Debate: Should Your TV Go Over Your Fireplace? (Plus the Perfect Compromise!)
For many homeowners, the room with the TV and fireplace is everything! Whether everyone at your house thinks the TV belongs over the fireplace or not, read on for pros and cons, our team’s debate, and the perfect compromise for your home when you just can’t agree on the perfect spot.
Pros and cons of placing the TV over the fireplace
Pros:
- Creates one focal point in your living room.
- Saves space in your room.
- Creates a uniform space when decorating.
- Hides wires more successfully.
Cons:
- Strains neck if your fireplace is too tall.
- Affects overall viewing experience.
- Limits the decor you can place on your mantel.
- Some fireplaces can burn too hot for electronics and damage them.
- Limits the size of TV you can put above it.
- Tends to be more expensive to have installed.
The perfect compromise for those who can’t agree?
Buy it on Amazon – 3 sizes available
Can’t come to an agreement with your spouse? I’m a huge fan of these new Samsung Frame TVs! I think it’s the perfect compromise to suit anyone’s home decor style and needs! Your hubby will get his fireplace, mounted TV, and you can still have your stunning decor to look at when the game’s not on.
With the frame TV, you can also customize your outer frame with black, white, beige, or walnut wood and enjoy your favorite artwork. Guests will never know your design secret. 😉
So what’s the Hip2BeHome team verdict on placing the TV over the fireplace?
Over the fireplace vs. 
Put it somewhere else
“I have a TV over our basement fireplace. We found a fireplace that vents out the front (it’s an electric fireplace), and we have a huge mantel above it to help deflect heat. We’ve had it there for years and like it.” – Chelsey
“I’m a fan of the TV over the fireplace when you don’t want to create two focal points in the room.” – Jamie
“I think it depends on the height of your fireplace, as long as it’s not a strain to watch. That said, I do like ours over the fireplace in our house. It’s the perfect height for a TV, and it’s been over our electric fireplace since we moved in.” – Amber
“Unfortunately, our fireplace is far too tall for a TV, but I wish it wasn’t because I absolutely love the look!” – Jessica
“We have our TV over the fireplace. We love watching films together as a family, so a big screen was a must for us, and our 70” was taking up a lot of floor space. Moving it over the fireplace freed up a ton of space and created additional space that the kiddos can play in. If budget wasn’t an issue, I would totally get a TV in disguise like that Samsung frame!” – Stacy
Put it somewhere else vs. Over the fireplace
“I do not like the TV over the fireplace at all. I personally think a fireplace and the mantel are a special place for art and other sentimental pieces. I feel like this is such a focal point when someone walks in the room, and I wouldn’t want that focal point to be a BIG TV. At the same time though, I’d totally be down for some cool TV that is hidden and then pops up when you want to watch something. I also think the Samsung Frame TV could be a neat option.” – Collin
“I wanted to be able to decorate the mantel, so we placed ours on a different wall. I still feel like the focal point is the fireplace, though, and it worked out, but would still love to “hide” or frame the TV somehow. I’d love the new frame TV by Samsung that looks like artwork!” – Lina
“The two houses we had with fireplaces never had enough space for a TV to go over unless it was a smaller TV like a 24″-32″. Besides, even if it could fit, I feel like I would break my neck looking up.” – Alana
“My boyfriend is very anti-over-the-fireplace TVs. He takes his TV viewing far too seriously (he even has special glasses to calibrate the color output and spends hours tuning the surround sound), and he says that having the TV that high up is a horrible viewing angle. Since the TV was one of our bigger investments I’d rather the viewing angle be the best that it can be.” – Emily
“From an ergonomic standpoint, you should be looking down or straight – not up, as it strains the neck. For that reason alone, I would never put a TV over a fireplace if I had one. I also am not a fan of electronics being out in the open. I would prefer to keep it as natural as possible.” – Jami
“My neck would be killing me if we had our TV over the fireplace, so I would never put it there. I also love decorating my mantel during Christmas and feel like a TV would be an eyesore and take away from the pretty decorations.” – Sara
The verdict? Over the fireplace – 5 vs. Put it somewhere else – 6
So it’s pretty clear to see our team is almost a split tie for where to put the TV! Some of us couldn’t imagine it anywhere else, whereas some of us think decorating the mantel takes precedence.
I have a MantelMount that I purchased on Amazon. It allows me to raise, lower, and swivel my tv that is mounted above the fireplace. I never strain to look up and it looks great. I wish I could attach pictures.
How neat! Thanks for sharing! I’ll have to look for that!
Neck strain would only be an issue if you hanged your TV flat against the wall above the fireplace. That’s why you have to use a mount that fully tilts downwards/vertically- think of TVs in waiting rooms…they are always above eye level, but tilted down!
You’re right! Thanks for the tip!
Ours is over our fireplace since we bought our house in 2005. I have YET to ever hear anyone complain about height. It actually never even crossed my mind until today. Anywho, to each their own. I like the “lived-in” look of a house versus museum-looking. Its a TV, it shouldn’t be hidden. 😊
Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts with us, Laura! I have enjoyed the TV over top of my basement fireplace.
I am in the “put it somewhere else” camp. When my hubby and I bought our current house, there was a big gaping hole over the fireplace that obviously had been where the previous owner put the TV. Patching the hole and hanging a piece of art was one of the first things we did. I love decorating my fireplace mantel seasonally (stockings at Christmas, pumpkins at Halloween, bunnies at Easter, etc. etc.) We have a family room in the basement where the TV belongs. The living room where the fireplace is located is more for visiting with people, and it’s distracting when a TV is there!
I love the idea of having a relaxing room for visiting, with no TV at all! Thanks for taking the time to comment!
I refuse to mount a TV on any wall. I also despise fireplaces. I never use them. I don’t want to deal with the maintenance. They take up precious wall space. I don’t put furniture in the middle of the room, so I need all the wall space I can get. I like having uninterrupted floor space instead of having to walk around the furniture.
Thanks for letting us know what you prefer, Sara.