Ask Jennifer Adams: TV or fireplace, what is more important?

Q:

I know it's an age-old debate, but now I really have to decide which is more important: the TV and my family, or the fireplace. My family room has built-in shelves above the fireplace for a TV, and the whole great room is oriented in this direction. I love how I can watch the TV from the kitchen, but the giant TV my husband just bought won't fit in the section above the fireplace. The only place the new TV will fit is in front of a picture window that looks out into the backyard. So he wants to make a movie room upstairs, and I'm afraid my whole family will abandon me for the nice TV. What should I do?

- C.

A:

Oh, wow, you really do have a priority issue here, and it's not about the TV and the fireplace. It's about the TV and family time. I'm not opposed to movie rooms and nice setups for TV watching. I enjoy them. I'm also in favor of quality time with friends and family, and hope you can find a way to balance that with the TV, no matter where it is.

Have you thought about leaving your current TV in place and letting your husband build a movie room for special shows the entire family enjoys, or for game-day parties? This could create better family time for everyone, because you'd be there, too, on the sofa with the kids instead of in the kitchen.

There are plenty of ways to arrange a family room to enjoy both a fireplace and a TV. Think creatively. Instead of the upstairs movie room, is it possible to swap your dining table for the TV arrangement? I love dining in front of fireplaces, and you could put a nice art piece or mirror above the fireplace instead of a TV.

Best of luck to you, and please let me know how it goes.

Jennifer Adams is a designer, author, and TV personality. AskJennifer@JenniferAdams.com

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