We have a TV in the kitchen (computer/TV)...we have a TV in the office (computer/TV)...we have a TV and movie screen in the basement...and we will soon have a TV in the living room. After MUCH deliberation, we decided that the TV will go to the right of the dining room french doors, above a console (probably not this console, I dragged this console out of the foyer for demonstration purposes)
A TV IN YOUR LIVING ROOM???? WHAT ARE YOU THINKING!!!!!!!! Am I crazy? Let me explain, because its simple: this is the largest room in the house and it is essentially unused. We could have built a family room (instead of the deck), I guess...too late for that. I just think its a waste to abandon a room of this size....pretty, yes! but there is no life in here! Will a TV change things?
Actually, I feel like this is a controversial thing...or design disaster...or whatever. That's probably why I am writing about it before we pull the trigger, instead of just showing it off after the fact. Please tell me,
is it wrong to set the living room up like a family room? I know that some decisions, even if its right for your family, sometimes it can be wrong for design...but am I completely killing things here by mounting a big black box onto the wall?
ps. the encaustic painting will likely go on the other side of the dining room doors....hung at the same level as the TV...I may have to lose the
chairs (Email me if you are interested...I bought them for around $25 each)
Please tell me, what do you think? Do you have a TV in the living room? Would you hesitate to add one into this room?
I think every room should be used.
ReplyDeleteHaving said that, I have a TV in my living room and I'm dying to take it into the basement. Mainly because my toddler loves it so much and I don't want her to. She's begging for it in the evenings and I would rather have her do anything but watch cartoons. It is a constant source of mommy guilt for me. But since we're renovating, sometimes it is the easiest thing to just let her have her way. It is just so soo soooo convenient. It's RIGHT THERE! This is the only TV we have, but we do have multiple laptops living in various spots around the house.
In terms of design I don't think it would kill your living room. And it is definitely NOT killing my living room. It actually lives there very well.
I don't think it will kill your gorgeous living room. I think that homes should be beautiful & functional and not mutually exclusive! You are paying a mortgage on your home and I think every square foot should be used to the best of it's abiblity to make one's life comfortable. I resisted a TV in the living room for a long time, but after 16 years, I finally relented and I don't regret it. I think your living room will be a great place to nurse your new baby while you can keep an eye on your toddler and dinner! Live life I say! Angie xo
ReplyDeleteI personally don't think you "need" a TV in the living room to make use of it. That room is beautiful and would be great for reading, surfing or watching tv/movies on a laptop or other device, listening to the radio, allowing a few toys to visit for play time. I think it can be multi-purpose and still be a beautiful TV-less spot in your home.
ReplyDeleteHi Angie! Nursing a newborn was exactly what I was thinking about!
ReplyDeleteHi Roncy Vic! I agree with you in theory...we do puzzles in there, I read magazines and books in there...I have suffered the occasional migraine on the couch...but its pretty much an ignored room...its used during birthday parties and at Christmas time...a TV shouldn't make such a big difference, but I am banking on a major change in usage rates :)
I debated the same thing when we recently redid our living room. The plan is eventually to move the TV into the basement when we reno it later this year. But the truth is, the TV has been a necessity when I need to get the 2yr old out of the kitchen but still keep her within earshot. Toys and books hold her attention for a little while but eventually she meanders back into the kitchen to hang out with mom, too close to the hot pans. I admit it - Dora is a great babysitter between the hours of 5-6pm. We do have other TVs in the house but this one and this room are the most used in the house.
ReplyDeleteI don't think a tv will ruin the room. However, that said, I do think that you have enough tvs around that you don't "need" one in there. The room is so nice and it is good that you have a space that stays nice in case ppl come over etc.
ReplyDeleteI don't know - I don't have kids so I'm not the best to comment. T could watch tv in the kitchen or the basement...I guess it is just the 'you feeding a newborn' situation where it would be nice to have a place to yourself...
I'm a big TV watcher, so for me, having a TV in my primary room makes sense (I live in a 1 bed condo so this is a moot point in reality, but in theory). What's the point of having a gorgeous, unused room? And why sit watching TV in the basement when you could be in a more attractive room on the main floor?
ReplyDeleteI guess it's all about priorities and how you use space. For me, usage trumps design. You're not living in a museum, you're living in a home.
Our living room had no life until I moved our nice iPod speakers in there. Now I can use our itouch or my iPhone to stream pandora. I love it! We still don't hang out in the living room, but we have to walk by it to go anywhere in the house and it's certainly become a happier place to pass now that it's filled with music.
ReplyDeleteI'd try adding music before adding a screen. Have you ever noticed that people will still orient themselves toward a tv and even look at a tv when its off? I think it's nice to have a space you can visit with guests or hang out alone without screens.
Honestly if you are putting it in that corner I don't think you have anything to worry about. We have a similar layout of our room upstairs but there's just no room for a TV -- but we only have one and it's big so really doesn't fit in the room. We're in the process of moving the tv downstairs and we won't have one upstairs even though I'll miss it while I'm making dinner... Anyway I think you should do whatever you want! :)
ReplyDeleteIf you don't use the living room, it is a huge waste of real estate. I don't think you should have a room that is only used for Christmas and birthdays ... if a TV gets you in there ... go for it. I think the placement is unobtrusive.
ReplyDeleteOur living room and family room are one and the same in our house for exactly that reason: size-wise, our house isn't Southfork - we don't have enough space to give away square footage to rooms we don't use. And since as a family we are big TV/movie watchers and game players (we have a teenager in the house plus my husband - who's as good as! - and an army of adolescent drop-ins) it makes sense for us to have the television upstairs with us. There are definitely times I wish I could move everything downstairs and just have some peace and quiet, but at the end of the day having my whole family using the space makes our house a happier, livlier place to be, so it's worth it. All that said, I don't think your room will be ruined at all by the addition of a TV. Anything that prompts you to live and enjoy a space you've worked so hard on is a benefit. Do what works for you! But if you're worried about how it will intrude on the room, etc. why not hollow out a little niche in the wall? It's more construction that just screwing a mounting arm into a stud, yes, but a smallish flat-screen (maybe in white? they don't just come in black any more) inset into the wall will be barely noticeable. You could also, if you wanted to be REALLY 007 about it, inset it and cover it with a painting that's attached to the wall on a piano hinge. When not in use, you could close the painting over and it's just a work of art. Swing it open when you want to watch. Just some thoughts!
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like the room needs a focus, a reason to draw people into it. But that doesn't have to be a tv. You could try a piano. Or maybe you could put the console in there, but fill it with some family board games, a cribbage set and a deck of cards. You could also put a couple of bookshelves in under those small windows and turn it into a reading room.
ReplyDeleteYour living room is stunning, I love it. But it is a formal living room, not a tv room. I don't like tv anywhere, but we keep ours in the basement surrounded by a permanent lego mess! The problem with formal living rooms is that they tend not to be used. Age old problem!! But either way you have such great design that nothing could look bad.
ReplyDeleteYour living room is stunning, I love it. But it is a formal living room, not a tv room. I don't like tv anywhere, but we keep ours in the basement surrounded by a permanent lego mess! The problem with formal living rooms is that they tend not to be used. Age old problem!! But either way you have such great design that nothing could look bad.
ReplyDeleteI think every room should be used.
ReplyDeleteHaving said that, I have a TV in my living room and I'm dying to take it into the basement. Mainly because my toddler loves it so much and I don't want her to. She's begging for it in the evenings and I would rather have her do anything but watch cartoons. It is a constant source of mommy guilt for me. But since we're renovating, sometimes it is the easiest thing to just let her have her way. It is just so soo soooo convenient. It's RIGHT THERE! This is the only TV we have, but we do have multiple laptops living in various spots around the house.
In terms of design I don't think it would kill your living room. And it is definitely NOT killing my living room. It actually lives there very well.