Fireplace. The Heart and Soul of our Home.

The Beginning of the Remodel

The stacked stone fireplace is the heart and soul of our home. Began the remodel with this in mind and I did something I was told not to do.

I started with the #1 thing you are not supposed to do when designing a room, oopsie.

Designed the entire kitchen remodel around the Television. SAY WHAT?!?!?

To justify or explain all of the reasons is futile, simply put, we are huge sports fans. For me, it’s all about college football, UGA football to be precise, see posts here and here to understand life in the SEC. For my husband, it is all about Ice Hockey.

Sports…the Braves, tennis, golf etc., we watch TV. Additionally, HBO Max ~ Game of Thrones, AppleTV ~ Ted Lasso & Netflix ~ Emily in Paris. YoutubeTV is our friend & the greatest thing that happened for us when moving to the lake house because cable options were limited to one service. It’s not perfect but it’s great.

TV Watching, Yes, I Admit it

My workout routine revolves around the streaming services listed above. We admit it, we need it. We fit it all in, living, working, socializing, and watching TV. It is okay.

Great Room is a Great Room

Home remodel began with the fireplace because it is the focal point of the home. Obvious as to why the redesign started here because it is the most prominent feature in our house and it is centered in the great room which extends to the kitchen and dining space. Heart and soul of our home, the fireplace.

The image below shows how our Great Room was configured for over 20 years. Favorite painting hung above the mantle and the TV sat on a pullout shelf designed to hide behind the cabinet doors when not viewing. Please indulge me with my astute design acumen by noticing the shelf above the TV in cabinet on the right…for the DVD/VCR player. My edginess in 1998 blows the mind.😂

Image below is our great room with the new 75″ Sony TV above the mantle.

While in our main living space, the majority of the time, the TV is off. Because the fireplace is enormous, the large TV size creates a more proportioned and symmetrical feel. It also offers the clean lines and a minimalist feel because it does not take away from the brilliant stacked stone fireplace. Who knew?

Size Matters

Cannot fail to mention our TV viewing at the Johns Creek house because it was epic. The kitchen where I worked 24-7, meaning cooking, cleaning and unloading groceries etc., I watched the TV shown below. Lovely 20″ beauty. Lived with it for 15 years mostly because I listened to the news while doing my chores.

Given the location of the TV, it was probably a good thing it wasn’t expensive or fancy. It was destroyed with water, food and other unpleasantries. Needless to say, it was time for an upgrade.

Side note, favorite memory: Growing up, my girls watched Dinosaur Train on this TV while eating breakfast before getting on the bus every morning and I can still sing the jingle.🎶

TV Sizing

Personal choice and I highly recommend using templates to envision your preferred look.

We templated different size TV’s for the fireplace and settled on a 75 inch Sony. Of course, we waited for a sale which took a long time. Patience. New TV was not installed until long after the kitchen remodel was complete, patience, but that was a good thing. With all of the sanding & construction going on, it sat protected in the box.

The kitchen island was to be placed so I could face the TV while doing daily chores. Also wanted the sink in the island so while cooking and cleaning I can see the TV, easier viewing 75″ than 20″.

Quick note about height placement of TV. Because this TV serves 3 rooms, the height placement works. Most of the TV watching is from the kitchen. When we are in the Great Room on the couch, we are laying down and looking up…no neck straining. Be sure TV height works for your space to avoid the proverbial…sitting in the front row of the movie theatre.

Lighting

Opted not to have pendant lighting above the island because it would interfere with TV viewing and it would have been too many hanging things in the space. 1998 kitchen had a 3 bulb pendant light, which was great but boy was I ready to rid of it when the remodel began. Light fixtures shown below were outdated…ya think?

Side note, important story: Before the remodel process began, I spent hours shopping for the fun stuff like cabinet hardware, shower trims and light fixtures. I shopped for pendant lighting to go above the kitchen island because it is always in fashion and everyone has pendants. I decided to hold off on the pendant lights to see what the style was by the time I was ready to order. Glad I waited, for a different reason.

Once the kitchen remodel came into focus and I stood in the space, I realized the kitchen and dining area was too small for pendant lights and a dining chandelier. Needed the dining chandelier for dimension in that area and pendants would have been too much. No pendants. Opted for Canless Downlighting in kitchen and I love them.

Decorating is personal.

Newly remodeled kitchen with big a** Island includes under mount sink and allows tremendous workspace to watch big a** TV. Judge, I can’t care.

Gorgeous chandelier in the dining space provides the dimensional aesthetic needed for the entire area. Kitchen / dining space is small and too many hanging things would have made it look busy. Motto we wanted was clean lines and no clutter.

Open floor plan allows for a lot of people to congregate while hosting and entertaining. Not only is it about the number of people, it’s also about being able to move to an intimate space for a personal conversation. 

Can we talk about hosting during a big game or sports event? Reason #1 for the big a** TV is to invite people over for events surrounding big games etc. Not to mention, while cooking, cleaning, serving and entertaining, I am right there with all of my guests. Sink is located in the island so I can work while watching the Dawgs, ech em & other sports. 

Update Feature

My Dad absolutely loves this next feature! While the TV is off and you want an image portrayed, go to your YouTube App on your Smart or not-so-smart TV, with Amazon Firestick, and select Art Screensaver. Link to extremely entertaining 🤔 video below for a quick tutorial. Sharing my favorite which is the 80+ images and 4 hours worth of paintings, mostly Van Gough and Monet. Images will scroll full screen on TV and it appears as if you have a beautiful painting above the fireplace. Very Cool!

If you have a SmartTV, you should have the Youtube App. Here is a Quick Video, don’t laugh, on how to access TV Art Screensaver. This is an alternative to feeling like you have to buy the expensive TV with this feature.

Entire remodel design centered around the Television which is something I have been told time and again, don’t do it. Oops. I love it.

Don’t forget the motto…decorating is personal. You live in your home, do what you want, do what you love, and do what makes you happy. Watching the 75 inch TV versus the 20 inch TV, makes me happy.

Added Bonuses

The majority of the time we are in this space, the TV is off. With the TV off, it is almost unnoticeable and the black screen blends with the black fire screen. It is a very symmetrical look and pleasing to the eye. Compare the two images at the beginning of this Post.

With the TV size and location, the fireplace looks much more proportioned. My favorite bonus is there is no need to decorate the mantle, except for Christmastime when I add the lit garland.

Reflection of all the Christmas lights on the black TV screen helps illuminate the room. Happy.