TV Alcoves by Fireplace Sides...
Just Fittin' In!

The TV alcoves by fireplace sides featured here demonstrate a variety of ways to integrate your flat screen TV with your fireplace surround without the need to mount your TV above your fireplace mantel . . . . .

TV Alcove by Fireplace with Stone Sur-
round from Hedberg Aggregates

. . . For numerous reasons, it may be better to position your plasma televi-
sion to the side of your fireplace instead of above it. For example, if your room is not very large and creates a challenge in furniture arrangement, you may end up sitting too close to your TV if it is mounted above the mantel. As we all know from attending a movie theater, nobody wants to sit in the front row because we are forced to crane our necks as we look up at the movie screen right in front of us, which can be very uncomfort-
able. Though at times we may have little or no choice but to sit in the front row at a theater, we certainly don't want to endure that discomfort in our own living room while watching a movie on our own TV!

Pictured at left is a finely crafted fire-
place surround with a built-in alcove for a flat screen TV. Created by Pillar Homes of Plymouth, Minnesota -- a suburb of Minneapolis -- it exemplifies the seamless integration of a plasma TV with a striking fireplace surround.

The TV alcove by fireplace design that follows consists of a soaring stacked or dry stone fireplace flanked by built-in shelving and cabinetry. Designed by Ann Wisniewski of Atlanta-based AJW Designs, it features a simple but bold white enameled mantel shelf to bridge the gap between
the built-ins on each side of the stone fireplace, effectively tying it all to-
gether.

See More Soaring Stacked Stone Fireplace Designs

Pictured below is another fireplace design with built-in shelving and cabi-
netry on each side. Finely crafted from cherry wood, the built-ins include an alcove for a TV on the left side of the fireplace mantel.

Also seamlessly integrated in the design of the flanking cabinetry is an elaborate speaker system, as shown in the close-up image below.

See More TV Alcoves by Fireplace Designs with Built-Ins

The striking Arts and Crafts fireplace surround with built-ins that follows is another finely crafted design from Pillar Homes. The millwork framing the flat screen TV to the right of the fireplace is beautifully integrated in the overall design!

See More Striking Arts and Crafts Fireplaces

The next two TV alcoves by fireplace sides are crafted from stone. Pictured at right is a rugged stone surround with a large lintel over both the fire-
box opening and the TV alcove. Set within a dramatic evergreen forest in Edwards, Colorado, this home was de-
signed by architect Thomas Oppelt of Kerrville, Texas.

The colorful stone fireplace design that follows was created by Heritage Hearths Masonry of Kalispell, Montana. Brown, red, and gray stone with black mosses laid in an ashlar pattern surrounds a masonry wood burning firebox with a raised hearth and a rustic wood mantel shelf. To the right of the fireplace, a pair of glass fronted custom doors opens to reveal built-in shelving and a TV alcove.

See More Masonry Wood Burning Fireplace Designs

The slate stone fireplace surround with raised hearth that follows is from K2 Stone, based in several locations throughout Canada, as well as in the U.S. in Kalispell, Montana. Flanking the stone surround is a built-in TV al-
cove on the left and built-in cabinetry on the right. A richly finished wood mantel shelf extends to tie it all together.

See More Slate Stone Fireplace Designs

The soaring stone fireplace that follows also features built-in cabinetry on either side, including a TV alcove on the left. Crafted by Streamline Tim-
berworks of Richmond, Virginia, it features a custom wood mantel shelf over the arched firebox opening, designed and finished to match the flank-
ing cabinetry.

See More Wood Fireplace Mantel Shelves

Contemporary TV Alcoves by Fireplace Sides

Shifting gears, the TV alcoves by fireplace sides that follow are contem-
porary in design. Pictured at right is
an arched firebox surround and hearth crafted from metal. Set against a con-
trasting backdrop of warm wood pan-
eling, the design features a built-in TV alcove and shelving just to the left of the in-wall fireplace.

The sleek, suspended fireplace and
flat screen TV composition pictured below was custom designed by Colleen Gove and Mark McInturff of McInturff Architects, based in Bethesda, Mary-
land. It features a three-foot, vent-
free gas fireplace from Spark Modern Fires. Tying the fireplace and TV to-
gether is a removable surround made
of aluminum, which rests on a steel
frame that also supports the fireplace
and plasma TV.

Photo Credit: Julia Hein

And if you'd like a similar design that is "ready-made," look no further than the striking unit pictured below. Produced by innovative Italian designer and manufacturer, MCZ, the "Scenario" is a real space saver and comes in both gas and wood burning models. In addition, it offers an ideal viewing platform for HD movies, and can even be used to browse the internet!