Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Luscious Living Spaces: Where do you put your TV?

Ever since we started eyeing this house months ago, I had visions of what I wanted our home to be. You see, I know what I want - but right now my problem is trying to find out how to incorporate the television into our living space, without having it become the focal point in the room. We have a very modest sized home, only a little under 1600 square feet where the kitchen opens up into the living room {or some might call that the "great room" or "family room" or what have you}. So, I started randomly googling / searching for possible inspirations. But have you noticed that nearly all the photos that come up, NEVER show where they put the television? With that being said, here are some pictures that I think are just lovely living spaces - but I do wish they tell you where on earth they house their t.v.! Note that I googled these photos months ago, and didn't think to note their origination, so if you happen to come across a picture below that belongs to someone in particular, please let me know and I'd be happy to state the source:

This here is one of my favorite pictures. I truly love the light, airy look with the vintage linen cabinet in the back. I guess one could say that the television would be mounted above the mantle, but in all honesty, I really don't like that look {for me, that is}. Our mantle is situated in such a way in our living space, that it would NOT flow properly, if our t.v. would be mounted there. You'll see what I mean, when I post pictures of the inside our home down the road.




Notice how I'm loving rooms with a lot of light!  I love the white sofas, open shelving, and all that light filtering through! And the texture throughout the walls & ceilings just seem to work and come together!!!




Ok, I'm not going to lie. I do love me some Pottery Barn! I may not be able to afford PB prices, but I do go there for inspiration, and when I'm lucky enough - I do snag myself some steals during their sales & clearances {on top of gift cards, and 10% off coupons}! Here once again, the white colored sofas are calling my name...BUT I don't know if I'm going to be good with that. I mean, I'd love to have it for sure, but right now I have a teenage son who is turning 15 soon, and a toddler boy who will be 4 and in pre-school in a few months, so I'm not quite sure if the white sofas will fair well with their rambunctious ways! lol Because right now my "beige" couch is stained in various places {thank God for washable slipcovers}, so I'm not sure how "white" will do in our home. By the way, we are starting from scratch here as the only thing we kept from our previous living room {that was "functional"}, was ONE sofa! And being that we are on a SUPER TIGHT budget, I have to be sure that whatever I purchase is both functional AND aesthetic to the eye!




Now this room just screams shabby chic romance, which I love, Love, LOVE!!! In fact, if I had it my way, it would be Simply Shabby all the way {well, mostly}!!! lol But, it's 3 against 1 here in the gender department, so the "all whimsy" look isn't going to cut it. :(  HOWEVER, I'm still going to incorporate my love for french countryside, shabby chic style with my love of all things vintage industrial! That actually, defines my style completely, as you will come to see later. :)




Now here's another simple, but lovely space {once again, where is that darn television!?!?!}.




I really love the mixture of blues & greens against a neutral or light backdrop! I know for sure that I love contrast, so that is why I was drawn to this space. That, and the high ceilings and exposed beams!!!




Another favorite! The blues, greens, florals, and laid back feeling really draws me into this cozy room! To me, it's important that a room looks like someone actually lives in them! With our small home, I can tell you, that every room will be used and LIVED IN! lol But once again, I wish they'd tell you where they put that television! :)




And "Pottery Barn," we meet again. :) Love this!




Now here's an interesting mix of elegant & casual style, in this cozy space! The warm, but neutral palette makes it all the more inviting {rather than feeling stuffy}!!!





Ooh, another gorgeously simple look! Just beautiful, I say!





Once again, I am totally loving the combination of blues & greens in this room! I really, really love the way this color scheme falls into place!





Now this room is very similar to how our space is laid out in our living room {minus the exposed ceilings, which I do adore}!!! :)

Well, that just about ends my little eye candy for the evening. When all the "rugged stuff" gets done, I really do look forward to furnishing our place & mixing some old with new to create a married blend of French Countryside Inspired Living with a dash of Vintage Industrial Flair {this defines my style completely!}.

On a final note, I would really love to know where you incorporate your television in your vintage space? Do tell, I'm quite curious because I'm beginning to think that people either put their television in another room {I've seen this scenario in some places}, or they just don't watch t.v. at all! Maybe it's hidden in an armoire, mounted on top of the mantle, or exposed on a media stand...whichever it is, I would love to know where you house your television?

UPDATE: Thanks to my friend Stacey @ A Sort of Fairytale, I will be linking this post to my very first blog party at "Anything Goes" {Tuesdays} @Type A Hopefully I did it right! :)

23 comments:

SLR said...

those are some gorgeous pics! so we have a modest house too, and we are lucky enough to have a finished basement and that is where the TV is, until we had some flooding down there recently and we brought the TV up to the living room on the 1st floor. funny thing is, we actually like watching it better there! however, it does not look so pretty and the stand it is on is a dark brownish-black and does not go well in the room. I want to get an armoire to house the TV in so I can just close the doors when we are not looking at it. the ones i really like are a $1000+ and not so much in the budget, so I am looking for one at Goodwill and Salvation army that I can paint and distress. also, do you know about blog parties? you can link your post up and its a great way to get comments and followers to your blog. you could link up this post and i am sure lots of people would come to visit your blog and give you great ideas on what to do with the TV :)
i have a separate page on my blog that you can check out to see some parties.
love your blog and style!
also love that you are a stevie nicks and tori amos fan!!

A Cozy Cottage in the City said...

Thanks so much for your input, Stacey! Ok, I tried my hand at my first blog party {link to it}, so here goes nothing! lol Oh and you're so lucky to have a finished basement. We don't have a basement, or a working attic...so that just leaves the garage, and let me tell you - that place is in dire need of some work {it's dark, dingy & unfinished!}. Oh well, more projects to look forward to! :)

Ann from On Sutton Place said...

I saw your link at Type A and am a new follower. I actually have a TV in both of my living spaces. The big one is in our family room and yes it's over the mantel. I had it in a corner for years but by doing so it created 2 focal points. When we finally changed it the flow of the room improved and we really love it. In my other sitting room I have a TV on built-in book shelves in a corner. Works fine. I noticed that almost every pic in this post has white slipcovers. I have them in my sitting room but I can't keep them clean. Seems they are always dirty...mostly from our dog. I am almost ready to get a different slipcover...seeing all these lovely pics may make me change my mind. Come visit my blog if you have time...

Tammy @ Type A said...

thanks for making Type A your first party! that is really awesome! thanks for partying with me.

Anonymous said...

I love all of these spaces but they can be unrealistic for families who really live in them! If you have the space, you could try to incorporate a piece of furniture like a small dresser or buffet (like a thrift store find that you could paint and make it all "cottagey) and put your tv on that. We used the base of our china cabinet since we don't have a dining room in this house. Can't wait to see more of your home!!t

Alyssa said...

Hello! I LOVE that first pic! So glad to see your lovely blog...and glad you stopped by Sweet Sewn Stitches!

I learned most of my sewing knowledge from my mom and through 4-H. Just pick a place to start and let the web teach you! There are so many tutorials available! Best of luck!

Tricia said...

Oh my, those are some beautiful inspiration photos! I always put my tvs in a cabinet that has doors. That way if I don't want to look at it I can just close it up. A nice antique armoire always looks good, but you would need a newer flat screen tv to do that since most armoires are pretty shallow.

Tammy @ Type A said...

beautiful! i love the gold settee, it's perfection. i'll take two! lol in our next house we won't have a tv in the living room, maybe the family room. they are so ugly! thanks for sharing this at my party!

Noble Vintage said...

Beautiful pics! I always love a pretty frame mounted on the wall with the tv in the center. I don't have that but I do like it. My personal feeling is that tv's are a part of our life and if they're visible it's ok. Armoires and tv stands are all great and just work with what ya got. I saw a beautiful installation using a very large paint easel. Also a wooden chest with the tv installed to the lid - when opened you see the tv, closed, it disappears.
Thanks for your nice comments on my hydrangeas. I just fertilized every other week through the summer. They don't like westerly sun- it burns them. East facing is perfect. See you soon!

Brenda Pruitt said...

I couldn't find an email address for you. You’ve just been featured on my weekly Welcome Wagon Friday post. I welcome new blogs I find to the blogosphere, so that we might get to know them better. You should be receiving visitors shortly. You have a beautiful blog, and welcome!
Brenda http://cozylittlehouse.com

SLR said...

Hi! I nominated you for Welcome Wagon Friday at Cozy Little House blog, and you are featured today...yippee!
Go to cozylittlehouse.com to see
:)

Alaina said...

Welcome, I came from visiting the welcome wagon at Cozy Little House. I love the pictures they are great inspirations. I am one of those crazy ones who has all white slipcovers. I have to admit that yes I do wash them, but I also know that if I washed the previous couch that my youngest markered all over the cushions would not have matched and would have been more faded. One word IKEA. They have great furniture for great prices. Now don't get me wrong they are NOT as cushy and comfy as Pottery Barn but they are worth it. As for my tv, we have it in an armoire. I like that I can close the doors when we have a party. The drawback is that the tv is on the smaller size. Good luck and I hope you have lots of fun blogging.

Florida Farm Girl said...

Hi -- I stopped in from Cozy Little House. Those are some lovely inspirations, especially that room with the blue sofa and the floral rug. Good luck to you with camouflaging the TV. We're having that same discussion. DH want a new, larger one and I'm not having it as a big black eyesore on the wall. Ours now is in a wall unit where the doors can be closed.

Brynwood Needleworks said...

I was introduced to your blog by Brenda at Cozy Little House. I've joined your friends list and look forward to getting to know you better. I've also added your blog to my sidebar blog roll.

Welcome to Blogland!
xoxo
Donna

Blondie's Journal said...

These are some beautiful inspiration photos!! Just my style, which is sort of Shabby Chic Farmhouse!! We have TV's in practically every room and to make them NOT be the focal point, I have a lot of large potted plants...one on each side of the TV. It seems to take the focus away!

Visiting from Cozy Little House where you have been featured! I am a new follower, too!

XO,
Janie

Mary @ Redo 101 said...

Hi, I'm visiting from the Cozy Little House neighborhood - nice to meet you. I love all the living room inspiration you shared, but you're right, none of those people have televisions :) Could you get a shabby chic cabinet and hide the TV in it when it's not in use? I followed your blog, stop by to visit me anytime, we'd love to have you over.

Hugs,
Mary

Debby said...

Hi. I am also from Brenda's Cozy Little House. I follow all things "Cozy" and "Cottage". Welcome. I like all your idea photos. I always say I want to live in the Pottery Barn catalog.....wish.
About the TV.....our old one fit in a cabinet. It died and our new one is bigger so it sits on top of the cabinet.
Not great but it'll do.
It will be fun to see how you decorate your cottage.

Honey at 2805 said...

Hi! The big one is in the family/media room and there is also one in an armoire in the living room.

You have chosen some lovely inspiration pictures! I am delighted to welcome you to blogland and am happy to become a friend and follower.

Hope you will please drop by and enter my $50 Overstock.com Gift Card Giveaway!! If there are 500entries, the amount will increase the Gift Card to $100.

A Cozy Cottage in the City said...

Hi everyone! I was pleasantly surprised when I found out about being featured (thanks to Stacey & Brenda)! ;) Thank you all so much for stopping by! I can't wait to meet all of you - and I look forward to visiting your blogs!!!

Cheers from SoCali,
Jessie

Joy@aVintageGreen said...

Hi - just became follower # 18 - hope you can drop over and visit my blog - more vignettes than whole home. Found you through My Cozy Little House today. I did see a few blogs that hang a large picture over the flat screen mounted above the mantle. My tv is a room hog - dark, deep, on a low wheeled base that we never painted.

TinaTx said...

Love all the pictures you have posted! I'm in the same boat as you in trying to find a place for the tv. I want a cabinet can close the doors on when we aren't watching but I haven't found one the right size and price so for now it is sitting on top of a bookcase. :(
BTW - I found you through Brenda's Welcome Wagon post.

The Vintage Farmhouse said...

I think a lot of people don't put a tv in their living rooms anymore. We didn't have one in ours for years. Then my dad bought my kids a wii for Christmas so we had to put a tv in there. I finally found a nice armoire to put it in so no one has to know it's there unless it is being used.

Anonymous said...

Hello from Oz! I love your inspiration photos and I have also wondered where the beautiful people put their TVs! Ours is in the family room but it is not hidden away. i wish it was and I would like to buy an armoire for that purpose one day. I am also new to blogging, so I was not sure about the party thing either. Glad it's not just me:) good luck, and hope you find a solution to your Tv conundrum too.

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