Mfwolfe that's maybe true. And if reading through spam is what keeps the site going, so be it. But that's a line that the site owners need to monitor carefully. If spam pays for the site, great, but too much spam, and they might start losing users.

Personally, I'd rather see vendor posts as ads. At least they'd feel more honest than ads pretending to be comments.

Btw, I'm all for vendors commenting and providing good suggestions. But "buy my stuff" usually isn't enough to be useful. :)

I appreciate your response. I truly do.
When I recently joined this site, a representative of HOUZZ, advised us to join in on discussions that pertained to our various products. So, I thought I was participating in the normal course of things. I simply suggested one of our designs to give the existing Fireplace a "facelift" so to speak. I didn't mean to offend anyone.

Also, I noticed an earlier post in this conversation from a Professional company with a suggestion about updating the fireplace, so it did not occur to me that my post would be considered inappropriate or spam.

Hi tantacatho,
I agree with a lot of things that smileygreebins said above, like you needing to paint the bookcase to match the room so your fireplace becomes the sole focal point on that side of the room. Right now, the shelving unit is competing for attention because it's large, dark & distracting color is drawing everyone's attention.
It would be nice to have larger proportions in your decor. The mantel items & wall pics on the right side wall are getting lost, as is the little dish on the coffee table & small things on side table. Whatever you decide to use in these spots should be more in keeping with the scale of things. I'd like to see more IMPACT & COLOR from what you use in these places. An area rug could add lots of color & pattern, making your room more interesting. A lamp near the recliner would be a good idea, too.

It would be great to see the rest of the room. It's hard to tell exactly about what's going on in there without seeing the size of room, placement of windows & doors, as well as other furnishings. All these things matter if they're part of this space. Please think about running a few more pics! I believe it would help us all to visualize this room better.

ok everyone no fighting. We have enjoyed all the comments from everyone including vendors. We know that room need a lot of work, we have lived here 28 years. We do spend time watching TV in this room and enjoy the Big screen TV, and we know this TV is an older model, but at the moment it still works fine. The fireplace was originally wood burning, then we updated it to gas. But now we feel that look is too much for the room. We are thinking of taking it out completely and put in a new one, put in a hardwood floor with area rug. The trouble with a TV coming out of the cabinet side of the room is the light from the windows will be on the screen of the TV. So now thinking of keeping the TV where it is.

Oh it's all good! I appreciate all feedback! I'm new to this site and learning the ropes as I go along! :) As for your fireplace, I wouldn't take it out. So cozy in the winter! Start your updated look by removing the black and gold cover. There are so many looks you can replace that with. Then "dress up" the hearth. A fireplace set could go on the right or left side. Also, they make very decorative inserts for the fireplace to put instead of faux logs. They are beautiful and will help make the fireplace the focal point. When you do get a new TV, you could do a flat screen mounted on the wall over the fireplace.

Go completely modern and cover the whole thing with a new wall that stands out a couple of inches.. Leave it plain, or cover it. That will give you the room you need to being the wires down to the built in where your various boxes will go. At that point, the firebox is the only visible part of the fireplace.
That is what we done. TV is over FP and we don't suffer neck strain. But it is a smallish TV in a smallish room.

Thanks for the great new pics, tantacatho! I really love your spacious home, especially the foyer, kitchen & outside space.

As I study your room, it doesn't seem that your coffee table & 2 side tables are holding their own against the large & comfy- looking sofa, love seat & recliner. The wooden table set in the conversation area reads as kind of delicate & small; I think you could go with bigger tables. Especially the coffee table, which Ideally, all the people seated should be able to reach. For now, you could pull the seating items & side tables inward a bit. A larger & more important-looking table there would function well & fit better, too. It doesn't necessarily have to match any other tables in the room. If you choose to add a different coffee table, you could put more things on top, like a stack or 2 of coffee table books, of course. You could place a green plant in an attractive, fairly good-sized pot there; it ought to thrive with all the sunshine streaming in. Maybe you already have some items that would be great there. Be sure to vary the heights, textures & materials you use. You could begin experimenting whenever you like. Some substantially sized, meaningful objects - good conversation pieces- would be perfect!

I think that some pops of color in, say, maybe a fairly deep turquoise, would go well in your space & liven things up a tad.

Do you ever use the door that leads to the kitchen? It's a beautiful door, but IF you don't actually USE it, maybe you could find another place for it. Also, it looks like it's blocking some artwork.
Let me know what you think about these ideas.

What lovely proportions to that room. You must be in the USA! Here's a crazy thought - you have beautiful classic furniture through the room. An uber modern fireplace would be out of kilter unless you're up for changing out all of your furniture.....which would be a shame. I LOVE the painting/picture in the dining area - modern and fabulously bright. I wonder if you have art/sculptures similar to that in the area of the fireplace, and pick up some of the brighter colors from that into your throws and cushions and any pieces displayed on your tables, it might actually help the fireplace to seem more modern in style without needing to do a lot of other work (although I'd still paint that built in and lose that monster TV competing with the lounge. Oh for a lounge/dining room with that much light and that size....sigh.

What is at the direct opposite wall from the fireplace? Could the tv go there? If so, the sofa and chairs could face each other. (A pair of swivel armchairs would allow flexibility).

Also, consider having a narrow bookcase built, with or without doors, on the left of the fireplace painted white, and paint the dark bookcases on the right white. The wall color could be a warm gray taken from the stone fireplace. This might unify the whole wall somewhat. Regarding the fireplace screen, the brass can be painted using paint intended for painting grills that is heat resistant that your hardware store can advise you on.

We live in Canada. Since the house is open concept, the door to the kitchen is closed at times to give some privacy. The door is located at the complete opposite wall of the fireplace. We have really enjoyed all comments.

Please have a look at Bloss Stoneworks Co.. We are out of Calgary, Alberta area.

will look but we live in Ontario.

Have not read all comments yet so maybe it was mentioned already but take a look at this: http://www.dynamicmounting.com
I have a small house with a small living room (no family room) and this worked perfectly: 70" TV above gas fireplace insert with 11" deep mantel. I can lower the TV whenever I want. I can even have it in the down position when the fireplace is running...

Whatever style you may choose, one very important detail to plan for when mounting a TV above a fireplace is how best to protect the electronics from heat damage while maintaining the proper clearances between the fireplace and any combustible materials. This can affect the choice of material a mantel must be made out of, the dimensions and location of the mantel, fireplace and TV, and the type of TV mounting bracket that is used.

While the fireplace manufacturers provide charts for the proper clearances to combustibles, this is not enough to lower the heat to a point that electronics can tolerate. Most TV manufacturers will state in the installation instructions that their product should not be mounted above a fireplace. That being said, it is still possible to do if the correct steps are taken to reduce the heat the TV will be subjected to.

In my experience, which is more than 10 years of custom fireplace and mantel design and installation, I have determined through experimentation with different installations while using an infrared thermometer to check my results that a mantel must protrude a MINIMUM of 2" beyond the part of the TV that sticks out furthest from the wall and more is better. This pushes the heat rising off the fireplace out in front of the TV and greatly reduces the heat it is exposed to. This distance will change depending on the type of bracket used and the position of the TV. If the TV is slightly turned or tilted that distance will be greater. The deeper the mantel is, the greater the distance required from the top of the fireplace opening to the bottom of the mantel. This can greatly affect the amount of room available for the installation, especially in rooms with 8' to 9' ceilings.

Electronics do not like heat. Take the extra time to find a fireplace professional who can take all this into consideration. In this case, function must, to some degree, dictate form. When done correctly, the temperature your electronics will be exposed to can be lowered as much as 60 to 80 degrees F.

Add a surround and a mantel TVs can now be installed in a picture frame type mounting that has a picture over it when not in use.

Make the whole wall brick and make the focal point a built-in fireplace!

We get compliments all day long on the stone fireplace in our living room. The stone is Roman Beige Ledgestone by MSI International and the architectural trim surrounding the inset TV is by Valori Precast.

You need a complete remodeled area to encompass the fireplace, the desk area, and the TV...modern is good...but I am not sure you mean modern as in style or just more updated than 1970. Which ever you choose...this room and the area will enhance your whole entire being....,when you have completed it as you will love it so much! So get started!

I would replace the hearth and tear out all of the stone. I would then put up a floating shelf mantle (make sure you know the clearances for your fireplace to combustible materials), possibly lower than your existing shelf to allow a greater space for a new television. I would finish off this entire look by getting a low profile glass bifold door. My personal favorite door is from a US company called Stoll. I absolutely love their Overlap Fit Total View Bifold Bar Iron Door. They have an array of finishes to choose from to match the desired look you are after.

Heres a picture of the door I personally love.

That fireplace was once wood so the hearth needed to be that big. Now that its gas it doesn't need to be. I would either remove entirely or make smaller (are you doing the flooring too?). The fireplace if keeping can certainly loose the brass. It comes off easy and the black trim would look more modern. I'd also go over the existing brick with ledgestone of your choice and a nice wooden mantel. This fireplace I just redid over red brick.

TV's are nice above the fireplace but can be too high and believe it or not become a literal pain in the neck. It will depend on how far away you are away to watch it.

Going from floor to ceiling with a new stone/stone veneer would be an easy way to update. With stone veneer you can go right over your existing stone. Floor to ceiling would allow for you to put a tv over the fireplace as well. And going with a floor to ceiling fireplace often makes a room look larger.

We had a similar problem with a fireplace that we were re doing. Making it a more modern look definitely changed the look of the house. Also I don't recomend having a TV over firelplace, had it in my previus home, very uncomfertable to watch.

Adding a set of iron fireplace doors can really do wonders to change up an outdated look!

Thank you for all the ideas. We have started to removate the room and we will post some pictures later.

Have you made any progress with your fireplace? I too have a 70's home with a fireplace in that same stone. Currently working on trying to modernize the space.
Thanks

Hello, yes we have started to change the fireplace. Weare not ready to show it off yet but is there a way to send pictures to you without posting it on Houzz?

If we follow each other we can direct message. I have followed you

We all want to see it too!!!

I'd go the extra step and have a custom built in unit made to match the built in on the right side. Definitely reface the brick with some up to date slate tile, or other type of stone. Extend the mantel, keep the shelf aspect and see about building in a recessed TV cubby that the TV can hang and be hidden when not being used. You should obviously update the hearth ledge as well. Cool room!

hopefully we will have pictures to show by the end of this month of May 2015!

A beautiful large piece of Art in oil and color would look nice over the mantel. New mantel painted a grey black in satin blend this with the oil painting frame. You could control how contemporary you want the room to be, you may find the perfect piece that's transitional to blend everything else together. I would talk to a custom cabinet person and see if you could build something to balance with the other side. With this wall being even with the fireplace, the piece would be shallow not as deep as the other side but you could achieve the illusion of balance.
TVs are so thin now one would fit on a more shallow piece.
Good luck!

There is a sample to consider on my idea book.

BobSgt

I did the work myself all custom cherry, I used large slabs of slate on the mantle and hearth. The stonework was done by a mason it is veneer type faux stone

Consider some type of mantle to deflect heat from the TV. Here is a link to the photo

http://houzz.com/photos/29572641

Nice.

Looks beautiful! Great job!

I found it :). Looks amazing! So much more modern, clean and crisp. Great job!!!

Looks beautiful, we are in the same situation. What was the costs? Just trying to get an idea. We haven't gotten quotes and our room is narrow and long.

Just the new book cases and fireplace mantel, you are looking with the taxes included, around $8,00.00 Canadian dollars. Room is 17 feet wide. ( new gas insert, granite around the insert , and TV is extra)

Thanks for the information...that's plenty of space for the bookcase. It looks lovely...well done.

Beautiful work! Than you for sharing your budget too. Very helpful. I'm totally inspired to work on my family room.

New furniture from Lazy Boy. We had the 30 year old coffee table repainted because I could not find one I liked or a price I liked. So happy and very satisfied!

This is a beautiful transformation! You made a great choice on the Valor G4 fireplace insert replacement and the wall looks wonderful. Thanks for sharing.

this might be a more comfortable option, but they need it to work off a remote control. ;-) Pull down TV mount for flat screen over the fireplace

Wow, your new room/fireplace look absolutely awesome. Curious... what is the new height of your mental? Cheers...

Redo the whole wall. Lower the mantle to make a TV hang feasible, get rid of the side wall cabinet and drywall, put in built-ins on each side to house components. You will otherwise be fighting the fireplace height and wall asymmetry forever.

You can easily update the fireplace with a more modern stone. We'd recommend going all the way to the ceiling and installing a new, more modern mantel. If you extend the stone to the ceiling, you can add the television over the top of the fireplace. Here's a few similar examples where clients did just this. These images show a more modern stone style- narrow profile stone veneer. You can see more here- www.northstarstone.biz/stone-styles.