficult to move between living and dining sides. And that was before we had bookcases in the room. It's just not a good fit for the living/dining flow we are after.

You have your bookcase and tv in the Feng Shui ”Command Position.” That wall area in your room would be the place for the sofa, from a Feng Shui perspective. So then you and your family would be sitting in the Command Position - versus your books and tv. So you could move the bookcase -

or put the sofa in front of it.

And then, since this space is basically for tv watching - you could just hang the tv from the ceiling, in front of the fireplace. That way, you don’t have to mess with the stone. There are various types of ceiling mounts. https://www.amazon.com/s?k=tv+ceiling+mounts&crid=3FALCDX7CTFYA&sprefix=tv+ceiling+mounts+%2Caps%2C140&ref=nb_sb_noss_2

@mcarrol16 I like your original post sofa and chairs position. You said the bookshelves were modular, but I don't know HOW modular they are. You seem to have two wide shelves and a narrow one. Can you split the two wide bookshelves and mount the TV on the wall between them with a cabinet beneath it? The narrow set could be to one side or perhaps there's another narrow space those shelves would be useful, like where you have the new AV cabinet now...in the entry by the fireplace.

@mcarrol16 is there a reason you haven't fixed whatever makes the fireplace non-functional? Maybe neither of you likes a fireplace and one strongly dislikes it? What would it take to fix it? Or is it fake?

Oh good idea to test it out before committing to a new set up!

Fun question la_la girl. The fireplace is complicated. It's a double-sided chimney, with a firebox on the south side facing into the living room, firebox on the north side facing into the kitchen. The living room side is technically functional, although it leaks smoke into the room through an air intake system at the base of the fireplace. The kitchen side is a confusing mess. It must have had some kind of 50s heater device. There's a duct running through the bottom of the firebox down to the crawlspace, so you absolutely can't build a fire. The chimney curves to join the living room chimney above the living room dampers. So living room smoke can waft into the kitchen.

At a minimum, to make a functional fireplace in the living room, we would have to get some sort of work done to seal off the living room chimney. And probably some other stuff done to the weird air intake system around the firebox. It's just not worth it right now. The fireplace is just very low on the list of things to be done in a house that still has 1950s wiring, 1950s main bathroom, 1980s windows, etc.

Perhaps, since it is non functional, a slender tv pop up cabinet could be placed in front of the firebox.

We considered that. We even considered moving the entire bookshelf in front of the fireplace. I think the current bookshelf test is working out well. I'm pretty sure we're going that route--much easier than figuring out how to get power over to the fireplace area. I need to take another picture tonight and update the post with an additional question on placement along the bookshelf wall.

Per the update - i think it looks totally fine on the end - you’re putting it on an arm/bracket I am assuming?

FWIW you could get art on there which could help it blend a bit more and just break up all the black (there are all sorts of videos about DIY Frame TVS) - hope it works well for you all!

(hope my comment from yesterday didn’t come across as negative, I was just commenting that I thought you all were smart to try the TV in the proposed location first before making any more permanent investments/changes)

Can you split the bookshelves and mount the TV between them? You said they are modular.

Thanks la_la Girl! Didn't come across as negative at all. I've really appreciated your feedback here. Since we will get a smaller TV anyway, I'll take a look at the Samsung art TV and other DIY frame options.

kl23, we could split the shelves. That presumably means hanging the TV centered? That's my whole question right now--do we need to center the TV. I'd really prefer not to, if I can put it off-center and have it look ok. I'd much rather have the books and decor items take center stage.

The asymmetry is wonderful.

Yes, that was my question. Just wanted to make sure you had that option. I look forward to seeing what you land on.

What about switching the bookshelf with the buffet....

Thanks. Switching the bookshelf and the buffet is another way of centering the TV. We would strongly prefer to deemphasize the TV, as long as that doesn't look too weird. We would rather keep the TV out of the living room completely, but room sizes in this house are forcing the switch.

Ha! DH is still opposed to a TV arm. Turns out it's mostly fear of committment--drilling holes in the wall makes him feel tied down. So we've ordered a TV stand that we can keep moving around on the unit, and we've ordered a 32" TV that we will swap back and forth with the 40" TV. Soemtime in the next 2 years we will come up with something we agree on well enough for me to post a final results photo. Thanks again to all!

OMG

LOL, Paul F. You're not wrong.

Fear of commitment is a well known trait.....

If one of you is handy, you could put a sliding door on your bookshelf. Slide to the left, watch TV. Slide to the right, select a book to read.

Yes! I like it off center and would do that too. It really changes the feel of the room to not have the TV front and center. You've found a great solution.

I tell my husband that deciding where to drill is a bigger commitment than marriage. With him, I knew it was a sure thing. With drilling, not so much so. If you change your mind you have to patch and paint. Plus, I've always had plaster walls. I totally get your husband's fear. The stand you found seems like a great idea.

OMG, Jenny, that sliding door idea is terrific. Eames shelving vibes. Heading down a YouTube DYI rabbit hole now.

Kendrah, my husband will be glad to know that someone here understands him. He's always nervous when I go on Houzz to get ideas. I owe Paul F for this solution. His cabinet stand led me to the shelf stand.

OMG, I totally missed it if you said you wanted to de-emphasize the TV.

There are cabinets to buy that will work like the sliding door. Or there's the tvs that look like artwork or a mirror when they aren't being tvs. Or there's drapery or a tabestry. A tapestry could work over your TV on the shelf.

Thanks by the way for showing the TV will fit on a shelf. Why not put it in the place where it is most comfortable for everyone to view it and then hide it with a tapestry or the sliding door idea?

kl23--the tapestry idea is great, and maybe something I would do in the future. Our 16-year-old has serious motor skills delays (and cognitive planning delays). I don't think she could safely pull back a tapestry when she wants to watch TV. Sliding doors would be safer, but I would definitely test a prototype first before installing. But we may do nothing. I don't think the TV looks too bad in a whole wall of shelving, especially if it is off to the side. Which so far in testing, seems to be the best viewing location as well. Maybe I will add sliding or hinged doors over just the game machines, the truly unattractive part of the AV system.

I agree that you don't need to hide the TV now that it is on the bookshelf. Plenty of people create gallery walls to camouflage their TV. You have books to make it blend into the wall.

I think my husband likes it when I'm on houzz. If I weren't, I'd be bugging him for ideas instead.

I also like the TV incorporated into the shelving. Off to the side is fine if everyone can comfortably watch, which you said is the case. Do you feel like you have found your solution?

If you want to camouflage further, can you put the shelves back in above and below the TV and redistribute the books more across the entire unit? If so, and you find there can be blank spaces maybe have two blanker spaces in the top and bottom thirds of the far left unit and put back some sculptural objects that were there before. If not, I still say it looks fine. Do you have any shiny black pottery? I know...maybe going to far... No need to mess with perfection. ☺️

I bet you have those spaces blank while you are testing the location. And you will fill them in after any wiring is completed, right? Duh... Sorry. I can tell you are very practical.

Too bad about the fireplace not working. I know it's not a priority, and could be a bit more hazard than anyone needs. The stone wall looks pretty.

Ha! "Practical" is a nice word for the temporary chaos that's happening in this room. But yes, once screne location is set, shelves will be filled in. I do love the black pottery idea. I don't have any, but I have my eye on a few things. That's a fun thing to shop for!

Just because I'm too tired to start supper... And because this website is full of such pretty things (some are really expensive though)...

https://www.artfulhome.com/product/Polymer-Puzzle-Sculpture/Dog/135702

https://www.artfulhome.com/product/Polymer-Puzzle-Sculpture/Owl/140564

https://www.artfulhome.com/product/Polymer-Puzzle-Sculpture/Bear/135701

https://www.artfulhome.com/product/Ceramic-Sculpture/Warrior-Bunny/86651

https://www.artfulhome.com/product/Bronze-Sculpture/Family-of-Four/88002

https://www.artfulhome.com/product/Art-Glass-Sculpture/Penguin-and-Baby/114203

https://www.artfulhome.com/product/Art-Glass-Vase/Seedpod-Vase/126173

OR...

https://www.amazon.com/XINXUAN-Abstract-Sculpture-Bookshelf-Decorations/dp/B0BYWPD32X?source=ps-sl-shoppingads-lpcontext&ref_=fplfs&psc=1&smid=A3GT62EBLDL6CT

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Black-Angel-Soapstone-Sculpture-with-Etch-Design/466159919

https://www.walmart.com/ip/danila-souvenirs-Decorative-Stone-Statue-Figurine-Sculpture-Standing-Black-Cat-5-2-13-cm/1557335533

https://www.ebay.com/itm/335071701993

https://oldusglasspottery.com/ols/products/black-enameled-art-glass-vase

I'm going to stop...there's so much fun stuff out there... Enjoy!

@mcarroll16 I thought of you when I saw this article.

https://www.thespruce.com/tips-for-hiding-tv-8402065

The tv on the bookshelf is a great idea. Put a long enough cord so your husband can move it around a bit, but the height of it should be eye level. This sounds like he has decorating commitment issues…😂

LOL RedRyder, he committed to a wife and children, and that was enough for one lifetime.

Fun article, kl23, thanks! I love the Frame TV but looking at reviews, it seems like the technology is just not quite there yet. Maybe in a couple more years that will be a good option.

@mcarroll16 I also am interested in a TV that either looks like art or a mirror when it's not being a TV. And I agree with you that the reviews hint the technology isn't ready or is more than anyone would pay for at this time. I thought some of the other ideas were more accessible at the moment.

I also am waiting for solar shingles and whole-house batteries. The technology is close or exists. I just can't get my hands on it.

It is a wonderful thing that each new year has the potential for something new.

When solar is more cost effective, many of us will jump on board. We priced it for our barn (it has a huge roof facing south) and the price was outrageously high, even with the tax breaks.

Solar gets cheaper every year. It is finally break-even over 20 years for our house (using the Google app to calculate.) Agree on the whole-house battery thing--also eager for improved grid technology to make the entire solar/electric car/house battery work as an intelligent system with the grid.

We lived for the last 15 years in a home with no connection to the grid. We had solar panels which charged our batteries and a backup generator. Many homes around us powered their homes the same way. We were very happy with it.